Vermont's Legislative Preview for Week 3

January 15 – January 19, 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 their work on H.603, an act relating to poultry slaughter inspection, and H.614, an act relating to land improvement fraud and timber trespass. They will also discuss H.550, an act expanding eligibility under the local foods grant program..

Appropriations – will spend the week working on the Budget Adjustment Act. On Thursday the committee will attend a joint hearing regarding the Emergency Board Consensus Revenue Forecast.

Commerce and Economic Development – On Tuesday the committee will receive a walk-through of H.527, an act relating to requiring retail businesses to accept cash. They will take testimony on S.30, an act relating to creating a Sister State Program. They will hear updates from Advance Vermont, Workforce Investment System, Serve, Learn and Earn, Regional Development Corporations, and the Regional Planning Commissions.

Corrections and Institutions – will hold discussions of bills in their committee and receive a walk-through of H.645, an act relating to the expansion of approaches to restorative justice. On Wednesday they will hear about White River Junction Court House renovations.

Education – will receive a status update regarding the PCB testing program and hold a committee discussion on H.716, an act relating to career and technical education. They will hold hearings on mental health conditions in schools as well.

Environment and Energy – will receive walk-throughs on the following bills: H.687, an act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use; H.549, an act relating to the siting of outdoor cannabis cultivation; H.568, an act relating to the municipal planning and resilience grant program; H.586, an act relating to the flood protection and climate resilience infrastructure financing; and H.812, an act relating to threatened and endangered species. They will spend time on the Renewable Energy Standard and look at a new reform bill draft, review off-session land use reports from Regional Planning Commissions, and review a report on the state’s Designation Programs from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

General and Housing – will walk-through the following bills: H.686, an act relating to measuring progress toward statewide and regional housing targets; H.647, an act relating to creating the Housing Board of Appeals; H.713, an act relating to establishing a 32-hour workweek; H.704, an act relating to disclosure of compensation in job advertisements; H.684, an act relating to creating a rental housing registry; H.675, an act relating to issuing grants for permanent supportive housing; H.756, an act relating to short-term rental occupancy requirements; H.449, an act relating to creating a short-term housing registry; H.132, an act relating to establishing a homeless bill of rights; H.764, an act relating to a study on employer-provided housing; and, H.751, an act relating to expanding equal pay protections.

Government Operations and Military Affairs – will consider an act relating to the State Ethics Commission and the State Code of Ethics and an act relating to creating a uniform Municipal Code of Ethics. They will continue testimony on H.140, an act relating to requirements for state-funded grants and contracts on Wednesday. They will close the week with a review of the Emergency Medical Services Task Force Report.

Health Care – will hold a hearing on H.721, an act relating to expanding access to Medicaid and Dr. Dynasaur followed by a walk-through and continued hearings on H.766, an act relating to prior authorization and step therapy requirements, health insurance claims, provider contracts and collection of cost sharing amounts.

Human Services – will devote the week to S.18, an act relating to banning flavored tobacco products and e-liquids.

Judiciary – will continue discussion of H.534, an act relating to retail theft. They will also receive testimony pertaining to H.645, an act relating to the expansion of approaches to restorative justice.

Transportation – will review H.479, an act relating to the Transportation Program and miscellaneous changes to acts related to transportation, and S.99, an act relating to miscellaneous changes to laws related to vehicles. They will hear various reports pertaining to public transit on Wednesday.

Ways & Means – will continue taking testimony on H.629, an act relating to changes to property tax abatement and tax sales. They will get an update on H.543, an act relating to Vermont’s adoption of the Social Work Licensure Compact. The committee will receive introductions to H.530, an act relating to increasing the property tax credit house site value exclusion, and H.593, an act relating to a tax credit for emergency responders. They will hold a Joint hearing with House Appropriations, Senate Appropriations and Senate Finance to discuss the Emergency Board Consensus Revenue Forecast, and they will hold a discussion Friday afternoon on the Corporate Tax.

Senate Committee Work

Agriculture – will receive an update on the Cannabis Control Board Report on Wednesday. They will hear an overview of H.81, an act relating to the fair repair of agricultural equipment on Wednesday. Compost, a Foodbank update and Land Conservation hearings will round out their week.

 Appropriations – will spend the week working on the Budget Adjustment Act.

 Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs – will devote most of the week to housing discussions, and continue to take testimony on flood recovery and public safety. 

Government Operations – will continue their work on Proposition 1 – Elections; sheriffs; qualifications. They will hold a hearing on the government’s response to flood recovery on Tuesday. On Wednesday they will continue work on S.55, an act relating to authorizing public bodies to meet electronically under Vermont’s Open Meeting Law.

 Judiciary – will hold a joint hearing on Wednesday pertaining to public safety. On Thursday the committee will receive a walk-through of S.209, an act relating to prohibiting unserialized firearms and unserialized firearm frames and receivers – also known as ghost guns.

 Natural Resources – will receive walk-throughs of the following bills: S.218, an act relating to the staffing of the Dam Safety Division; S.219, an act relating to municipal regulation of private airstrips; S.227, an act relating to the siting of transit; S.232, an act relating to revoking Vermont’s use of California’s Clean Air Act waiver; and, S.213, an act relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development, and dam safety.