Rep. Michael Morgan

Maddy summaryThis 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.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new income tax deduction in Vermont for parents who pay for home study programs for their dependents. It allows taxpayers to deduct up to $1,000 of qualified expenses per dependent, covering costs for educational instruction, materials, equipment, software, and computer hardware used during normal school hours. The deduction applies to expenses incurred for students who are claimed as dependents on the taxpayer's return and are not dependents of another taxpayer. The bill would take effect retroactively starting January 1, 2023, and applies to taxable years beginning on or after that date.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands eligibility for Vermont's Child Care Financial Assistance Program by adjusting income thresholds and co-payment rules to help more families access subsidized child care. Under the new provisions, families earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level would qualify for subsidies, while those earning 150 percent or less would pay no co-payment regardless of family size. The bill also changes how child care providers are paid by decoupling reimbursement rates from the Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS) and instead tying them to market rates from the Vermont Child Care Market Rate Survey with tiered caps based on provider ratings. These changes would take effect on July 1, 2023, and directly impact families seeking employment or training and the child care providers serving them.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new rules for drone operations over private property in Vermont, primarily affecting hobbyist drone pilots and drone retailers. It prohibits flying drones below 100 feet above private land without the owner's written consent and bans recording images of people or property in violation of reasonable privacy expectations without consent. The legislation also requires drone sellers to inform buyers about these privacy requirements and assigns the Judicial Bureau authority to enforce violations with civil penalties of up to $50 for first offenses and $250 for subsequent ones.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Vermont State Colleges and the University of Vermont to give admission preference to in-state students who have completed career technical education programs in fields that the institutions offer. The law applies to eligible residents who have finished relevant CTE training and seeks to create a direct pathway for these students into postsecondary programs aligned with their technical background. The preference would be implemented starting July 1, 2023, and applies specifically to both the state college system and the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College.

Maddy summaryThis 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.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to improve emergency medical services in Vermont by providing $20 million annually from 2024 to 2028 to support ambulance operations, training, and equipment. It requires health insurance plans and Medicaid to cover emergency medical services for patients who do not need to be transported to a hospital. The legislation also establishes a refundable income tax credit for qualified emergency responders and creates a study committee to examine the EMS system. Additionally, the bill sets requirements for Medicaid reimbursement rates for ambulance services and restricts transporting patients to destinations where the ambulance service has a financial interest.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires three Vermont state departments to ask whether applicants or their family members have served in the U.S. Armed Forces on intake forms used to determine eligibility for programs and services. The Department for Children and Families, the Department of Vermont Health Access, and the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living would each add this question to their application materials. The change applies to all individuals seeking assistance from these agencies and would take effect on July 1, 2023. The legislation does not specify how the information would be used or what benefits veterans might receive as a result of providing this data.

Maddy summaryThis bill would exempt all U.S. military retirement income and military survivor benefit income from Vermont state income tax. It directly affects active and retired military personnel, as well as the surviving spouses and dependents of deceased service members who receive these benefits. The legislation amends existing tax code sections to remove military retirement and survivor benefits from taxable income, while also clarifying that taxpayers can only choose one income exclusion option if they qualify for multiple types of exemptions. The bill states its purpose is to honor and thank military retirees and their families for their service, and it applies retroactively to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023.

Maddy summaryThis bill would remove existing bans and penalties on the purchase, use, and possession of tobacco products in Vermont, including electronic cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery devices not approved by the FDA for medical purposes. It updates legal definitions to clarify what counts as a tobacco product and tobacco substitute, while maintaining age restrictions that prohibit anyone under 21 from buying, possessing, or attempting to purchase these items. The legislation also establishes civil penalties for retailers who sell to minors and requires annual compliance testing by the Division of Liquor Control to ensure at least 90% accuracy in age verification for buyers between 17 and 20 years old.