Vermont Bills

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 24, 2023

H 366: An act relating to eligibility for Medicare supplement plans for individuals who have end-stage renal disease

This bill requires health insurers in Vermont to offer the same Medicare supplemental insurance policies to people eligible for Medicare due to end-stage renal disease as they offer to those eligible by age or disability. The law mandates that insurers use community rating methods without medical underwriting or screening for these plans, ensuring equal access regardless of health status. It also establishes a six-month initial enrollment period for affected individuals and requires the state to collaborate with advocates to educate the public about Medicare supplemental insurance options. The changes take effect on January 1, 2024, and apply to all plans issued or renewed on or after that date.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Mary Morrissey (R) · 20 co-sponsors

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 24, 2023

H 377: An act relating to repealing disorderly conduct statutes

This bill seeks to eliminate Vermont's state laws against disorderly conduct and aggravated disorderly conduct, which currently allow for criminal charges against individuals who create public inconvenience, make unreasonable noise, use abusive language, or obstruct traffic. The legislation would directly affect law enforcement, prosecutors, and citizens who might otherwise face arrest or fines under these statutes. By repealing sections 1026 and 1026a of the Vermont Statutes, the bill removes the legal basis for charging people with these offenses, regardless of whether they engage in fighting, threatening behavior, or other disruptive actions in public spaces. The changes would take effect on July 1, 2023, and would prevent future convictions and penalties that currently carry up to 180 days of imprisonment or fines of up to $2,000 for aggravated cases.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 24, 2023

H 365: An act relating to expanding workers’ compensation coverage for firefighters with cancer

This bill expands workers' compensation benefits for Vermont firefighters who develop specific types of cancer. It creates a legal presumption that these cancers resulted from job-related exposures if the firefighter had clean cancer screening results before or within two years of starting their career, has at least five years of firefighting service in Vermont, is under 65 years old, and does not have a history of tobacco use within 10 years of diagnosis. The law covers leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the bladder, brain, colon, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, liver, pancreas, skin, or testicles, and applies to firefighters diagnosed within 10 years of their last active duty. The bill also recommends that fire departments keep incident reports for at least 10 years to support these claims.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Scott Beck (R) · 33 co-sponsors

introduced · Vermont · Senate Feb 24, 2023

S 101: An act relating to miscellaneous workers’ compensation amendments

This bill amends Vermont's workers' compensation system to improve how injured workers receive benefits and manage their return to work. It allows injured workers to request preauthorization for medical treatments, requiring insurers to respond within 14 days or face automatic approval. The legislation also clarifies when employers can require injured employees to search for new jobs while receiving temporary disability benefits, limiting the search to three employers per week. Additionally, the bill adjusts how temporary partial disability payments are calculated, ensures cost-of-living adjustments for certain workers, and establishes a default funding rate for the Workers' Compensation Administration Fund if the legislature does not set one.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 24, 2023

H 378: An act relating to the creation of the Office of the Housing Advocate

This bill creates a new Office of the Housing Advocate within the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development to assist landlords, tenants, and homeowners with housing-related questions and concerns. The office would be run by a nonprofit organization under contract and led by a Chief Housing Advocate who can provide information, referrals, and help with complaints or appeals related to housing services. Key provisions include educating residents on their rights, investigating housing problems, monitoring housing laws, and ensuring confidential handling of complaints while preventing conflicts of interest among staff. The office must submit annual reports to state legislators and other agencies, and all state agencies are required to cooperate with its reasonable requests for information.

