Sen. Becca White

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Vermont's environmental regulations to strengthen protections for wetlands, river corridors, and flood hazard areas while clarifying municipal authority over development in these zones. It requires the Department of Environmental Conservation to consult with state agencies and regional planning commissions when updating wetland maps, and it allows municipalities to regulate accessory dwelling units in flood hazard areas without requiring separate permits for certain planting projects. The legislation also establishes stricter phosphorus discharge limits for wastewater facilities in Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog drainage basins, mandates a cost analysis of the Green River Dam, and directs state officials to study options for waiving permit fees for low-income applicants.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates Juneteenth, observed on June 19, as an official legal holiday in the state. The change applies to state government operations and employees, requiring them to observe the day as a holiday. The legislation takes effect on May 30, 2024, making it part of the state's recognized calendar of holidays.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes state regulations prohibiting the intentional addition of specific harmful chemicals to cosmetic and menstrual products, including substances like PFAS, phthalates, and formaldehyde-releasing agents. It also bans the sale of products containing lead above ten parts per million and restricts 1,4-dioxane to no more than 10 parts per million. The legislation further regulates PFAS in consumer products such as apparel, mattresses, cookware, and artificial turf fields, while allowing for trace chemical contamination that results from manufacturing processes or packaging. Manufacturers must comply with these restrictions when selling products within the state, and the Department of Health is authorized to adopt additional rules regarding formaldehyde-releasing agents if safer alternatives are available.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Vermont's Open Meeting Law to require most state and local government meetings to be held in a hybrid format, allowing participants to attend both in person and online. It applies to state boards, councils, and commissions, as well as local government bodies, while exempting advisory groups that do not have decision-making power. The law mandates that these meetings be electronically recorded and made publicly available for at least 30 days after minutes are posted, and requires public bodies to designate accessible physical locations for in-person attendance. Local municipalities may request exemptions from recording requirements if they can prove compliance would cause undue hardship based on their size, budget, and staffing. The bill also clarifies definitions related to meetings and public participation, ensuring transparency regardless of whether meetings occur in-person, remotely, or in a hybrid arrangement.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Vermont's climate change cost recovery program to allow the state to charge fossil fuel companies for climate adaptation costs without requiring them to be part of a specific support project. It changes how payment schedules work by requiring installments to be paid annually at 10% of the total amount, with interest charges and adjustments based on inflation. The law also extends the time companies have to respond to cost recovery notices from 15 to 30 days and clarifies that existing legal remedies remain available alongside this program. These changes take effect on July 1, 2024, but apply retroactively to costs incurred since January 1, 1995.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to study psychedelics for mental health treatment. The group will review existing research on the costs and benefits of using psychedelics in therapy and assess whether Vermont should allow healthcare providers to administer them legally. It will also examine how legal access would affect public health. The Working Group must submit its findings and recommendations to several state committees by November 15, 2024, with support from the Vermont Department of Mental Health and the Vermont Psychological Association.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new study committee composed of legislators to examine ways to improve county-level government in Vermont. The committee will focus on enhancing public safety, tax collection, and how public resources are distributed across the state. To support its work, the bill also creates a separate technical advisory group made up of non-legislators to provide expert recommendations on local government structure and organization. Additionally, the Secretary of Administration must report on how Vermont's current governance system affected its ability to receive federal emergency funding following the 2023 flooding events.

Maddy summaryThis Vermont law, known as the "Vermont Ghost Guns Act," prohibits individuals from possessing, transferring, or manufacturing firearms, firearm frames, or receivers without a serial number. The bill requires that any unfinished firearm parts or completed guns be imprinted with a serial number by a federally licensed firearms dealer, importer, or manufacturer before they can be legally owned or sold. Exceptions are made for licensed dealers, law enforcement, antique firearms, permanently inoperable guns, and weapons made before 1968. Violations result in civil penalties for simple possession of unserialized parts and criminal charges including fines and imprisonment for transferring or manufacturing unserialized firearms, with harsher penalties for carrying such weapons during violent crimes.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes adding a new article to Vermont's state constitution that guarantees equal treatment under the law regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin. The amendment would require the government to ensure all people receive equal protection and prohibit denying rights based on these characteristics. It also explicitly allows for measures designed to help groups that have historically faced discrimination. If voters approve this change in the 2026 election, it would become part of the state's founding legal document.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new policies and procedures for Vermont's public libraries and school libraries to ensure compliance with free speech principles, civil rights laws, and the state's diverse population. It requires library boards to adopt material selection and reconsideration policies that reflect diversity in race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and political beliefs while protecting intellectual freedom. The legislation also clarifies confidentiality rules for library records, expands protections against criminal threats at public libraries, and updates the role of the Department of Libraries to include developing model policies and professional development programs for librarians.