MONTPELIER, Vt. -
The Vermont statehouse walls hid the chaos inside the building Friday.
"It's busy," said Vermont State Rep. Janet Ancel.
That's because bills that don't deal with money must be voted out.
"Committees are working hard, and they're working very hard and diligently to make sure that they're making cross-over," said Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith.
State leaders say the idea is to make lawmakers work quickly to move their bills between senate and house and not waste taxpayer dollars.
"Some people, they'll hold bills and have hearings until the end of the session and expect the other body to take it up," said Vermont Senate Pro-Tem John Campbell.
Leaders say they were pushing for certain bills to continue, including opioid addiction, methamphetamine and shoreline protections.
Lawmakers also made deals to keep bills on marijuana decriminalization and migrant workers licenses going after "cross-over".
All the other bills that didn't make it out, including gun restrictions and genetically enhanced food labeling, will have to wait until 2014.
Finally, one of the bigger surprises Friday has nothing to do with "cross-over" day it was that some lawmakers vowed to reveal how the healthcare exchange will be funded before the end of the session.
"I think we have to. I think we have an obligation to do that," said Ancel.
