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 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.
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 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 creates a new grant program to fund afterschool and summer care services for children and youth in Vermont, with priority given to programs serving underserved communities. The program will be financed using revenue from the state's cannabis sales tax, which will be deposited into a dedicated special fund managed by an advisory committee. The advisory committee, composed of representatives from various state agencies and Vermont Afterschool, Inc., will oversee grant distribution and report annually on outcomes such as the number of children served and cost savings for families. Grants can be used by program operators for technical assistance, implementation, expansion, and sustainability, with administrative costs capped at $500,000 per year. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2023.
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 directs Vermont's Department of Mental Health to create a new two-bed residential peer respite facility in southern Vermont to help people experiencing mental health crises. The facility will offer short-term stays of up to two weeks for one bed and up to four weeks for the other, providing an alternative to hospitalization. The Department must issue a request for proposals by July 1, 2023, and contract with a provider by January 1, 2024, using $515,000 in state funding for the project. This initiative aims to increase available short-term residential options while reducing reliance on inpatient psychiatric care.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows children to express their preferences in child custody cases by amending Vermont state law to include the child's wishes as a factor courts must consider when determining parental rights and responsibilities. The legislation establishes specific procedures for children to address the court directly, permitting those aged 14 and older to speak if they request it, while allowing younger children to do so if the court determines it serves their best interests. To protect children during these proceedings, the bill requires that children generally not address the court in the presence of the parents unless the judge finds it beneficial, and mandates alternative methods for gathering input if a child is not allowed to testify. Additionally, the law requires the appointment of a guardian ad litem to represent the child's interests whenever the court seeks the child's input on custody matters.