Mid Session Report
We are half-way through the legislative session! The purpose of this update is to summarize the work being done right now on behalf of Vermonters in the House of Representatives. I am going to be posting updates weekly, about specific issues. And please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with comments or questions.
Committees is where the work happens!
House committees are where the detailed work of lawmaking happens. When a bill is introduced, it's assigned to one of 14 committees. The committee then gathers testimony from experts, agencies, and constituents, reviews data, and shapes legislation before sending it to the full House for a vote. Often a bill goes to more than one committee. All house members are on one committee. I am on the Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
Here is a mid session summary of work in each committee:
Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry Vermont is considering several bills to strengthen food and environmental protections. H.536 requires regular testing of baby food and infant formula for heavy metals, with results made available to consumers. H.739 would ban paraquat, a toxic herbicide linked to Parkinson's disease that is already banned in the EU and China. H.537 would clarify when municipal regulations apply to farmers and residents who garden or raise small amounts of food.
Appropriations The committee completed the mid-year Budget Adjustment Act (BAA), which passed with a unanimous bipartisan vote. The most significant change: $5 million in state funds will protect Vermont's Section 8 housing vouchers from federal underfunding, keeping Vermonters in affordable housing.
For the FY27 budget, the committee faces real pressure — slower revenue growth, rising healthcare costs for state employees, and reduced federal funding. The focus is on funding core needs: food, housing, healthcare, infrastructure, and school reconstruction, while maintaining a fiscally balanced budget.
Commerce & Economic Development Several consumer protection bills are moving forward. H.211 updates Vermont's data-broker law with stronger enforcement and penalties. H.385 protects victims of coerced debt. H.512 caps resold event ticket markups at 10% and bans deceptive practices. H.205 restricts non-compete agreements in employment contracts. In addition H.674 creates a Sister State Program to build trade and cultural ties with other nations. And the committee is working to update the governance and funding of Career and Technical Education.
Corrections & Institutions Vermont is launching a Medicaid Re-entry Program to help incarcerated individuals transition back to their communities. H.635, which eliminates a supervisory fee charged to people leaving incarceration (which costs more to administer than it collects), passed unanimously and heads to the House floor.
Education The committee is working to implement Act 73, which aims to consolidate school districts, establish minimum class sizes, and slow the rise in property taxes. Vermont has seen significant K–12 enrollment decline while costs continue to rise. The committee is weighing different district restructuring models — including Supervisory Unions vs. School Districts — and exploring cooperative shared services as a cost-saving tool.
Energy & Digital Infrastructure Vermont's energy investments have kept electric rates among the lowest in New England, but rising costs from federal policy rollbacks, transmission upgrades, and AI-driven power demand threaten affordability. The House passed H.527 to streamline cell tower siting in rural areas, and H.710 to make it easier to expand solar on already-developed sites. H.727 would strengthen oversight of large data centers, given their significant power and water demands.
Environment H.778 requires emergency response plans for the 77 high-hazard, state-regulated dams in Vermont. A bottle redemption modernization bill would create a producer responsibility organization to improve redemption convenience, upgrade equipment, and ensure at least three redemption centers per county — without expanding eligible bottles or raising the five-cent deposit. H.723 updates land posting laws to reduce burdens on landowners, allowing purple paint markers, removing annual date requirements on signs, and protecting postings with minor imperfections.
General & Housing H.757 addresses manufactured homes, recognizing them as real property rather than personal property — improving access to financing, allowing placement in any residential zone, and eliminating sales tax at purchase. H.772 balances landlord and tenant rights, creates a good-cause eviction process, shortens the eviction timeline when necessary, and establishes a pilot program for positive rental-payment credit reporting.
Government Operations & Military Affairs H.67 creates a pilot legislative review panel to evaluate whether passed laws are being implemented as intended. A disaster relief bill would establish a microgrant fund for fire departments, search and rescue, and EMS — especially important following recent Northeast Kingdom floods that were denied FEMA assistance. Additional bills support Vermont veterans and military families, including free metered parking for disabled veterans and improved access to state jobs for military spouses.
Health Care A $230 million reduction in hospital drug charges helped keep education health insurance increases to single digits. Bills passed unanimously from committee include: H.577, launching a prescription drug discount card (ArrayRx) saving Vermonters an estimated millions annually; H.270, providing confidential peer support for first responders; H.34, allowing telehealth appointments to be recorded with consent; and H.558, consolidating Medicaid school-based services under the Agency of Human Services. The committee continues working on primary care access and long-term cost reduction strategies.
Human Services The House passed H.545, authorizing Vermont to develop its own immunization schedules rather than relying solely on CDC guidelines. The bill does not change vaccination requirements or access — Vermonters will continue to receive recommended immunizations at no cost. The committee is closely monitoring changes in federal health policy.
Judiciary H.541 creates new criminal protections for voters and election workers. H.578 updates and strengthens animal cruelty laws and streamlines the process for protecting abused animals. H.566 ensures that criminal records diverted out of formal court proceedings are sealed rather than expunged. H.572 will allow online public access to criminal case records, improving court transparency. H.626 updates Vermont's voyeurism laws for the digital age and creates a new criminal statute prohibiting sextortion.
Transportation Declining gas-tax revenue and a 60% rise in construction costs since 2020 are straining the Agency of Transportation (AOT). Without changes, roughly 60% of state roads could be in poor condition by 2030. To address this, AOT will begin reclaiming purchase-and-use fees previously directed to the Education Fund and will cut over $30 million from its FY27 budget, including 50+ positions. The committee is exploring ways to shore up revenue while meeting Vermont's climate goals.
Ways & Means The committee is managing the impact of federal tax changes, continuing work on property tax reform, and ensuring Vermont has adequate revenue for public services. Vermont's Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit were expanded last year — residents may be eligible for up to $400 back (without children) or $1,000 per child under seven. Free tax filing help is available at TaxCreditsVT.org.
Work continues on regional assessment districts (RADs) to ensure fair, consistent property appraisals statewide, and a higher property tax rate on second homes to reduce the burden on primary homesteads. The committee is also carefully evaluating which federal tax law changes Vermont should adopt or reject to protect state revenues.