By VDC staff

Editor’s Note: On The Floor will report on the actions taken in both the Vermont House and Senate, as reported in the official House and Senate Journals published on the General Assembly’s website. On The Floor is intended to be a daily feature supplementing VDC State House coverage.

The Vermont House convened Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 14, for a brief session marked by a legislative resignation, committee referrals for dozens of new bills, and took action on holding limited remote committee meeting this session, according to the House Journal.

Rep. Casey Toof, D–St. Albans Town, submitted his resignation effective Jan. 16, citing his new role as St. Albans town manager and the recent birth of a child.  He is a co-founder of the Futures Caucus, a bi-partisan group of young members of the Legislature. He also served as Assistant House Minority Leader. Rep. Mark Higley (Lowell), who serves on the Ways & Means Committee and the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR), succeeds him in the leadership post.

The House also referred more than two dozen bills to committees:

H. 661 – An act relating to workers’ compensation coverage for firefighters with cancer → Committee on General and Housing

H. 662 – An act relating to an annual allocation for firefighter cancer screening → Committee on Health Care

H. 663 – An act relating to exempting municipalities from the Act 250 requirement to mitigate reduction of primary agricultural soils → Committee on Environment

H. 664 – An act relating to income eligibility parity for certain Medicaid programs → Committee on Health Care

H. 665 – An act relating to recording, indexing, and the duties of town clerks → Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

H. 666 – An act relating to survivors benefits for law enforcement officers → Committee on General and Housing

H. 667 – An act relating to collective homeownership resources → Committee on General and Housing

H. 668 – An act relating to automatic renewal contracts → Committee on Commerce and Economic Development

H. 669 – An act relating to internet lottery sales → Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

H. 670 – An act relating to requiring voters to present identification when voting → Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

H. 671 – An act relating to requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration → Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

H. 672 – An act relating to distribution of malt beverages by licensed manufacturers → Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

H. 673 – An act relating to brownfields redevelopment of the Upper Valley Regional Landfill → Committee on Environment

H. 674 – An act relating to the creation of the Vermont Sister State Program → Committee on Commerce and Economic Development

H. 675 – An act relating to prohibiting the fluoridation of public water supplies → Committee on Human Services

H. 676 – An act relating to maintaining patient access to animal-derived thyroid medications → Committee on Health Care

H. 677 – An act relating to primary, secondary, and local importance agricultural soils and solar energy generation → Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry

H. 678 – An act relating to the creation of a housing pilot program in Washington and Lamoille Counties → Committee on General and Housing

H. 679 – An act relating to emergency management in flood-prone municipalities → Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

H. 680 – An act relating to a primary care access reform program → Committee on Health Care

H. 681 – An act relating to voter approval prior to school closure → Committee on Education

H. 682 – An act relating to waiver of criminal history record fees for certain DAIL volunteers → Committee on Judiciary

H. 683 – An act relating to public nudity → Committee on Judiciary

H. 684 – An act relating to motor vehicle inspections → Committee on Transportation

H. 685 – An act relating to health insurance coverage for scalp cooling systems → Committee on Health Care

H. 686 – An act relating to expanding identification of certain lobbying advertisements → Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

H. 687 – An act relating to an exception to the moratorium on approval of new approved independent schools → Committee on Education

Lawmakers also placed on the calendar a House resolution authorizing limited remote committee voting through the end of 2026.

Senate approves Jan. 20 budget address resolution, intros bills Wednesday January 14

The Vermont Senate on Wednesday approved a joint resolution scheduling a Joint Assembly of the House and Senate to hear Gov. Phil Scott’s budget address and introduced a slate of bills addressing issues ranging from microplastics and genetic privacy to hospital regulation and public safety, according to the Senate Journal.

Lawmakers adopted Joint Senate Resolution 33, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Perchlik (D-Washington), calling for the two chambers to convene in Joint Assembly on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. to receive the governor’s budget message senatejourn114.

During the session, senators introduced several new bills that were read for the first time and referred to committee. Among them was S.246, sponsored by Sen. Brian Collamore (R-Rutland), which would create tax exemptions for noncommercial aircraft and establish revenue-sharing provisions with airports. The bill was sent to the Senate Transportation Committee.

A group of senators led by Sens. Anne Watson (D-Washington) and Becca White (D-Windsor) introduced S.247, a bill aimed at regulating plastic disposal and restricting the sale of consumer products containing microplastics. That proposal was referred to the Natural Resources and Energy Committee.

Other bills introduced included S.248, addressing genetic data privacy; S.249, concerning hospital collaboration and state action immunity; and S.250, related to the emergency administration of involuntary psychiatric medication. All three measures were referred to their respective committees for further consideration.

The Senate also took up proposals dealing with pediatric neuropsychiatric health coverage, criminal history record fee waivers for certain volunteers, transparency in Vermont’s tuitioning system, and a measure that would allow probation and parole officers to carry firearms while on duty.