This bill creates a pilot program to help middle schools in Vermont establish career and technical education programs for grades eight and nine. It provides $5.5 million in grant funding to eligible schools located more than 15 miles from existing career centers, with requirements that schools match the funding through in-kind contributions and commit to maintaining the programs for five years. The grants cover one full-time teacher and equipment costs for two years, after which schools must fund their own operations. The Agency of Education will report annually on student participation and program sustainability to the state legislature.
This bill, known as the Vermont Holocaust Studies Act, requires public schools in Vermont to include Holocaust education in their curricula for grades six through 12 starting in the 2024-2025 school year. The legislation mandates that each supervisory union provide at least six hours of age-appropriate instruction annually, integrated into existing subjects like global citizenship or English language arts. The Vermont Agency of Education will support schools by identifying resources, offering professional development, and advising educators on implementing the required content. The bill defines the Holocaust as the Nazi regime's persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews and millions of others, and outlines specific learning objectives including understanding genocide prevention, human rights protection, and the roles of citizens in combating discrimination.
This bill requires health insurers, the state employee health plan, and school employee health plans to increase their spending on primary care to at least 15 percent of total health care costs, with annual increases of at least one percentage point until that target is reached. The law mandates that these spending increases cannot lead to higher premiums, increased payments to providers, or higher overall costs for the plans, and requires annual reporting to the Green Mountain Care Board on progress. Additionally, the bill conditions future Medicare agreements on annual increases in primary care spending allocations and directs the state to align Medicaid primary care payment rates with Medicare levels.
This bill allows liquor store license holders to use approved third-party delivery services to deliver alcoholic beverages to customers aged 21 and older. The law requires third-party delivery companies to be approved by the state Department of Liquor Control and mandates that their drivers complete a specific training program. Deliveries must occur between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., and the bill also amends existing sale hour restrictions. The changes take effect on July 1, 2023.
This bill modifies how retirement payments are adjusted for teachers in Vermont's State Teachers' Retirement System based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. It establishes new caps on annual increases and decreases, limiting adjustments to five percent for those who retired before July 2022 and four percent for those retiring on or after that date. The legislation also changes how cost-of-living decreases are handled, allowing them to offset future increases rather than immediately reducing benefits. Additionally, the bill appropriates $3.7 million in state funds for the 2024 fiscal year to cover the system's employer contributions.
This bill allows defendants who cannot pay civil fines to convert those fines into community service hours. It applies to non-incarcerated individuals who have made a good faith effort to pay but remain unable to do so. The court can approve the conversion if the defendant proves financial hardship, and the community service would be performed in the county where the offense occurred. Hours worked would be credited against fines at the Vermont minimum wage rate, while court costs and other fees would remain unchanged. The law also clarifies existing procedures for late fees, license suspensions, and payment plans for traffic violations.
This bill modifies Vermont's homestead property tax credit rules by excluding disability and pension income from permanently and totally disabled veterans when calculating household income. The change is made to the state's tax code definition of modified adjusted gross income, specifically removing Veterans' disability and pension payments from the list of income sources that must be added to federal adjusted gross income. This adjustment directly affects disabled veterans who receive benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, allowing them to potentially qualify for or receive larger property tax credits. The law applies retroactively to January 1, 2023, and applies to property tax credit claims filed on or after January 1, 2024.
This bill requires the Vermont Commissioner of Labor to create and enforce a workplace violence prevention standard for health care and community services facilities by December 31, 2023. The standard would mandate that covered employers develop violence prevention and crisis response plans that include specific safety measures like alarm systems, adequate lighting, and entry procedures, along with training programs and incident recording systems. These plans must be created with input from employees, tailored to each workplace's specific risks, and reviewed annually to ensure they remain effective. The law applies to various settings including hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and clinics, but excludes private home care services provided in individual residences.
This bill requires secondary school districts in Vermont to include at least two nonvoting student members on their school boards, allowing students to participate in board discussions and provide input on policies and budgets without casting votes. Student members would be appointed by the board based on applications submitted by district residents, receive the same compensation as voting members, and attend all regular meetings with specialized training on board procedures. Additionally, serving as a student school board member would count toward flexible graduation pathways, recognizing this experience as applied or work-based learning. The bill applies only to districts providing secondary education, while elementary-only districts are encouraged but not required to include student representation.
This bill proposes to make Vermont observe U.S. Eastern Standard Time year-round instead of switching to daylight saving time twice annually. It would amend state law to establish Eastern Standard Time as the permanent time zone for the state, with the transition to occur on January 1 of the year following when neighboring states like Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York adopt the same change. The legislation includes findings that standard time better supports health, safety, and productivity, and gives the governor authority to adjust time periods if needed to align with adjacent states. The bill would take effect on July 1, 2023, pending coordination with neighboring states to implement the change simultaneously.
This bill requires Vermont school districts that do not operate their own elementary or high schools to designate up to three eligible schools to serve as the public schools for their students. These designated schools can be public schools in Vermont or other states, or recognized independent schools that meet specific criteria such as serving as regional career centers or being designated as public schools under older laws. The legislation also repeals the definition and approval process for independent schools while keeping the recognized independent school enrollment process intact. Additionally, it creates a new definition for therapeutic schools and adjusts special education tuition provisions. The bill allows school districts to pay tuition to designated schools for their students without requiring a separate vote from the district's electorate, though some existing options for tuition payment remain available.
This bill increases funding and operational capacity for Vermont's Commission on Native American Affairs by providing financial resources for staff, educational programs, and member compensation. The legislation authorizes the hiring of a full-time administrator, allocates money for educational initiatives, and establishes per diem payments for commission members who meet at least three times annually. Additionally, the bill requires the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to provide dedicated office space for the commission, including areas for staff work and meetings. These changes aim to strengthen the commission's ability to support Native American communities in Vermont through technical assistance, advocacy, and cultural development programs.
