An act relating to pilot projects expanding democratic practices in State and local government

H 373 proposes pilot programs to expand democratic participation in Vermont's state and local governments. It would create new neighborhood and regional planning assemblies, test methods like random selection (sortition) and structured group discussions (charrettes), require paid time off for election participation, and fund school assemblies to decide school policies. The bill also explores linking community engagement to health outcomes and provides grants for schools to use deliberative processes. These pilot projects would affect towns, cities, villages, schools, and public bodies, but the bill is currently in committee and has not become law.