H 956 Vermont House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

An act relating to approval of an amendment to the charter of the City of Burlington relating to the Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

This bill approves a charter amendment for the City of Burlington to create a permanent Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. The new office will be led by a Director who reports to the Mayor and works with City departments to develop strategies for diversity and antiracism. The Director will have the authority to recommend policy changes and improve representation for underserved communities in city government. The office will also coordinate public engagement efforts to make city interactions more inclusive.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Apr 8, 2026 Signed May 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed by Both House and Senate (OfficialOpens in a new window) As Passed by Both House and Senate (UnofficialOpens in a new window) · 3 edits
MINOR
This diff reflects only formatting and presentation changes between the official and unofficial versions of H.956 as passed by both chambers. No substantive policy content was altered. The changes include removal of introductory metadata (sponsor name, committee referral, date, subject line, and statement of purpose), a slightly shortened header title, and addition of a legislative tracking number.
TECHNICAL

Removed the introductory block containing the sponsor (Rep. Stone of Burlington), committee referral line, date field, subject line, and the 'Statement of purpose of bill as introduced' paragraph.

Changed the document header from 'BILL AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE AND SENATE' to 'AS PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE' on all pages.

Added a legislative tracking identifier 'VT LEG #389614 v.1' at the bottom of each page.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
22
Key actions
7
Committee
5
May 26, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by Governor on May 26, 2026
executive
May 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Delivered to the Governor on May20, 2026
lower
May 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
Senate Message: Passed in concurrence
lower
May 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably by Senator Vyhovsky for Committee on Government Operations, read 2nd time and 3rd reading ordered
upper
May 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable report by Committee on Government Operations
upper
May 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable report by Committee on Government Operations
upper
May 6, 2026
Committee
Referred to Committee on Government Operations per Temporary Senate Rule 44A
upper
Apr 30, 2026
Introduced
Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Rules
upper
Apr 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Rep. Stone of Burlington reported for the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs
lower
Apr 8, 2026
Introduced
Read first time and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Mary-Katherine Stone
Mary-Katherine Stone
DDemocratic
VT
Chittenden-14