By Sam Douglass
Two bills reported on by Vermont Daily Chronicle earlier this year are on their way to the Governor after being passed on Tuesday, one from each chamber of the legislature. One makes clarifications to Vermont’s land posting laws and the other criminalizes blackmail for extortion using explicit images
H.723, aims to clarify the law by requiring land postings to be updated every 365 days, in contrast to current law that requires updates annually. The difference is nuanced.
In the fall of 2025, the Department of Fish & Wildlife received a large number of complaints over its ruling requiring land owners to update postings by January 1. The statutes state that land postings be updated “annually” and in an effort to clarify this definition and provide consistency, Fish & Wildlife set the annual date to fall on January 1.
Critics of this rule pointed to low temperatures and deep snow and that elderly or disabled Vermonters would be forced to walk their property in the winter to update signs.
While the department ultimately pulled back its ruling, disgruntled land owners reached out to their local legislators which resulted in H.723 introduced earlier this year to allow land owners to update posted signs at any point during the year.
During the legislative process, the committee heard from many advocates that sought stronger regulations than the current system to extend the timeframe for land posting. VDC reporting from early February detailed a proposal to adopt a system of purple paint stripes on tree trunks in lieu of the traditional yellow plastic signs . These proposals were ultimately disregarded and the bill passed intact.
Sextortion, a form of online blackmail especially against young men and teenagers, using explicit images has become a growing threat online. Most frequently, scammers use false identities to obtain explicit images and then extort the victim for money or other favors, sometimes leading to suicide and mental health crisies in the victims. In a time where the vast majority of American youth have access to devices with online capabilities, this is a major concern for parents.
H.626, as passed by the House and Senate, sets criminal penalties for these scams. In cases of voyeurism involving a minor, the bill allows for up to three years in prison and fines of up to $5,000. Penalties for sextortion are more severe, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years and fines up to $10,000 when the victim is a minor. When resulting in injury or death, the maximum penalty increases to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
The bill is now on its way to the Governor.
Information for In Committee news reports are sourced from GoldenDomeVt.com and the General Assembly website. Generative AI has not been used in the writing of this story.