by VDC Staff

Information for In Committee news reports are sourced from GoldenDomeVt.com and the General Assembly website. 

Wednesday February 11 was “Recovery Day” in the Vermont Statehouse. Advocates for substance abuse recovery, and Vermonters in recovery themselves, traveled to Montpelier and met with legislators to promote pro-recovery legislation and funding for Vermont’s recovery residences. “Recovery Residences” are a step above regulated rehabilitation treatment facilities which stabilize individuals, usually for around two weeks. On the other hand, stays at recovery residences last six to eighteen months, and they boast a high success rate. 

In a joint committee hearing of the House Human Services Committee and the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, a total of nine advocates shared their experiences in the recovery field and testified for funding and S.157. Advocates on Wednesday included representatives from: Jenna’s Promise, Recovery Partners of Vermont, Turning Point of Springfield, Turning Point Center Bennington, Turning Point Center of Addison County, Vermont Foundation of Recovery, Valley Vista, and Ben’s House. 

S.157 is a bill that was introduced at the tail end of the 2025 legislative session by Fmr. Senator Samuel Douglass (R-Orleans) that aims to increase safety by holding residents accountable through consistent rules as they undergo recovery in one of Vermont’s residences. The bill empowers recovery residences to remove individuals from the program if they don’t adhere to the rules, if they don’t engage with the programs, or if they aren’t acting safely. 

Testifying for Jenna’s Promise in Johnson was co-founder Gregory Tatro Jr. 

“Today, Jenna’s Promise is unique in that we call ourselves a “recovery village”, where looking at a holistic way of recovery integrates four pillars: a program based residential system, a workforce development program, a health and wellness program, and therapeutic support. And Jenna’s Promise doesn’t just lift the people inside our doors, it lifts the town around us. We’ve helped empty buildings become workplaces. We’ve seen neighbors let slip the stigma that casts the shadow of judgment on those of the public,” said Tatro. 

Tatro told the joint committee that the provisions in S.157 are the last measure in an exhaustive process to help residents voluntarily take accountability and engage with programming. “They have repeated chances to choose the path forward and engage in the program that they signed up for. Only after every option, usually after months, does exit become a last resort S.157 gives us permission to be consistent, fair and responsible.” 

Tatro made clear to the committee that the work Jenna’s Promise does relies on funding and recommends that the committee fully funds the request from the recovery community.

Suzie Walker, the executive director of Recovery Partners of Vermont testified on the funding side of treatment as well. “Our system has grown in both size and sophistication in recent years. Recovery centers have expanded their recovery services into rural areas through their satellite offices, and new recovery residences are established in proximity to recovery centers to provide easy access to their peer recovery programs for their participants.” 

The advocates are asking for the renewal of $800,000 that they received in FY26 and an additional $1,750,000 included in the Opioid Settlement Bill, H.660.