Vermont's Legislative Preview for Week 11

March 11– March 15, 2024

Note: Legislative Committee Agendas are updated frequently throughout each day. The latest committee schedule can be found on this link. A list of weekly hearings for all committees can be found here.

House Committee Work

Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry – will continue work designating the State Mushroom.

Appropriations – will hold committee discussions on the FY 2025 State Budget.

Commerce and Economic Development – will continue work on H.121, an act related to data-privacy, with plans to vote it out of committee by the end of the week. They will also hear more on H.707, an act relating to revising the delivery and governance of the Vermont workforce system.

Corrections and Institutions – will devote most of the week to the Governor’s Recommended Capital Budget Adjustment and discussions pertaining to many services related to corrections.

Education – On Tuesday and throughout the week, the committee will discuss their bill, an act relating to the development of an updated State aid to school construction program, and continue taking testimony regarding education cost drivers.

Environment and Energy –  will spend much of the week on the Act 250 bill, H.687, an act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use. They will take up H.657, an act relating to the modernization of Vermont’s communications taxes and fees, receiving an introduction from Rep. Sims from the Ways and Means Committee.

General and Housing –  will spend the week on H.704, an act relating to disclosure of compensation in job advertisements, H.695, an act relating to survivor benefits for law enforcement officers, and on H.639, an act relating to disclosure of flood history of real property subject to sale.

Government Operations and Military Affairs – will continue work on their committee bill relating to creating a uniform municipal code of ethics. They will hold a committee discussion on H.140, an act relating to requirements for State-funded grants, on Tuesday with a possible vote on Wednesday. They will take testimony on H.626, an act relating to animal welfare, with a possible vote on Thursday.

Health Care – TBA.

Human Services – will hold a joint hearing with House Health Care regarding the Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility on Tuesday. They will spend much of the week on their committee bill regarding General Assistance Housing Modernization. There will be a potential vote on H.829, an act relating to creating permanent upstream eviction protections and enhancing housing stability, on Thursday.

Judiciary – will continue work on H.655, an act relating to qualifying offenses for sealing criminal history records and access to sealed criminal history records. They will take testimony on H.173, an act relating to prohibiting manipulating a child for the purpose of sexual contact, on Thursday.

Transportation – will review Section 13 of H.657, an act relating to the modernization of Vermont’s Communications taxes and fees. They will devote most of the week to S.309, an act relating to miscellaneous changes to DMV, motor vehicles, and vessels.

Ways & Means – Wednesday will be a busy lineup: the committee may vote on H.10, an act relating to amending VEGI; discuss their Miscellaneous Tax Bill; hear from Access Management Organizations; take up H.827, an act relating to applying personal income tax to unrealized gains; and discuss Meals and Rooms tax and Short-term rentals. On Thursday they will review H.612, an act relating to miscellaneous cannabis amendments and education spending. They may also vote out H.350, an act relating to the Uniform Directed Trust Act, and H.279, an act relating to the Uniform Trust Decanting Act, with further discussions on Meals and Rooms tax and Short-term Rentals. On Friday they will review H.233, an act relating to pharmacy benefit management and Medicaid wholesale drug distribution.

Senate Committee Work

Agriculture – will take a field trip to United Ag and Turf regarding H.81, an act relating to fair repair of agricultural equipment. They will continue work on this bill on Thursday.

Appropriations – TBA.

Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs – TBA. 

Education – TBA.

Finance – TBA.

Government Operations – will work on S.96, an act relating to privatization contracts. They will vote out S.310, an act relating to natural disaster government response, recovery and resiliency, S.159, an act relating to the county governance study, and S.183, an act relating to planning for the Agency of Health Care Administration.

Health and Welfare – TBA.

Institutions – will review the Governor’s Recommended Capital Budget Adjustment.

Judiciary – will vote on S.150, an act relating to automobile insurance, and S.58, an act relating to increasing the penalties for dispensing a regulated drug. They will continue work on Friday regarding  Prop 4 – declaration of rights; government for the people; equality of rights. They will hear more testimony on S.259, an act relating to climate change cost recovery, also known as the Climate Change Superfund bill.

Natural Resources and Energy – will possibly vote on S.258, an act relating to the management of fish and wildlife, on Tuesday. They will also take testimony on S.306, an act relating to changes to the Clean Heat Standard. The rest of the week is TBA.

Transportation – TBA.