Rep. Mary Howard

Maddy summaryThis bill is a ceremonial resolution that congratulates the Governor's Institutes of Vermont on their 40th anniversary. It does not create new laws or change any policies but serves to formally recognize the organization's long history of providing educational opportunities for young Vermonters. The resolution acknowledges the institute's mission of offering diverse learning programs in areas like arts, science, and technology to students across the state. It directs the Secretary of State to send a copy of the resolution to the institute's executive director as a formal record of the legislature's appreciation.

Maddy summaryThis Vermont joint resolution urges the U.S. Congress to admit Washington, DC, as a state in the Union. The measure addresses the District's lack of full voting representation in Congress, noting that while DC residents pay federal taxes and can vote in presidential elections, they currently have no voting members in the House or Senate. The resolution supports granting DC statehood to resolve this representation issue and calls for sending the document to federal officials and committees. It does not change any laws or policies directly but serves as a formal expression of support for statehood legislation already introduced in Congress.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the grace period for paying overdue premiums on life and long-term care insurance policies in Vermont, giving policyholders more time before a policy can be cancelled for nonpayment. Under the new rules, insurers must allow at least 90 days from when a premium is due before cancelling a policy, with some flexibility for industrial life insurance policies. The bill also requires insurers to provide a secondary notice of cancellation at least 60 days after a premium becomes due and unpaid, following a national model rule. These changes apply to all life and long-term care insurance policies issued or renewed after the bill takes effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill would extend access to the State employees' Defined Contribution Retirement Plan and the State employees' health insurance plan to members of the Vermont General Assembly. It also creates a supplemental income provision that would provide financial assistance to legislators whose monthly household income falls below the statewide median during their legislative service. The legislation establishes specific contribution rates for both employee and state portions of the retirement plan, sets vesting requirements after one year and 11 months of service, and includes provisions for disability and retirement benefits. The bill would be administered by the State Treasurer and funded through existing departmental appropriations used for legislative salaries.

Maddy summaryThis bill restructures the University of Vermont Board of Trustees by adding two new voting faculty members and clarifying student representation requirements. The legislation expands the board to 27 members total, with two faculty positions elected by the Faculty Senate and two student positions reserved for one undergraduate and one graduate student. These student trustees serve two-year terms and must be full-time students enrolled in degree programs, while faculty members serve four-year terms with full voting rights. The changes take effect on July 1, 2023, with a transition period for initial faculty appointments beginning in August 2023.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires students graduating from Vermont public high schools to demonstrate civics knowledge as a condition of receiving a diploma. The law offers two pathways: passing the standard U.S. citizenship civics test with a minimum score of 60 percent, or completing one semester of community service with a local government organization under a mentor's supervision. The requirement applies to all public high school and career technical center students, though students with individualized education programs may participate at the discretion of their IEP team. The measure would take effect for students graduating in the 2025-2026 academic year or later.

Maddy summaryThis bill would change how write-in candidates win primary elections in Vermont by requiring them to receive at least half the number of petition signatures needed for their office, unless they get more votes than any printed candidate. It directly affects voters who choose write-in candidates and political parties running primary elections. The law would still allow write-in candidates to win if they receive more votes than any other candidate on the ballot, but otherwise they must meet the signature threshold. The bill also maintains the requirement that a write-in winner must still be determined the official party candidate under existing rules before the general election.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Vermont's Departments of Health and Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living to expand their public education efforts on Alzheimer's disease to also include information about brain health and reducing dementia risks. The Departments must work with the Commission on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders to create accessible educational materials in electronic, print, and in-person formats for the public, patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare providers. These resources will include information about the State Plan on Aging as well as programs focused on prevention, care, and support for individuals and communities. The changes take effect on July 1, 2023.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to raise Vermont's minimum wage to $19.45 per hour starting July 1, 2023, and removes several exemptions that currently allow certain workers, such as taxi drivers and outside salespeople, to be paid less than the standard minimum wage. It also establishes a grant program for small businesses with 20 or fewer employees to offset payroll costs resulting from the wage increase, requiring applicants to demonstrate that their business revenue would decline due to the higher wages. Additionally, the legislation directs the Joint Fiscal Office to conduct a study comparing Vermont's wage policies to those of countries with high minimum wages and high standards of living, with the goal of identifying successful practices that could be adopted in the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands workers' compensation benefits for Vermont firefighters who develop specific types of cancer. It creates a legal presumption that these cancers resulted from job-related exposures if the firefighter had clean cancer screening results before or within two years of starting their career, has at least five years of firefighting service in Vermont, is under 65 years old, and does not have a history of tobacco use within 10 years of diagnosis. The law covers leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the bladder, brain, colon, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, liver, pancreas, skin, or testicles, and applies to firefighters diagnosed within 10 years of their last active duty. The bill also recommends that fire departments keep incident reports for at least 10 years to support these claims.