H 556 Vermont House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An act relating to exceptions to applicability of State minimum wage

H 556 would amend Vermont's minimum wage law to exclude municipal legislators (such as mayors and town council members) from the legal definition of "employee." This means local elected officials would no longer be covered by state minimum wage and overtime requirements. The bill adds a specific exception to the definition of "employee" in Vermont law, effective July 1, 2026. It directly affects municipal legislative body members in cities and towns across Vermont. The change applies only to local elected officials, not state legislators or other government workers.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 6, 2026 Last action Mar 20, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed By the House (UnofficialOpens in a new window) As Passed By the House (OfficialOpens in a new window) · 2 edits · Mar 18, 2026
MINOR
The official version of H.556 narrows the minimum wage exemption for municipal personnel. The unofficial version exempted all 'elected and appointed municipal officers,' while the official version limits the exemption to only 'members of the legislative body of a municipality.' This means other paid municipal officers (such as town clerks or treasurers) would no longer be excluded from state minimum wage requirements.
Scope change
The exemption from state minimum wage requirements is narrowed from covering all elected and appointed municipal officers to only members of a municipality's legislative body (e.g., select board or town council members).
ELIGIBILITY

Subsection (J) of the employee definition exception was changed from 'elected and appointed municipal officers' to 'members of the legislative body of a municipality,' narrowing who is exempt from state minimum wage and overtime provisions.

TECHNICAL

The official version adds standard legislative metadata including the introducing representative, committee referral line, subject classification, and a statement of purpose, and reflows the text across two pages instead of one.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
10
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
2
Mar 20, 2026
Introduced
Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Report of Committee on General and Housing agreed to
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Rep. Bartley of Fairfax reported for the Committee on General and Housing
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Introduced
Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
lower
Mar 13, 2026
Introduced
Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
lower
Jan 6, 2026
Introduced
Read first time and referred to the Committee on General and Housing
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Michael Marcotte
Michael Marcotte
RRepublican
VT
Orleans-Lamoille