Vermont Legislative Committee Weekly Preview

April 22–26, 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 on S.301, an act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects, and S.102, an act relating to expanding employment protections and collective bargaining rights. On Friday they will receive a Jumping Worms Update.

 Appropriations – TBA.

 Commerce and Economic Development – will continue work on S.289, an act relating to age-appropriate design code, and on Friday they will take testimony on recent updates on data privacy developments in other states.

 Corrections and Institutions – will review House Judiciary’s work on S.195, an act relating to how a defendant’s criminal record is considered in imposing conditions of release.

 Education – TBA.

 Environment and Energy – will work on a number of bills: S.253, an act relating to building energy codes; S.254, an act relating to including rechargeable batteries and battery-containing products under the State battery stewardship program, and S.258, an act relating to the management of fish and wildlife.

 General and Housing – will devote the week to S.102, an act relating to expanding employment protections and collective bargaining rights.

 Government Operations and Military Affairs – will continue work on an number of bills: S.55, an act relating to authorizing public bodies to meet electronically under Vermont’s Open Meeting Law; S.310, an act relating to natural disaster government response, recovery, and resiliency; H.885, an act relating to approval of an amendment to the charter of the Town of Berlin; Committee Bill- Pay Act; S.220, an act relating to Vermont’s public libraries; S.183, an act relating to re-envisioning the Agency of Human Services; H.886, an act relating to the approval of amendments to the charter of the City of South Burlington.

 Health Care – will continue testimony on S.98, an act relating to Green Mountain Care Board authority over prescription drug costs, and S.192, an act relating to forensic facility admissions criteria and processes.

 Human Services – will receive a bill introduction to S.302, an act relating to public health outreach programs regarding dementia risk, and S.186, an act relating to the systemic evaluation of recovery residences and recovery communities.

 Judiciary – will continue work on S.195, an act relating to how a defendant’s criminal record is considered in imposing conditions of release, S.259, an act relating to climate change cost recovery, and S.58, an act relating to public safety.

 Transportation – will work on S.309, an act relating to miscellaneous changes to laws related to the Department of Motor Vehicles, motor vehicles, and vessels.

 Ways & Means – will consider the following bills: S.184, an act relating to the temporary use of automated traffic law enforcement (ATLE) systems; H.861, an act relating to reimbursement parity for health care services delivered in person, by telemedicine, and by audio-only telephone; PVR Update on Act 68 of 2023 Reappraisal Study; S.305, an act relating to miscellaneous changes related to the Public Utility Commission; S.213, an act relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development, and dam safety; H.629, an act relating to changes to property tax abatement and tax sales.

 Senate Committee Work

 Agriculture – will work on H.614, an act relating to land improvement fraud and timber trespass, and H.877, an act relating to misc. agricultural subjects.

 Appropriations – TBA.

 Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs – TBA. 

 Education – will receive a walk-through of H.887, an act relating to property tax rates, H.874, an act relating to miscellaneous changes in education laws, and possibly vote on H.871, an act relating to the development of an updated State aid to school construction program. They will hold the Secretary of Education confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

 Finance – TBA.

 Government Operations – TBA.

 Health and Welfare – will continue work on the following bills: H.661, an act relating to child abuse and neglect investigation and substantiation standards; S.25, an act relating to PFAS; H.612, an act relating to miscellaneous cannabis amendments; and H.121, an act relating to enhancing consumer privacy.

 Institutions – TBA.

 Judiciary – will consider the following bills: House changes to S.209, an act relating to prohibiting unserialized firearms; H.745, an act relating to the Vermont Parentage Act; H.780, an act relating to judicial nominations and appointments; H.173, an act relating to prohibiting manipulating a child for the purpose of sexual contact; H.655, an act relating to qualifying offenses for sealing criminal history records and access to sealed criminal history records; H.645, an act relating to the expansion of approaches to restorative justice; H.878, an act relating to miscellaneous judiciary procedures; and H.876, an act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the corrections laws.

 Natural Resources and Energy – will possibly vote on H.289, an act relating to the Renewable Energy Standard on Monday with the rest of the week TBA.

 Transportation – TBA.