An act relating to vocational rehabilitation and apprenticeships

New subject matter added: the bill now covers the Vermont Labor Relations Board in addition to vocational rehabilitation and apprenticeships, as reflected in the expanded title.

The Vocational Rehabilitation Working Group membership was changed in one chamber version: legislative members (House and Senate) and the Commissioner of Financial Regulation were removed and replaced with the Director of Workers' Compensation and Safety or designee, reducing the group from 7 categories to 4.

New section amends 3 V.S.A. Section 922 to authorize the Vermont Labor Relations Board to employ a mediator who provides free mediation services to public and private sector collective bargaining units and employers when they reach impasse during collective bargaining.

A full-time, permanent, classified mediator position is created in the office of the Vermont Labor Relations Board, with $115,000 appropriated from the General Fund for fiscal year 2027 to cover salary and benefits.

The apprenticeship section contains minor formatting and typographical changes (removal of extra blank lines, small wording adjustments such as changing 'their' to 'the youth's') with no substantive policy impact.

The entire provision creating a full-time permanent State Mediator position in the Vermont Labor Relations Board with a $115,000 FY2027 appropriation was deleted. The related office space and employee provisions for the Board were also removed.

Section 1 no longer contains the detailed regulatory framework for vocational rehabilitation screening that required certified counselors, initial screenings, periodic re-screening, conflict-of-interest protections, worker choice of counselor, and a mechanism for workers to initiate services if the employer failed to assign a provider within 90 days. Only the basic entitlement language and the rights notification form requirement remain.

The Working Group's study questions were reorganized into three categories (initial screening, vocational rehabilitation generally, and wage replacement benefits) with new sub-questions added about whether initial screening is helpful or a hindrance, what other states require, whether the three current screening questions should be modified, and who has oversight of the screening process.

The Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program must now develop a five-year strategic plan (starting July 1, 2026) and submit an annual report by December 1 including statistics disaggregated by age, race, sex, gender identity, New American status/language access needs, Veteran status, disability, industry, and education status, plus wage analysis by occupation.

The Vermont Apprenticeship Advisory Board has new duties to create working groups on quality/safety/diversity/alignment, ensure programs address barriers for underserved populations, and strengthen relationships with community partners serving historically marginalized communities.

The Vocational Rehabilitation Working Group was restructured: it now includes two legislative members (one House, one Senate) and the Commissioner of Financial Regulation, replacing the Director of Workers' Compensation and Safety as a member. The Commissioner of Labor now chairs the group instead of the Director. Legislative members are entitled to per diem compensation under 2 V.S.A. section 23.

A brand-new Section 3 amends 21 V.S.A. chapter 13 (Apprenticeship) with extensive new provisions including: definitions for 'nontraditional apprenticeship population' (fewer than 25% of participants), 'nontraditional apprenticeship industry or occupation' (fewer than 10% of apprenticeable occupations using calendar year 2023 as benchmark), and a broad 'underserved communities' definition covering race, LGBTQ+ status, disability, immigration status, rural residence, veteran status, and poverty.

An entirely new Youth Apprenticeship Programs section (21 V.S.A. section 1124) was added, establishing requirements for programs designed for high school students including written plans, mentoring descriptions, performance reviews, wage schedules for paid work, alignment with diploma requirements, cost accounting, and assurance that staff understand youth labor law protections.

Apprenticeship agreements now require voluntary disclosure of demographic data (race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, primary language, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability) for federal EEO compliance and state reporting, plus an equal opportunity statement and optional fields for SSN and demographics.

Pre-apprenticeship programs are now 'certified' by the Department rather than 'registered,' reflecting a change in the regulatory mechanism.

The header changed from 'AS PASSED BY SENATE' to 'BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE' and page count increased from 6 to 8 pages due to added metadata.

Standard introduction metadata was added: sponsor (Senator Ram Hinsdale), committee referral, date (January 6, 2026), subject line, and a statement of purpose summarizing the bill's goals regarding vocational rehabilitation and free mediation services.

In Section 2(a) (3 V.S.A. 922), the phrase 'under his or her' was changed to 'the Secretary's' when describing the Secretary of Administration's control over public buildings made available to the Vermont Labor Relations Board.

A second act title line was added: 'An act relating to workers' compensation and the Vermont Labor Relations Board,' broadening the stated scope beyond just vocational rehabilitation to explicitly include the Labor Relations Board and its mediator function.

The entire Section 2 (amending 3 V.S.A. 922 to allow the Vermont Labor Relations Board to use public buildings, employ staff, and provide free mediation services during collective bargaining impasses) was deleted.

A new Section 2 creates a Vocational Rehabilitation Working Group of seven members (Director of Workers' Compensation and Safety, two claimant representatives, two employer/insurer representatives, and two certified VR counselors) to study and recommend improvements to the VR system.

The bill title changed from 'An act relating to workers' compensation and the Vermont Labor Relations Board' to 'An act relating to vocational rehabilitation,' reflecting the removal of all labor relations provisions.

Section 3, which created a full-time permanent classified mediator position in the Vermont Labor Relations Board and appropriated $115,000 from the General Fund in fiscal year 2027 for salary and benefits, was deleted.

The effective date provision (July 1, 2026) was removed from the bill.

The Working Group must hold its first meeting by August 14, 2026, and submit a written report with findings and legislative recommendations to the House Commerce Committee and Senate Economic Development Committee by December 15, 2026, after which it dissolves.