Sen. Chris Bray

Maddy summaryThis bill allows municipalities to receive reimbursement for education property taxes owed on properties destroyed by severe storms and floods between July 1, 2023, and October 15, 2023, provided the municipality abated those taxes proportionally. It also excludes disaster relief payments from household income when calculating homestead property tax credits for tax years 2023 and 2024. The legislation directly affects local governments and homeowners in areas declared federal disaster zones during the specified period.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands Vermont's Medicaid and Dr. Dynasaur programs to include income-eligible young adults up to age 26, aligning Medicaid eligibility thresholds with the Dr. Dynasaur program over time. It requires higher reimbursement rates for providers delivering primary care, mental health, substance use disorder treatment, long-term care, and dental services to Medicaid beneficiaries. The legislation also modifies the duties of the Clinical Utilization Review Board, increases income eligibility for Medicare Savings Programs, and mandates coverage for mental health services for children and young adults who have experienced adverse life events without a specific diagnosis. Additionally, the bill directs the Agency of Human Services to develop a public option proposal for small business health coverage and requires proposals for sliding-scale cost-sharing in Medicaid.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new Community Care, Health, and Safety Fund to provide grants for community-based services that reduce harm from drug use and support people with substance use disorders. It eliminates misdemeanor criminal penalties for possessing or dispensing a personal use supply of regulated drugs, requiring instead that individuals be offered information about available services and access to needs assessments. The legislation designates 40 percent of cannabis excise tax revenue and a portion of opioid abatement funds to finance these services, while establishing an advisory board to determine what constitutes a benchmark personal use supply. The bill also authorizes monetary incentives for participation in needs assessments and aims to shift resources from prosecution toward prevention, treatment, and harm reduction strategies.

Maddy summaryThis bill would ban the sale, lease, or operation of motor vehicles with tinted windows on the windshield, vent windows, or side windows located immediately to the left and right of the driver in Vermont. It requires dealers to stop selling or leasing vehicles with these tinted windows and mandates that vehicles with such tint fail the annual safety inspection. The law includes exemptions for medical reasons, emergency vehicles, and specific areas on the windshield for stickers and toll transponders, allowing tint only on side and rear windows if the vehicle has proper mirrors. Dealers and vehicle owners would face administrative penalties for violations, and the Department of Motor Vehicles must update inspection procedures to enforce these rules starting January 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis 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.

Maddy summaryThis proposal seeks to amend the Vermont Constitution to establish a legal right for citizens to have a clean environment, including clean air and water. It would declare the state's natural resources as common property belonging to all people and require the government to conserve and maintain them for the benefit of everyone. The amendment would become part of the state constitution if approved by voters in November 2026, giving citizens a stronger legal foundation to protect environmental quality.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Thermal Energy Network Act to bring thermal energy distribution systems under the oversight of Vermont's Public Utility Commission. It defines thermal energy networks as infrastructure that transfers heat from noncombustion sources to buildings for heating, cooling, and hot water, and grants the Commission authority to regulate companies operating these systems. The legislation requires a certificate of public good before any private provider can build a network serving more than 20 customers, while municipalities retain the ability to operate such networks without Commission approval. The Public Utility Commission must develop permitting rules by July 2025 that prioritize serving low and moderate-income customers, ensure simple and expeditious approval processes, and allow pilot projects.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that nonprofit public transit systems in Vermont have a majority of their governing board members appointed by the legislative bodies of the municipalities they serve. It defines nonprofit public transit systems as domestic corporations where board membership is proportional to the population of served municipalities and includes the Secretary of Transportation as a nonvoting member. The legislation sets a July 31, 2024 deadline for existing transit systems to update their bylaws to comply with these requirements and mandates that the Agency of Transportation oversee compliance with state and federal laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes changes to compensation and benefits for Vermont state legislators, including allowing them to participate in flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care expenses. It establishes specific salary amounts for leadership roles like the Speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore, ties future pay adjustments to the mean Vermont wage, and provides compensation for up to 20 days of work during legislative adjournments. The legislation also expands leave of absence rules to permit members to take time off from any job, creates a working group to review legislative staffing and session length, and offers orientation stipends for newly elected members.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires municipalities in Vermont to publicly post notices for all employment vacancies. The law mandates that job postings be displayed in the municipal clerk's office, on the municipal website or through an online recruiting service, and in the state Department of Labor's job bank. Each posting must include the job title, required skills or experience, salary range, and application dates with a minimum 10-day application period. The changes take effect on July 1, 2024, and apply to all municipal and county government positions.