Vermont Bills | MyRepTracker

signed · Vermont · House May 26, 2026

H 559: An act relating to the Parole Board

This Vermont bill (H 559) changes the Parole Board structure by increasing its size from five regular members (plus two alternates) to seven regular members and adding specific training requirements for all members. It mandates annual training on topics like mental health, substance use treatment, and trauma-informed victim work, and creates a new Parole Board Director position appointed by the Governor to oversee board operations. The bill also updates member qualifications to require expertise in areas such as criminogenic behavior or serious crime rehabilitation, directly affecting how parole decisions are made and administered.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Vermont · Senate May 26, 2026

S 173: An act relating to vocational rehabilitation and apprenticeships

This bill (S.173) simplifies access to job training help for injured workers under Vermont's workers' compensation system. It removes outdated screening requirements and allows workers to start vocational rehabilitation services themselves if employers don't assign a provider within 90 days of injury. The bill also creates a new, funded position for a State Mediator at the Vermont Labor Relations Board, providing free mediation to resolve disputes between public and private employers and employees. These changes directly affect injured workers, employers, and the Labor Relations Board, aiming to improve access to rehabilitation services and dispute resolution. The mediator role will be funded with $115,000 in fiscal year 2027.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Vermont · Senate May 26, 2026

S 239: An act relating to the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Working Group

This bill establishes the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Working Group to study Vermont's current laws, rules, and policies about reporting child abuse or neglect. The group, made up of officials from child welfare, victim services, legal, and law enforcement agencies, will review these systems and recommend modernized changes by November 1, 2026. It does not change existing laws directly but creates a process to identify improvements. The working group's recommendations would inform future legislative proposals to update reporting requirements.

signed · Vermont · House May 26, 2026

H 739: An act relating to prohibiting the use and sale of the herbicide paraquat

H.739 prohibits the use and sale of the herbicide paraquat in Vermont, including specific forms like "paraquat dichloride" and "paraquat bis(methylsulfate)." The bill would directly affect farmers, agricultural businesses, and pesticide sellers who currently use or sell paraquat. It allows limited exemptions only for environmental or agricultural emergencies when no less harmful alternative exists, with exemptions valid for up to one year and requiring specific details like geographic scope and permitted uses. The bill does not create new enforcement mechanisms but defines the prohibition and exemption process.

signed · Vermont · House May 26, 2026

H 512: An act relating to the regulation of the event ticketing market

H 512 aims to enhance consumer protection in the event ticketing market by regulating entities that resell or facilitate the resale of tickets. The bill requires these resellers to guarantee full refunds under specific conditions and provide clear, itemized price details, including all taxes and fees. It prohibits selling tickets not yet owned or contracted, unless specified, and bans the use of software to bypass online sales limits. Additionally, the bill mandates annual licensing for ticket resellers, requires them to maintain a surety bond to cover consumer losses, and grants the Office of the Attorney General enforcement authority, including conducting audits and imposing penalties.

signed · Vermont · House May 21, 2026

H 385: An act relating to remedies and protections for victims of coerced debt

H.385 prohibits creditors from causing "coerced debt" - debt incurred through domestic abuse, human trafficking, economic abuse, or fraud - and creates remedies for victims. It directly affects survivors of abuse or trafficking who owe debt obtained without their consent or under coercion. Key provisions require creditors to stop all collection efforts, return payments, and notify credit bureaus within 10 business days if a debtor provides a "statement of coerced debt" plus adequate documentation (like police reports or certified statements from domestic violence advocates). The bill defines "coerced debt" as debt stemming from unauthorized use of personal information, threats, or economic control in abusive relationships.

signed · Vermont · House May 21, 2026

H 270: An act relating to confidentiality in peer support sessions for emergency service providers

This Vermont bill (H.270) establishes confidentiality for peer support counseling sessions provided to emergency service providers, including firefighters, EMTs, police officers, and others in critical response roles. All communications - oral or written - during these sessions must remain confidential, with exceptions for threats of suicide/homicide, child or vulnerable adult abuse, criminal conduct, or plans to commit a crime. Written records related to sessions are exempt from public disclosure under Vermont’s Public Records Act. The law takes effect on July 1, 2025, and applies to both paid and volunteer emergency service providers.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Vermont · Senate May 20, 2026

S 255: An act relating to establishing a pilot Law Enforcement Governance Council in Windham County

This bill establishes a pilot Law Enforcement Governance Council in Windham County to provide regional law enforcement and related services (including dispatch and animal control) to participating municipalities. To join, towns must vote at a town meeting to become "member municipalities," pay a special property tax based on population, and receive services through the Council. The Council, governed by one representative per member town, sets annual budgets, service levels, and performance standards, with funding collected solely from participating towns until June 2034. Non-member municipalities are not affected by the tax or service provisions.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Vermont · Senate May 20, 2026

S 89: An act relating to expanding survivor benefits

S.89, "Jessica’s Law," expands Vermont's survivor benefits to cover families of law enforcement officers, Department of Corrections employees (in direct security/treatment roles), Family Services Division staff, and employees at state-operated therapeutic communities or inpatient psychiatric hospitals who die while on duty or from work-related illnesses. The bill adds these groups to the existing definition of "emergency personnel" under Vermont law, ensuring they qualify for the same survivor benefits previously available to firefighters and emergency medical staff. Benefits would be paid to surviving spouses, then children, then parents if no immediate family remains, following current distribution rules. The law takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Vermont · Senate May 20, 2026

S 157: An act relating to recovery residence certification

Vermont's S.157 establishes a voluntary certification program for recovery residences (temporary housing for people recovering from substance use disorders) through the Department of Health. To become certified, residences must meet standards including peer-support certification, compliance with health/safety rules, transparent complaint procedures, and annual reporting of resident data like stay length and employment outcomes. The bill also requires certified residences to follow specific exit policies for residents violating safety or substance use rules, with strict conditions for immediate transfers. This applies directly to recovery residences seeking certification, not to residents themselves, and mandates annual data reporting to both the Department of Health and state legislative committees.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Vermont · House May 19, 2026

H 582: An act relating to adult protective services

This bill updates Vermont's definition of "neglect" for vulnerable adults (elderly or disabled individuals needing care), clarifying that it includes failure to provide essential care like food, medicine, or supervision, or to report health changes. It requires reports of alleged neglect in state-licensed facilities or by licensed providers to be submitted directly to the relevant licensing agency (e.g., Office of Professional Regulation) instead of only to Adult Protective Services. The bill also extends timelines: the Human Services Board must hold a fair hearing within 90 days (up from 30) and issue findings within 30 days (up from 7) when an alleged perpetrator requests relief after a substantiated report. These changes directly affect vulnerable adults, their caregivers, licensed facilities, and oversight agencies.

signed · Vermont · House May 19, 2026

H 814: An act relating to neurological rights and the use of artificial intelligence technology in health and human services

This bill establishes "neurological rights" in Vermont, protecting individuals from unauthorized use of neural data (like brain activity measurements) and preventing AI from bypassing conscious decisions without consent. It requires written consent before collecting or sharing neural data from brain-computer interfaces, bans "consciousness bypass" (using tech to manipulate brain activity without awareness), and regulates AI in mental health chatbots and patient communications. The law directly affects patients, healthcare providers, and AI developers in Vermont's health/human services sector. It also extends the AI Advisory Council's mandate and mandates reports on ethical AI use in healthcare, education, and human services.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Technology