An act relating to the disruption of proceedings governed by Vermont’s Open Meeting Law

H.145 clarifies rules for public meetings under Vermont’s Open Meeting Law. It gives public body chairs authority to create reasonable rules for public comments and to remove attendees who disrupt meetings after being asked to stop. The bill also adds "substantial impairment of a meeting’s effective conduct" to Vermont’s disorderly conduct law, making such disruptions a punishable offense. Attendees removed for violations may be barred from in-person meetings for up to 60 days if the public body uses hybrid or virtual formats. The law aims to balance public participation with orderly government operations, effective July 1, 2025.