Vermont Bills

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 828: An act relating to the creation of a personal income tax surcharge

This bill proposes adding a 3% surcharge to the personal income tax for Vermont residents with federal adjusted gross income of $500,000 or more. The surcharge would apply in addition to existing taxes and be collected using the same process as current personal income taxes. The threshold amount would be adjusted annually for inflation based on established procedures. The bill would take effect retroactively starting January 1, 2024, and applies to taxable years on and after that date.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes

introduced · Vermont · Senate Jan 16, 2024

S 267: An act relating to retroactively reinstating 10 V.S.A. § 6081(b)

This bill proposes to retroactively reinstate a specific exemption in Vermont's subdivision regulations that was previously removed. It directly affects property owners and developers who have subdivisions or development projects that existed before certain historical dates, such as June 1, 1970, or July 1, 1997. The key provision adds language to the state code to exempt these pre-existing subdivisions and developments from certain requirements, while still applying the rules to any substantial changes made to them after the exemption date. The bill would take effect retroactively as of June 9, 2023, meaning it would apply to situations that occurred before that date.

Topics ✗ Environment ✗ Housing

introduced · Vermont · Senate Jan 16, 2024

S 265: An act relating to the disposal of development soils

This bill establishes a temporary pause on approving new facilities for disposing of development soils and on dumping these soils at existing receiving sites in Vermont. The moratorium remains in effect until the Agency of Natural Resources creates and adopts specific rules for managing these soils, unless the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules objects to those rules. The proposed rules must include protections for water sources, require regular site monitoring, and mandate financial guarantees for site closure or cleanup. Once the rules are finalized and accepted, the ban on new certifications and disposal activities will end automatically.

Topics ✓ Environment

introduced · Vermont · Senate Jan 16, 2024

S 263: An act relating to expanding Vermont’s health care workforce through graduates of international medical schools

This bill creates a working group to explore ways to bring more international medical school graduates into Vermont's healthcare workforce. The group will examine models like Tennessee's temporary licensing system and develop proposals for an expedited licensure process that prioritizes patient safety. Additionally, the bill appropriates $50,000 in fiscal year 2025 to reimburse international medical school graduates for study materials and books needed to obtain Vermont medical licenses. The working group must submit its findings and recommendations by January 15, 2025, and the license reimbursement funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until depleted.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare ✓ Immigration

introduced · Vermont · Senate Jan 16, 2024

S 268: An act relating to establishing a baby bond trust program

This bill establishes the Vermont Baby Bond Trust, a state-administered program that provides $3,200 in savings accounts to children born on or after July 1, 2024, who qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP coverage at birth. The funds are intended for eligible expenses including education, purchasing a home or property in Vermont, starting a business, or contributing to retirement or education savings accounts. The program requires beneficiaries to complete a financial literacy course before age 18 to access their funds, and they must claim the money by their 30th birthday if they are still Vermont residents. The bill also ensures that money in the trust is not counted as income or assets for determining eligibility for government assistance programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Housing

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 793: An act relating to studying the adoption of a residential building code

This bill creates a study committee to examine whether Vermont should adopt a statewide residential building code, specifically the International Residential Code, to address the current lack of uniform construction standards for single-family homes. The committee will include representatives from government agencies, construction industry groups, housing organizations, and insurance associations who will assess how a standardized code would impact safety, compliance, disaster resilience, sustainability, and housing affordability. The group must submit a written report with its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 15, 2024, after holding meetings starting by July 15, 2024, and will cease to exist on January 1, 2025.

Scott Campbell (D) · 26 co-sponsors

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 792: An act relating to the Residential and Commercial Building Energy Standards

This bill reorganizes building safety oversight in Vermont by renaming the Division of Fire Safety to the Division of Fire and Building Safety and transferring authority over residential and commercial building energy standards from the Department of Public Service to this new division. The legislation also requires the Office of Professional Regulation to update its building contractor registry with more detailed information and mandates that energy code compliance certificates be issued before buildings can receive occupancy permits. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Public Service to create an online application and certification tool for small residential projects and calls for the adoption of a statewide residential building construction code to improve enforcement and compliance with energy standards.

Topics ✓ Energy

Scott Campbell (D) · 26 co-sponsors

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 805: An act relating to amending the prohibitions against harassment in schools

This bill amends Vermont state law to clarify how harassment is defined and evaluated in schools, directly affecting students, families, and school administrators. It removes the requirement that harassment must be "severe or pervasive" to be unlawful, allowing a single incident to constitute harassment if it objectively undermines a student's education or creates an intimidating environment. The law also specifies that harassment can be determined by looking at all circumstances together rather than isolating individual incidents, and it clarifies that harassment can occur even if the student continues their education or if the conduct happens outside school grounds. However, the bill maintains that behavior considered a petty slight or trivial inconvenience by a reasonable person would not qualify as harassment. These changes take effect on July 1, 2024.

Topics ✓ Education

Kevin Christie (D) · 29 co-sponsors

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 806: An act relating to the prohibition of book bans by public and school libraries

This bill prohibits public and school libraries in Vermont from banning or removing books and other library materials based on partisan or doctrinal disapproval. It requires the State Librarian to create rules that protect library collections, aligning with the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights, and mandates that each library adopt a materials retention policy complying with these rules. Libraries that violate these retention rules would lose eligibility for state grants and funding, as they must submit an affidavit confirming compliance before receiving any state financial support. The legislation applies to both public and school libraries and takes effect on July 1, 2024.

Topics ✓ Education

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 809: An act relating to climate change cost recovery

This bill creates the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program, which would require fossil fuel companies that operated in Vermont between 2000 and 2019 to pay for their share of climate change costs. The program targets entities involved in extracting coal, oil, or natural gas, charging them based on how much greenhouse gas their products contributed to global emissions. Money collected from these payments would go into a dedicated fund to finance climate resilience projects like flood protections, upgraded infrastructure, and health programs addressing climate-related health risks. The law defines specific types of infrastructure projects eligible for funding and establishes rules for determining which companies must pay and how much they owe.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 807: An act relating to a school library material selection policy

This bill requires Vermont school districts and approved independent schools to create and enforce policies for selecting library materials, guided by the First Amendment and established intellectual freedom standards. The legislation specifically prohibits removing library materials based on partisan politics, author or character demographics, personal discomfort, or content addressing sexual health and student educational needs. School library staff will be responsible for curating collections that match students' developmental levels while protecting students' First Amendment rights. The policy must be made available to the public and takes effect on July 1, 2024.

Topics ✓ Education

introduced · Vermont · House Jan 16, 2024

H 810: An act relating to establishing the Agricultural Workforce and Housing Directory

This bill creates a new online directory for Vermont farms to list job openings and housing options for agricultural workers. Farms that post positions on the directory must provide affordable housing either on-site or nearby, and must disclose details about the job, housing arrangements, farm practices, and pay rates. The state will fund the program with $50,000 for implementation, and the directory will be free for users to access and set up accounts.

Topics ✓ Housing ✓ Immigration ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill results