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S.325 in second day of conference committee talks
By Guy Page
At 1 PM today, the House/Senate conference committee for S.325 – the Act 250 reform bill removing the anti-development Road Rule and enhancing property rights for farmers – will meet for the second time this week to work out differences between the House and Senate versions.
While the conference committee works on the substance of rural property owners’ legal rights, the State House was all abuzz this morning about a letter circulated by House leaders of both parties condemning unspecified social media attacks and threats made against a committee chair seen as the chief obstacle to reducing the regulatory pressure on rural property owners.
The Vermont Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski and House Minority Leader Pattie McCoy Wednesday issued a statement condemning what they said were threats made against House Environment Chair Amy Sheldon (D-Middlebury), who is considered the strongest supporter of the Road Rule and other anti-development restrictions repealed from Act 181 by the House last week.
In a brief conversation with VDC this morning, a spokesman for Krowinski specifically cited comments on the Act 181 Facebook page, but offered no further details, other than to urge the reporter to look them up even though ‘they may have been deleted by now.’
The statement by Krowinski and McCoy reads in part:
“….We all heard from many Vermonters with deep concerns about the law and what it could mean for the use of their land. These concerns were valid and we’re responding with changes to the law. While many viewed this as a successful process — to listen, to respond, and to change course by amending Act 181 — others shifted the conversation to personal attacks and threats targeting the legislature, and specifically the Chair of the House Environment Committee.
“We have seen social media and email messages targeting Representative Amy Sheldon that are truly reprehensible. The Vermont Legislature is a ‘citizen legislature’ made up of Vermonters who work hard — on a part-time, seasonal schedule — to represent the voices and priorities of the people who elect them. These personal, threatening attacks are unacceptable anywhere, and especially in Vermont, where we have a long history of civil debate and respectful dialogue. Is this shift in discourse how we believe we should settle disagreement among neighbors — no matter how valid and important — when we’re trying to solve tough problems? Do we believe these attacks are acceptable because they happen behind a screen? It’s an alarming trend and we cannot let it become the norm.”
Likewise, Republicans in House leadership and on the committee say they’re in the dark about the specific nature of the alleged threats.
A Republican on House Environment today acknowledged the frustration experienced by landowners concerned about losing their property rights. cautioned Act 181 reform supporters to refrain from any personal attacks and stay constructively engaged. “We are actually getting somewhere this session,” he said.
Bill requiring flex time cleared Senate, goes to House floor today – S.230, sponsored by Sen. Andy Perchlik (D-Washington), would “require employers to grant requests for flexible work arrangements that are not inconsistent with business operations.” This bill has cleared the House and is scheduled to be voted on the floor tomorrow.
“I will be voting NO on this tomorrow. I already believe that Vermont doesn’t attract businesses, this bill will make it even worse,” Rep. Brenda Steady (R-Milton) said.
The bill reportedly requires most employers in Vermont to:
- Consider employee requests for flexible work arrangements (e.g., adjusted hours, remote work, job-sharing) twice a year.
- Evaluate requests in good faith and can only deny them if the arrangement would cause specific business impacts such as increased costs, reduced morale, or inability to meet customer demand.
- Exclude routine scheduling changes, vacation, or standard leave from the definition of “flexible arrangements”
Secure facility for violent mentally ill bill stuck in committee – ‘Getting somewhere’ is exactly what is NOT happening with S.193, which would create a secure facility for mentally ill people awaiting trial for violent crimes, advocate Kelly Carroll told lawmakers in a letter this morning. The mother of a Bennington County murder victim is frustrated that one committee in particular – House Human Services – is holding up the bill:
“At this point, the repeated last-minute amendments and delays coming from House Human Services leadership feel less like policymaking and more like obstruction.
“Once again, HHS amendment language for S.193 was withheld until Wednesday, leaving almost no time for meaningful review or debate. The fact that none of the six HHS amendment authors could find any time to appear before House Judiciary yesterday to fully explain or answer questions about the proposal only added to the frustration and further delayed the process.
“This is now the third legislative cycle where the same pattern has repeated itself on this exact issue: delay, weaken, stall.”
On May 18-20, Governor Scott signed into law the following bills:
- H.270, confidentiality in peer support sessions for emergency service providers
- H.385, remedies and protections for victims of coerced debt
- H.46, the Rare Disease Advisory Council
- H.534, community action agencies
- H.582, adult protective services
- H.814, neurological rights and the use of artificial intelligence technology in health and human services
- S.89, expanding survivor benefits
- S.157, recovery residence certification
- S.255, establishing a pilot Law Enforcement Governance Council in Windham County
Gov. Scott also vetoed H.674, the creation of the Vermont Sister State Program | Letter
To view a complete list of action on bills passed during the 2026 legislative session, click here.
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Categories: State House Spotlight
It’s called stealing, it’s called a taking without compensation. When you stole man’s horse or land in the west there were consequences, usually involving rope.
Why do they call themselves democratic socialist? Because they need cover and a path to full socialism. 51% of the vote can steal 49% of the peoples property, which is happening in Vermont today.
City folk are stealing property rights and property use of country land owners in the name of the “common good”.
While we can’t use rope, we should use treason as a method of removing people from office who do not stand up for, defend and protect the constitution, which protects the minority, the single person being overtaken by the government, in this case Montpelier!
Vermont BE strong
Montpelier is wrong.
Socialism is the biggest ponzi scheme ever, we are coming into the phase of some pigs are more equal than others, phase.
This taking and change is completely run by lobbyists, NGO’s working the deeds of Agenda 2030. None of our legislators are smart enough to come up with this garbage, it’s being spoon fed to them and the dems must vote for this or they will be primaries and thrown out of the party, because they are representing their citizens?, no because they are going against the will of the lobbyists, NGO’s, non profits!
Right now would be a good time Guy to have an article
About the 10 people who make all the decisions for Vermont legislative agenda before the sessions starts.
None of this is home grown, we are king of Astro turf and oligharchy.
Yes.
Let’s get those faces and names out in front of us… The deep state of Vermont.
So on the Facebook commenting, there is no verification of the comments like screenshots?
That’s a little sus isn’t it?
Would literally be a first.
They claim they are concerned about the environment, the forest, but here in two simple articles they expose the lies.
VDC has an article about the Emerald Ash Borer, what money, time and resources are being move to literally save one of the best trees in our forest? That composes a large percentage of forest cover? About zero.
But they certainly are very busy taking the property use from all the country folk so nobody can use their land!!!!! And they have the nerve to say posts on facebook are threatening them, so now the thief is the victim!!!!!!!
If you threaten and make attempts to steal somebody’s property, in person, by legal maneuvers, like they do with fake deeds, etc. And the rightful owner of the property says, if you come and steal my property, come into my house illegally and steal, I will shoot you dead.
This is taking without compensation, under the guise of the common good, otherwise known as communism/marxism…….the state would be better off owning all the rights to you 100 acre forest joey, sorry you can’t build a house or any homes on it, it’s for “the common good”. This is what they do with private business and land ownership, when a state/country is completely taken over by marxists.
Who is committing the criminal act?
Oh, does it make difference if this done inside a bar or outside?
H534. Thanks for nothing, Phil Scott. More funding of “community action” groups/NGO’s — social services that are ripe for fraud and abuse as in MN, ME, CA, etc.? Conveniently with oversight by the same community organizers who lobby for the services and then apply for their staffing positions with generous salaries and benefits. Where does that money come from?
We’ve had decades of state and federal workforce training, remedial education and mental health subsidies that have failed to move the needle. Instead, the welfare state and homeless population have only grown. Where in any of this is a time limit and a requirement to demonstrate personal improvement and being a productive contributing citizen instead of a life-long parasite? But then why would the administrative state ever solve the problems they create in the first place?