H 293: An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the Department of Health’s reporting and programming requirements - Vermont

As Passed by Both House and Senate (OfficialOpens in a new window) → As Passed by Both House and Senate (UnofficialOpens in a new window) · 3 edits

MINOR

This diff compares the official and unofficial publications of the same enacted Vermont bill (H.293). The changes are primarily editorial and consolidative: the year designation shifts from 2025 to 2026, the title is simplified, section ordering is cleaned up, and the document is reduced from 14 pages to 8. The one substantive policy difference is that the start year for the triennial health equity report changes from 2028 to 2029.

TIMELINE

The start year for the Department of Health's triennial health equity data report changes from 'beginning in 2028' to 'beginning in 2029', pushing the first required report one year later.

TECHNICAL

The legislative session year changes from 2025 to 2026, and the bill title is simplified from two descriptive titles to a single title: 'An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the Department of Health's reporting and programming requirements.'

The official version contained a duplicate set of sections (health equity, cancer registry, ALS registry) with an earlier effective date of July 1, 2025. The unofficial version consolidates these into a single clean sequence with only the July 1, 2026 effective date.

As EnactedOpens in a new window → As Passed by Both House and Senate (OfficialOpens in a new window) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The diff compares the 'As Enacted' version (signed by the governor June 8, 2026) to the 'As Passed by Both House and Senate' version of Vermont H.293. The two versions differ primarily in timing: the enacted version pushes the effective date from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026, and delays the start of the triennial health equity reporting cycle from 2028 to 2029. The bill's title was also narrowed in the passed version to focus on 'health equity data reporting and registry disclosure requirements' rather than the broader 'miscellaneous amendments' framing used in the enacted version.

TIMELINE

The effective date changed from July 1, 2025 (as passed) to July 1, 2026 (as enacted), delaying the entire act's implementation by one year.

The start year for the Department of Health's triennial health equity data report under 18 V.S.A. section 253(b)(2) changed from 2028 (as passed) to 2029 (as enacted), pushing back the first required report by one year.

SCOPE

The bill title in the as-passed version is 'An act relating to health equity data reporting and registry disclosure requirements' while the as-enacted version uses the broader title 'An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the Department of Health's reporting and programming requirements.'

TECHNICAL

The as-enacted version includes the governor's signature date (June 8, 2026) and is assigned bill number 116 for the 2026 session, while the as-passed version carries the original H.293 designation for the 2025 session.

As Passed By the House (OfficialOpens in a new window) → As EnactedOpens in a new window · 9 edits

MAJOR

The bill was substantially expanded from a 4-section health equity and registry disclosure bill into an 11-section omnibus act covering miscellaneous Department of Health reporting and programming amendments. New provisions were added for community violence prevention reporting, recovery service organization financial transparency, food service licensing for veterans, and the repeal of several outdated reporting requirements. The health equity report cycle was shifted from starting in 2028 to 2029, and the effective date moved from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill expanded significantly from a focused 4-section act on health equity reporting frequency and registry disclosure language into an 11-section omnibus covering community violence prevention, recovery service organizations, veteran food licensing, emergency service provider wellness, multiple repeals, and the original health equity and registry topics.

SCOPE

Added a new Section 1 requiring the Commissioner of Health to report on the Community Violence Prevention Program to legislative committees, with initial reports due September 1 and December 1, 2023, then annually by January 15. The report must include grant application details, award guidelines, number of grants, program descriptions, and outcomes.

The bill's title and scope changed from 'health equity data reporting and registry disclosure requirements' to 'miscellaneous amendments to the Department of Health's reporting and programming requirements,' reflecting the much broader set of topics now covered.

REQUIREMENT

Added new Section 9 requiring the Department of Health to submit a written report by February 15, 2027 on total actual income and expenditures for recovery service organizations in fiscal years 2024-2026, including public funding sources, recipients, grant performance analysis, and recommendations for financial stability.

Added new Section 8 amending a 2018 act to require the Commissioner of Health to report annually by February 1 on the number of service members and veterans who obtained food establishment licenses through the knowledge-of-prevention pathway.

Added new Section 5 requiring the Health Equity Advisory Commission to submit its written report annually on or before January 15 of odd-numbered years (previously annual), effectively reducing reporting frequency to every two years.

ENFORCEMENT

Added new Section 10 repealing two existing statutes: 18 V.S.A. section 5208 (Department of Health report on statistics) and 18 V.S.A. section 1756 (lead screening annual report).

TIMELINE

The health equity data report frequency was changed from 'every three years beginning in 2028' to 'every three years beginning in 2029,' pushing the first triennial report one year later.

The ALS annual report deadline was changed from January 15 to November 1, giving the Department more time to compile statewide prevalence and incidence estimates.

Effective date changed from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2026, and the legislative session year changed from 2025 to 2026.

As Passed By the House (UnofficialOpens in a new window) → As Passed By the House (OfficialOpens in a new window) · 3 edits · May 29, 2026

MINOR

This diff compares the unofficial and official 'As Passed by the House' versions of Vermont H.293. The substantive policy content is identical between the two versions; the differences are limited to formatting (official version adds front matter such as sponsor, committee referral, subject line, and statement of purpose) and two minor word deletions removing redundant instances of 'written' in the cancer and ALS registry disclosure sections.

TECHNICAL

In Section 2 (cancer registry disclosure), the phrase 'to keep written assurances acceptable to the Commissioner' was changed to 'to keep assurances acceptable to the Commissioner,' removing a redundant use of 'written' since the preceding text already requires an 'agreement in writing.'

In Section 3 (ALS registry disclosure), the phrase 'obtain written evidence of the approval' was changed to 'obtain evidence of the approval,' removing another redundant instance of 'written.'

The official version adds standard legislative front matter including the introducing representative, committee referral line, subject description, and a statement of purpose summarizing that the bill reduces health equity reporting from annual to every three years and amends cancer and ALS registry disclosure provisions.

As IntroducedOpens in a new window → As Passed By the House (UnofficialOpens in a new window) · 3 edits · May 29, 2026

MINOR

The House passed H.293 with three substantive amendments. The most significant change reduces the frequency of the Department of Health's health equity report to the legislature from annually to every three years beginning in 2028. Additionally, both the cancer registry and ALS registry disclosure provisions now require 'written' evidence of institutional review board or privacy board approval for researchers, and the cancer registry provision simplifies its confidentiality agreement language.

TIMELINE

The Department of Health's health equity data report to the legislature is changed from an annual submission to a submission every three years beginning in 2028.

REQUIREMENT

The cancer registry disclosure provision (18 V.S.A. 155(b)) now requires 'written evidence' of IRB or privacy board approval for researchers, and simplifies the confidentiality requirement from 'an agreement in writing to keep assurances acceptable' to 'written assurances acceptable.'

The ALS registry disclosure provision (18 V.S.A. 174(a)(2)) now requires 'written evidence' of IRB or privacy board approval for researchers, adding a documentation requirement that was not in the introduced version.

An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the Department of Health’s reporting and programming requirements

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