Vermont Bills

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 249: An act relating to an income tax deduction for home study programs

This bill creates a $1,000 income tax deduction for Vermont taxpayers who cover qualified home study program expenses for their dependent children. It directly affects parents or guardians who educate their dependents through home study programs (as defined under Vermont law), provided the child is not claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer. The deduction covers costs like educational materials, equipment, and software required for home study, but does not include full tuition. The provision applies retroactively to taxable years beginning January 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

Woody Page (R) Wayne Laroche (R) Mary Morrissey (R) Joe Luneau (R) Gina Galfetti (R)

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 251: An act relating to establishing a competency restoration process

H 251 establishes a legal process to help criminal defendants found incompetent to stand trial regain competency through mental health treatment. The bill requires courts to provide structured treatment services for defendants unable to understand trial proceedings due to mental health conditions, while including community safety safeguards. It directly affects Vermont defendants in criminal cases who are deemed incompetent to stand trial. The process aims to restore competency for fair trials or appropriate resolution, with specific court procedures outlined in the bill.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Healthcare

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 245: An act relating to hospital and health network budgets

H.245 expands the Green Mountain Care Board's authority to review and approve budgets for both hospitals and health networks in Vermont. The bill requires the Board to investigate whether hospitals or health networks with significant market power harm the public good and take action to reduce such power if warranted. It mandates that hospitals and health networks submit detailed budget and operational data, including cost structures and service volumes, for Board review. The Board can also establish reference-based pricing to control costs and promote equitable access to care, directly affecting all Vermont hospitals and health networks operating under its oversight.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 252: An act relating to prohibiting earned time for second or subsequent felony convictions

This bill (H 252) prohibits individuals convicted of a second or subsequent felony from earning time off their prison sentence through Vermont's earned time program. It amends 28 V.S.A. § 818 to explicitly exclude people sentenced for a felony after a prior felony conviction from participating in the program. The key change removes this group from eligibility, meaning repeat felony offenders cannot reduce their sentences via earned time. This applies to all current and future offenders meeting this criteria, excluding them from the standard earned time provisions. The bill is currently pending referral to the Committee on Corrections and Institutions.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 232: An act relating to creating the Vermont Municipal Response and Recovery Special Fund

This bill creates the Vermont Municipal Response and Recovery Special Fund to provide direct financial assistance to Vermont municipalities for flood response, recovery, and resiliency projects. The fund will receive 0.5% of annual General Fund revenue, with monies used solely for qualifying municipal flood-related needs. The State Treasurer must submit a report by December 1, 2025, detailing fund distribution guidelines, geographic equity considerations, and potential amendments to existing programs to prioritize flood-impacted communities. The fund cannot disburse money before July 1, 2026, and the bill takes effect July 1, 2025. It directly affects all Vermont municipalities eligible for flood-related assistance.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 229: An act relating to establishing the Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund to provide grants for losses to farms and forestry operations due to weather conditions

H.229 proposes creating a Vermont Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund to provide grants for weather-related losses. It directly affects Vermont farms and forestry operations that suffer qualifying weather damage (like floods, droughts, or extreme heat), covering up to 50% of uninsured losses with a yearly maximum of $150,000 per operation. The fund, administered by the Agriculture Department, will use streamlined applications requiring basic damage descriptions and financial records, with verification through weather data sources like NOAA. Grants cover specific costs including lost income, infrastructure repairs, replanting, and livestock feed replacement.

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 235: An act relating to unemployment insurance eligibility and benefits

This bill changes Vermont's unemployment insurance rules to make benefits more accessible for certain workers. It prevents wages from specific jobs (like part-time work that wouldn't normally qualify for benefits) from reducing an individual's weekly benefit amount. It also extends eligibility to workers at educational institutions who hold non-teaching roles (such as administrative or support staff) between academic terms, allowing them to claim benefits during those gaps. Previously, these workers were often ineligible during school breaks unless they had a guaranteed return position. The changes apply immediately upon the bill's passage.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

introduced · Vermont · Senate Feb 18, 2025

S 70: An act relating to data brokers and personal information

This Vermont bill (S 70) requires data brokers - businesses that collect and sell personal information about consumers without a direct relationship (like a customer or employee) - to take specific steps to protect residents' privacy. It mandates that data brokers notify consumers of security breaches involving personal data, certify that data is used for legitimate purposes, and provide an accessible way for consumers to request deletion of their information. The bill directly affects Vermont residents whose personal data is collected by these brokers and sets clear rules for how brokers must handle and protect that information. It does not apply to businesses sharing publicly available business or professional information or those maintaining directory services.

Topics ✓ Technology

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 256: An act relating to Judiciary Employees Labor Relations Act

H 256 would amend Vermont's Judiciary Employees Labor Relations Act to allow Judiciary supervisors to form unions and negotiate collective bargaining agreements. Currently, supervisors are excluded from the definition of "employee" under the law (Section 1011(8)(C)), but this bill removes that exclusion. The change directly affects supervisors within Vermont's court system who were previously barred from collective bargaining. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025, after passing committee referral.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 228: An act relating to hospital employee compensation and administrative staffing ratios

H 228 requires Vermont hospitals to report detailed compensation data for executives, clinical leaders, and frontline healthcare workers (including base salaries, bonuses, and benefits) to the Green Mountain Care Board annually. It mandates that hospitals maintain staffing ratios where administrative staff do not exceed national averages for similar hospitals, and caps executive/clinical leadership compensation at no more than 10 times the pay of the lowest-paid frontline healthcare workers. These requirements will be integrated into the Board’s annual hospital budget review process starting in 2027. The bill applies to all Vermont hospitals and takes effect January 1, 2026, for fiscal year 2027 budgets.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 242: An act relating to regulating short-term rentals

This bill (H 242) regulates short-term rentals in Vermont by imposing two main requirements: (1) a host-occupancy rule requiring a long-term resident to live on the same premises as the rental, and (2) a numerical limit allowing no more than one short-term rental per property parcel. It also mandates annual registration with the state Department of Housing, requiring owners to provide detailed information including property addresses, unit counts, and guest capacity. Municipalities can exempt themselves from these rules via voter vote, though existing local regulations (as of July 2025) will automatically override the statewide rules. The bill affects short-term rental owners, operators, and municipalities, taking effect July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Housing

introduced · Vermont · House Feb 18, 2025

H 250: An act relating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in firefighting personal protective equipment and station wear

This bill requires manufacturers to provide written notice to buyers if firefighting gear (including protective equipment and station wear like uniforms) contains PFAS chemicals, starting July 1, 2026. It mandates the notice explain what PFAS is and why it's used, and both seller and buyer must keep copies for three years. The bill then bans the sale or distribution of firefighting gear with intentionally added PFAS starting July 1, 2028. It directly affects firefighting equipment manufacturers, fire departments, and state agencies purchasing such gear in Vermont. The law aims to increase transparency about PFAS exposure while phasing out its use in this specific equipment.

Topics ✓ Environment

Bill results