Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board's duties to include providing financial and technical assistance specifically to new farmers, veteran farmers, and disadvantaged farmers. The legislation defines these groups as farmers with low household income, those who have not farmed in Vermont for over three years in the last decade, and military veterans who meet specific service criteria. The Board will be authorized to create application processes, set eligibility criteria, and award grants, loans, and other investments to help these farmers enter and operate farms in the state. Key provisions include establishing performance contracts for technical assistance, market development, and business planning, as well as identifying workforce training needs for the agriculture sector. The changes take effect on July 1, 2023, and require administrative support from the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill would remove Vermont's current laws that criminalize consensual adult sex work while keeping strict criminal penalties for human trafficking. It directly affects adults who engage in sex work for hire by decriminalizing their voluntary participation, but it continues to prohibit recruiting, transporting, or forcing anyone into sex work through force, fraud, or coercion. The key provision repeals the section of the state code that defines prostitution to include consensual sexual acts for hire, while maintaining detailed definitions and severe penalties for trafficking offenses. The bill also clarifies what constitutes coercion, including threats of harm, withholding documents, or controlling finances, and sets specific prison terms for different trafficking-related crimes.
Maddy summaryThis 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.
Maddy summaryThis 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.
Maddy summaryThis 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.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Vermont to use ranked-choice voting for all major political party presidential primary elections, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of selecting only one. Under the new system, ballots would be processed in rounds where votes for eliminated candidates are transferred to the voter's next preferred choice until one candidate achieves a majority. The legislation also establishes rules for handling incomplete ballots and gives political parties the option to choose between winner-take-all or proportional delegate allocation methods. If a party does not specify its delegate allocation method, the election would default to a winner-take-all system. This change would directly affect all voters participating in Vermont's presidential primaries and election officials administering those votes.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires law enforcement officers to detain a driver for a primary violation before issuing a ticket for specific secondary motor vehicle violations. The changes directly affect drivers in Vermont who may be stopped for issues like expired registration, driving without a license, or broken taillights. Under the new rules, officers must have a valid reason to stop a vehicle first, such as a safety concern or another suspected offense, before addressing these secondary violations. The legislation takes effect on July 1, 2023, and applies to ten specific categories of violations listed in the bill text.
Maddy summaryThis bill expands Vermont's earned sick leave law to explicitly allow employees to use accrued sick time for reproductive health care appointments and protects their privacy by prohibiting employers from requiring specific medical details about the nature of the treatment. It also establishes a state fund to provide grants to organizations that offer practical support, such as covering travel, housing, and childcare costs, to individuals seeking abortion services. The legislation strengthens existing protections against employer retaliation and clarifies that employees do not need to find replacements for absences related to medical care. Additionally, it updates the legal framework to ensure employees can access reproductive health services without facing economic hardship or privacy violations.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the transfer of Vermont inmates to correctional facilities outside the state, directly affecting the Department of Corrections and incarcerated individuals. It amends existing statutes to remove the Commissioner of Corrections' authority to order inmate transfers to out-of-state facilities and repeals provisions related to using competitive bidding for such placements. The legislation also clarifies the intent to create new work camps within Vermont to reduce reliance on out-of-state housing, while specifying that new work camps should only house nonviolent offenders who have already served part of their sentence in a state facility. These changes take effect on January 1, 2025, aiming to keep inmates within Vermont for oversight, cost, and family visitation reasons.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires postsecondary schools in Vermont to implement several new protections against sexual misconduct, including conducting biannual anonymous campus climate surveys, hiring confidential resource advocates, and establishing formal partnerships with local sexual assault programs. The legislation mandates that schools provide amnesty for good faith reports of sexual misconduct and deliver annual awareness programming and training to students and staff. Additionally, the bill removes the previous expiration date for the Intercollegiate Sexual Harm Prevention Council, ensuring its continued operation. These measures directly affect all postsecondary institutions with Vermont campuses and aim to improve support systems and data collection regarding sexual violence on college campuses.