Sen. Philip Baruth

Maddy summaryThis legislative bill is a House concurrent resolution that formally congratulates the University of Vermont Catamounts women's basketball team on winning the 2023 America East Conference championship. The resolution recognizes the team's 2023 season achievements, including a 17-game winning streak, their conference championship victory, and their subsequent qualification for the NCAA March Madness tournament. It also acknowledges the contributions of the coaching staff and lists the team members who completed a 25-7 season. The resolution directs the Secretary of State to send a copy of the document to the University of Vermont Office of Athletics.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a ceremonial resolution that formally congratulates the University of Vermont men's basketball team on winning the 2023 America East Conference championship. It recognizes the team's 15-game winning streak, their tournament victory over UMass Lowell, and their subsequent NCAA tournament appearance. The resolution acknowledges the players, coaches, and staff who contributed to the team's success and directs the Secretary of State to send a copy of the document to the university's athletics office.

Maddy summaryThis legislative bill is a ceremonial resolution that congratulates the Burlington High School Seahorses team for winning the 2023 Vermont-NEA Scholars' Bowl state championship. The resolution recognizes the six student team members and their coach for their academic achievements in a competition that tests knowledge across various subjects. It formally acknowledges their victories in the state tournament and expresses good wishes for their upcoming national competition. The bill directs the Secretary of State to send a copy of this recognition to Burlington High School.

Maddy summaryThis Senate concurrent resolution honors Vanessa Davison, a long-time staff member of the Vermont General Assembly, for her 45 years of dedicated service. The resolution recognizes her work ethic, professionalism, and contributions to legislative operations, including managing administrative tasks, operating early computer systems, and serving as Journal Clerk for over 30 years. It formally acknowledges her role in preparing Senate Journals and training her successor to ensure continued quality in legislative record-keeping. The resolution directs the Secretary of State to send a copy to Davison as an official recognition of her retirement after concluding her career in the spring of 2023.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Vermont state agencies to submit a comprehensive report every three years on criminal justice investments and trends, specifically focusing on Justice Reinvestment II initiatives. The report must include data on recidivism rates, clearance rates, bail practices, pretrial detainee information, and funding utilization for programs like domestic violence intervention, transitional housing, mental health services, and restorative justice. Multiple state departments including Corrections, Public Safety, and the Attorney General must share relevant data with the Vermont Statistical Analysis Center to compile these findings, with the final report delivered to both House and Senate committees. The legislation also mandates that demographic information such as race, gender, and age be included whenever possible, while protecting the confidentiality of individual records until they are aggregated in the official report.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Vermont's juvenile justice system by allowing courts to transfer certain serious cases involving minors aged 12 to 19 from family court to adult criminal court. The law specifies particular violent offenses, such as murder, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and armed robbery, that qualify for transfer when the child is 16 or older, while also including drug trafficking and firearm-related crimes for those aged 16 to 19. A judge must hold a hearing to evaluate factors like the child's maturity, prior record, and the nature of the offense before deciding whether adult court is appropriate, though parties can also agree to transfer without a hearing. Once transferred, the juvenile will be processed through the adult criminal justice system rather than the family division.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands workers' compensation coverage for Vermont firefighters by establishing a legal presumption that certain cancers result from work-related exposure, making it easier for firefighters to receive benefits without proving direct causation. To qualify, firefighters must have worked at least five years in Vermont before diagnosis, be under 65 years old, have completed cancer screenings showing no prior cancer, and not have used tobacco products within 10 years of diagnosis. The law covers specific types of cancer including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and various organ cancers, and allows benefits to be claimed within 10 years of leaving firefighting employment. Additionally, the bill requires the state to report on the costs of funding cancer screenings and personal protective equipment upgrades, while recommending that fire departments maintain incident records and offer annual cancer screenings to their firefighters.

Maddy summaryThis bill reformulates Vermont sheriff offices to improve accountability, transparency, and financial oversight. It requires assistant judges to co-sign financial transactions during sheriff transitions and mandates annual audits when sheriffs leave office. The legislation also establishes conflict of interest rules for sheriffs and deputies, requiring them to disclose and recuse themselves from matters involving personal or family interests. Additionally, sheriffs must file annual disclosure forms with the State Ethics Commission detailing their income sources, business ownership, and any conflicts involving their spouses or domestic partners. These changes aim to restore public trust by creating clearer financial controls and ethical standards for elected sheriffs and their staff.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new forensic facility within the existing Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital by July 1, 2024, to provide specialized care for individuals involved in the criminal justice system. The legislation requires the Department of Mental Health to update rules for involuntary psychiatric medications and begin drafting regulations for therapeutic community residences by late 2023. The Agency of Human Services must submit a staffing and programming plan to the General Assembly, while the relevant departments are required to provide annual reports on patient demographics, waitlist numbers, and emergency procedures from 2025 through 2030. Additionally, the bill creates a working group to assess whether forensic-level care is needed for individuals with intellectual disabilities who are charged with violent crimes or found incompetent to stand trial.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the Affordable Heat Act, creates a new Clean Heat Standard program to help Vermont meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals by shifting away from fossil fuel heating in homes and businesses. It establishes a system where regulated utilities and fuel importers must purchase tradeable clean heat credits to fund efficiency upgrades, weatherization, and electrification projects that reduce emissions. The program prioritizes low and moderate-income households with high energy burdens and aims to use available federal funding to keep costs low for customers. The Public Utility Commission is given authority to set rules, designate default service providers, and enforce compliance with the credit requirements.