Despite movement toward agreement on increasing the state minimum wage and adopting a statewide paid sick leave law, negotiation broke down with a fanfare as the House abruptly adjourned last week until January 7 of 2020. It had been reported that House and Senate leadership had broken a stalemate and reached agreement on increasing the minimum wage (currently $10.78/hour) to $12.25 and creating a paid leave law that would include voluntary personal injury insurance. Reality however, was something different, as House Speaker Mitzi Johnson had given the Senate a noon deadline last Friday to agree to the compromise. When the Senate missed that deadline, the House adjourned for the year. Although Republican Governor Phil Scott hadn’t given any indication as to whether he would have accepted the compromise, the two democratically- controlled branches of the legislature couldn’t work through their own disagreements. The Senate met this Wednesday hoping the House would reconsider – they didn’t, and after some self-congratulatory speeches on their accomplishments, the Senate too adjourned.