H 741 Vermont House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An act relating to requiring the court to issue an arrest warrant when a criminal defendant fails to appear in court

H 741 requires Vermont courts to issue an arrest warrant instead of a court notice (citation) when a criminal defendant fails to appear at a scheduled hearing after being released on conditions or issued a citation by law enforcement. This applies specifically to defendants who miss court without a valid reason, directly affecting individuals charged with crimes who skip court dates. The bill changes existing procedures by mandating arrest warrants for these failures, prohibiting courts from issuing new citations to appear, and allowing warrantless arrests for related violations like travel restrictions. It aims to streamline enforcement of court attendance obligations under Vermont law.
Bill status introduced 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 21, 2026 Last action Jan 21, 2026
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Jan 21, 2026
Introduced
Read first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

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