This House Concurrent Resolution (HCR 11) honors K-9 Officer Gracie, a Bennington Police Department K-9 who served with distinction before her death on November 28, 2024. It formally extends condolences to the Bennington Police Department and recognizes her contributions, including over 500 deployments, recovery of more than 70 persons, and assets valued at $1.6 million. The resolution directs the Secretary of State to send a copy to Police Chief Paul J. Doucette Jr., Lt. Camillo Grande, and Officer Robert Murawski. As a commemorative resolution, it has no binding policy impact but serves to memorialize Officer Gracie’s service.
H 246 requires all postsecondary schools in Vermont to designate a Student Liaison Officer to assist students experiencing homelessness and those exiting the foster care system with financial aid, housing, and academic resources. Schools must implement policies providing these students priority access to class enrollment, on-campus housing (with a half-time enrollment requirement), and housing during breaks. The bill also mandates fee waivers for registration and laboratory costs for eligible students. These requirements will take effect on July 1, 2025.
H 247 requires all Vermont school districts and independent schools to create written cardiac emergency response plans by the 2025-2026 school year. These plans must include specific steps for responding to sudden cardiac arrest, such as establishing response teams, placing and maintaining AEDs, training staff in CPR/AED use, and integrating with local emergency services. The bill directly affects schools by mandating evidence-based protocols aligned with American Heart Association guidelines, covering both general school settings and athletic programs. Key provisions include annual plan reviews, staff training requirements, and coordination with community emergency responders. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.
H 233 requires Vermont state agencies to execute grant agreements with nonprofits within 30 days of funding approval or award notice, and to pay approved expenses within 30 days of a valid request. It mandates updating Administrative Bulletin 5 by July 2025 to establish a uniform process for nonprofits to use indirect rates above the standard "de minimis" rate. The bill also creates an online reporting system for grantees to document delays and a public database to track these issues. A working group will analyze grant processes, including payment delays and indirect rate consistency with federal standards, and submit recommendations by September 2026. This directly affects nonprofits receiving state-funded grants by clarifying payment timelines and administrative procedures.
H 224 would establish a new charge on heating fuel purchases to fund energy efficiency programs for thermal energy (like home heating). This charge would directly affect customers who buy heating fuel, with the revenue specifically targeting improvements to home energy efficiency. The bill includes a cap to limit how much the charge can be, ensuring it doesn't exceed a set maximum amount. The Public Utility Commission recommended this approach, and the bill aims to implement it as written.
H 226 proposes hiring a consultant to conduct a study examining how to create a Clean Heat Standard program that would make cleaner heating options cheaper than fossil fuels for Vermont buildings. The study aims to determine practical structures for such a program, focusing on cost comparisons for residential and commercial heating. This bill does not create new regulations but seeks to gather data to inform future policy decisions about heating costs. The study directly affects Vermonters by potentially shaping future energy choices and expenses for heating homes and businesses.
H 221 creates a temporary working group to develop a uniform process for ensuring compliance with court orders requiring individuals to surrender firearms, primarily affecting domestic violence victims and safety systems. The group, composed of officials from law enforcement, courts, domestic violence advocates, and firearm storage entities, will study current challenges and recommend legislative or policy changes by November 2025. It will focus on creating statewide accountability for firearm surrender orders in both family and criminal courts, assessing resource needs for courts and law enforcement, and consulting with existing domestic violence programs. The working group will disband on January 15, 2026, after submitting its recommendations to the legislature.
This bill (H 223) clarifies that using tracking technology without consent to follow someone’s movements - such as via GPS in a vehicle - counts as stalking under Vermont law. It prohibits installing or using tracking devices in vehicles without the operator’s and all occupants’ consent, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, parents monitoring minors, and vehicle dealers. The bill also allows courts to grant abuse survivors temporary vehicle possession for safety and creates a process for survivors to quickly disable an abuser’s access to a vehicle’s connected tracking services, even if the abuser owns the account. It directly affects domestic violence survivors, victims of stalking, and individuals using vehicles in abusive situations.
This bill requires Vermont to conduct a study on how climate change impacts air quality within the state, the resulting health effects on Vermonters, and the associated healthcare costs. It directly affects all Vermont residents by mandating an assessment of climate-related health risks and economic burdens. The key mechanism is a state-funded study to quantify these specific connections - air quality changes, health outcomes, and financial costs - without making new laws or regulations. The study's findings would inform future policy decisions but do not impose immediate requirements on individuals or businesses. (4 sentences)
This joint resolution schedules a joint meeting of Vermont's Senate and House of Representatives for February 20, 2025, to elect a Sergeant at Arms and three trustees for the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College. If all positions aren't filled on that date, the legislature will reconvene daily (excluding weekends) until the elections are completed. The bill does not create new policy but sets the procedural timeline for these specific appointments.
This procedural resolution adjusts the Vermont legislature's schedule by moving the next session date from Monday, February 15, 2025, to Tuesday, February 18, 2025. It directly affects the Vermont Senate and House of Representatives, changing when they will reconvene after adjourning on Friday, February 14, 2025. The resolution does not alter policy or impact citizens; it solely modifies the legislative calendar. The measure was unanimously adopted by both chambers on February 14, 2025.
This joint resolution changes the voting procedure for electing three University of Vermont (UVM) trustees in 2025. It specifies that the General Assembly will use a plurality vote system (not majority) for this single election, meaning members vote for up to three candidates on one ballot. The three candidates receiving the most votes win the trustee positions, with additional ballots used only if ties occur for any vacancy. This applies solely to the February 20, 2025, trustee election, overriding current rules for this specific instance.