Topics ✓ Housing

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 24, 2023

H 375: An act relating to State funding of remediation, mitigation, reconstruction, or new construction of a public school contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls

This bill requires the State of Vermont to cover all costs for public schools that need remediation, mitigation, reconstruction, or new construction due to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination. It applies to public schools tested by the Agency of Natural Resources after 2015 that show PCB levels exceeding the state's action threshold. The legislation defines "public school" according to existing state law and ensures eligible schools receive funding or reimbursement for necessary cleanup and rebuilding expenses.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Environment

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 24, 2023

H 371: An act relating to removal of criminal penalties for possessing, dispensing, or selling psilocybin and establishment of the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group

This bill would remove criminal penalties for possessing, dispensing, or selling psilocybin in Vermont and create a Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to study the potential for regulated therapeutic use. The legislation cites research suggesting psilocybin may help treat mental health conditions like depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders, and it amends state law to exclude psilocybin from the definition of hallucinogenic drugs. The newly formed working group would include legislators, medical professionals, researchers, and community members to review evidence, examine programs in other states, and recommend whether Vermont should establish a regulated system for healthcare providers to administer psychedelics therapeutically. The group must submit its findings and recommendations by November 15, 2024, to relevant legislative committees.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Healthcare

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 24, 2023

H 367: An act relating to promoting economic development, administrative capacity, and vitality in rural communities

This bill creates the Vermont Rental Housing Improvement Program to provide grants and forgivable loans to private landlords for rehabilitating rental housing units, with a focus on non-code-compliant or newly created units. The program is administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development through statewide or regional nonprofit housing organizations, which distribute funds to eligible landlords who must contribute at least 20 percent in matching funds or in-kind services. Recipients cannot use assisted units for short-term rentals and must prioritize leasing to households exiting homelessness or refugee resettlement programs for five years, with alternative income-based tenant requirements if qualifying households are unavailable. The bill also establishes transparency requirements, mandating that recipient identities and award amounts be published quarterly online, and limits individual grants or loans to a maximum of $50,000 per unit.

Topics ✓ Housing

introduced · Vermont · Senate Feb 24, 2023

S 105: An act relating to sports wagering

This bill authorizes Vermont's Department of Liquor and Lottery to operate sports wagering through contracts with private operators while establishing regulatory standards and oversight. It creates a competitive bidding process to select operators and allows the department to negotiate revenue-sharing agreements with those operators. The legislation defines prohibited sports bettors, including athletes and employees involved in sports, and restricts wagering on certain local collegiate and high school events. Additionally, it establishes responsible gaming standards and creates a special fund to support mental health services related to problem gambling.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 23, 2023

H 345: An act relating to lakes in crisis and requirements for designation

This bill declares Lake Memphremagog a "lake in crisis" and removes the requirement that a municipality must show declining real property values to qualify for this designation. The legislation directly affects Lake Memphremagog, which spans Vermont and Quebec, by mandating that its crisis response plan include controls on effluent discharges to the lake's tributaries. By eliminating the property value decline criterion, the bill makes it easier to trigger emergency measures aimed at addressing phosphorus runoff and algal blooms that threaten public health and water quality. The changes take effect immediately for the Lake Memphremagog declaration, while updated criteria for future lake designations will apply starting July 1, 2023.

Topics ✓ Environment

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 23, 2023

H 346: An act relating to the use of sluice boxes for recreational mineral prospecting

This bill would allow recreational mineral prospectors in Vermont to use small, nonmotorized sluice boxes in watercourses, provided they meet specific conditions. The legislation permits this activity only after obtaining approval from the Secretary of Natural Resources and requires that prospecting occur in state watercourses or on private land with the owner's permission. Key restrictions include limiting sluice boxes to 60 inches in length, requiring hand operation, prohibiting excavation on watercourse banks, and banning use in wetlands. The bill also exempts hand panning from permit requirements and maintains the existing ban on suction dredges.

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 23, 2023

H 355: An act relating to requiring additional campaign finance reporting and disclosures

This bill requires candidates, political committees, and parties in Vermont to provide more detailed reporting on campaign finance, including tracking the original sources of funds used for contributions and expenditures. It mandates that any contribution exceeding $250 must be accompanied by a transfer record documenting the identity of individuals who provided the original funds, and all relevant financial records must be retained for at least four years. The legislation also updates reporting forms to include specific details about contributors and expenditures, requires formal identification of contributors in electioneering communications, and expands disclosure requirements for independent expenditure committees making over $1,000 in spending. These changes apply to a wide range of political actors including candidates, political parties, and independent groups, aiming to increase transparency in campaign funding without changing contribution limits or election rules.

Bill results