Vermont Legislative Committee Weekly Preview

April 8–12, 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 discuss farmworker housing, and receive more testimony on H.567, an act relating to the sale of dogs, cats and wolf-hybrids by pet shops, and on S.301, the Senate’s act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects.

Appropriations – will get a walk-though of H.626, an act relating to animal welfare on Tuesday, with the rest of the week TBA.

Commerce and Economic Development – will continue work on H.659, an act relating to captive insurance (which includes pet insurance language), and S.289, an act relating to age-appropriate design code on Tuesday. They will also receive testimony on S.30, an act relating to creating a Sister State Program and S.150, an act relating to automobile insurance.

Corrections and Institutions – will consider an act relating to how a defendant’s criminal records is considered in imposing conditions of release. They will receive an update on the Corrections Investigative Unit.

Education – TBA.

Environment and Energy – will spend the week on on S.213, an act relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development and dam safety, and, S.305, an act relating to miscellaneous changes related to the Public Utility Commission. On Thursday there will be a joint hearing with House Judiciary on S.259, an act relating to climate change cost recovery.

General and Housing – will begin work on Prop 3 – Declaration of Rights; right to collectively bargain. They will continue work on S.102, an act relating to expanding employment protections and collective bargaining rights. Thursday morning will focus on hearing from people related to workforce housing and housing construction.

Government Operations and Military Affairs – will continue work on S.55, an act relating to authorizing public bodies to meet electronically under Vermont’s Open Meeting Law, and S.310, an act relating to natural disaster government response, recovery, and resiliency. They will take time for S.42, an act relating to divestment of State pension funds of investments in the fossil fuel industry, and receive an introduction to S.220, an act relating to Vermont’s public libraries.

Health Care – will take testimony on S.189, an act relating to mental health response service guidelines and continue their updates with Designated Agencies and Specialized Service Agencies and from the Northwestern Counseling & Support Service Agencies. They will receive a walk-through of S.98, an act relating to Green Mountain Care Board authority over prescription drug costs, and review the Senate’s amendment to H.543.

Human Services – TBA.

Judiciary – will continue with testimony on S.209, an act relating to prohibiting unserialized firearms, frames and receivers, and S.259, an act relating to climate change cost recovery.

Transportation – will continue work on S.184, an act relating to the temporary use of automated traffic law enforcement (ATLE), and receive a report regarding railroad leases on Thursday.

Ways & Means – TBA.

Senate Committee Work

Agriculture – will possibly vote on H.664, an act relating to designating a state mushroom. After this they will move on to devote the rest of the week to H.706, an act relating to banning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

Appropriations – will hold general discussions regarding the budget without details noted.

Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs – TBA. 

Education – will continue work on H.871, an act relating to the development of an updated State aid to school construction program. They will take testimony on H.873, an act relating to PCBs in schools, and H.630, an act relating to boards of cooperative education services.

Finance – will receive a walk-through of H.657, an act relating to the modernization of Vermont’s communications taxes and fees, with the remaining schedule TBA.

Government Operations – will receive a walk-through of H.875, an act relating to the State Ethics Commission and State Code of Ethics, and review a new draft of H.629, an act relating to changes to property tax abatement and tax sales.

Health and Welfare – will vote on H.847, an act relating to peer support provider and recovery support specialist certification. They will discuss H.766, an act relating to prior authorization and step therapy requirements, health insurance claims, and provider contracts. They will listen to an introduction to H.879, an act relating to the Emergency Temporary Shelter Program, and discuss H.721, an act relating to expanding access to Medicaid and Dr. Dynasaur, and H.233, an act relating to licensure and regulation of pharmacy benefit managers.

Institutions – will continue work on H.882, an act relating to capital construction and State bonding budget adjustment.

Judiciary – will continue work on H.27, an act relating to coercive controlling behavior and abuse prevention orders and H.173, an act relating to prohibiting manipulating a child for purpose of sexual contact.

Natural Resources and Energy – will devote the week to H.687, an act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use (the Act 250 bill).

Transportation – will possibly vote out H.868, the Transportation Budget.