House bills change hunting laws, create peer mental health support, pay inmates minimum wage

Get tough on youthful offenders, ban paraquat, address truancy and recidivism

By Guy Page

The Vermont House today passed a bill, H.928, changing the uniform point system statute for fish and wildlife violations. 

H.928 also would grant the Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife discretion to determine whether annual hunting licenses expire on December 31 of the year for which they were issued or 365 days after the date they were issued. 

This bill also would grant the Department of Fish and Wildlife the ability to assess a fee for additional tags or permits that are not otherwise identified in statute.

Other bills passed recently by the House and now in Senate committees:

H.928	3/24/2026	technical corrections to fish and wildlife statutes
H.817	3/24/2026	mental health support and substance use disorder prevention in schools. This bill would establish a pilot peer-to-peer (student to student) mental health support program in 10 schools.
H.583	3/20/2026	clinical decision making. Would prohibit corporate takeovers of essential community health services and would “prohibit corporations from practicing medicine or otherwise interfering with health care providers’ professional judgment and clinical decision making.”
H.642	3/20/2026	youthful offender proceedings. Would allow courts to revoke youthful offender status in case of violent crime or threat to public safety.
H.660	3/20/2026	fiscal year 2027 Opioid Abatement Special Fund and Substance Misuse Prevention Special Fund appropriations
H.537	3/20/2026	the right to grow vegetable gardens in condo associations and other common interest communities.
H.739	3/20/2026	prohibiting the use and sale of the herbicide paraquat
H.930	3/20/2026	addressing and preventing chronic absenteeism. Makes parents/guardians responsible for truancy, requires state/school officials to implement and review annually a plan to address truancy.
H.940	3/20/2026	miscellaneous public utility subjects, including requiring the adoption of a new Telecommunications Plan every five years instead of three, and to abolish the Telecommunications and Connectivity Advisory Board.
H.942	3/20/2026	miscellaneous agricultural subjects. Makes water quality practices training for farmers optional instead of required, regulates non-sewage waste transportation, requires uniform price disclosures to food and commodities sold by some stores.
H.294	3/20/2026	telecommunications services and wages in correctional facilities. Ensures incarcerated individuals are provided communications services at no expense, guarantees they are paid federal minimum wage.
H.410	3/20/2026	the calculation of recidivism and other related criminology measures. Redefines how recidivism is calculated and establishes a graduated classification system to track recidivists. Establishes definitions, calculations, and classification systems to measure individuals who commit repeat violent offenses.
H.171	3/19/2026	criminal justice agency protocols for an officer-involved shooting. Attorney General shall prepare and submit a written report to the officer who is the subject of the investigation and the law enforcement agency that employs the officer.