Republished from Lake Champlain Chamber Advocacy Newsletter

Friday was Crossover Day, the last day for committees to pass out policy-related bills in order to be considered for passage this year. Bills with strong ‘money’ considerations face their own Friday, March 22 Crossover. 

Here’s a quick view of where some legislation landed on Friday. 

Tougher bail, conditions of release – A bill addressing violations of conditions of release, bail, and supervision of those awaiting trial, S.195, passed out of the Senate Committee on Judiciary Friday morning. 

The bill is considered a promising opportunity to address some of Vermont’s most egregious re-offenders who commit many crimes while still awaiting trial. It allows judges to consider public safety rather than just flight risk when considering a defendant’s pre-trial status.

PFA ban downgraded to study – The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare passed S.197, requiring a report on November 1 on the who, what, when, and where PFAS should be regulated in the state. The bill originally would have implemented a ban.

Climate superfund passes Senate committee – S.259, a bill aimed at extracting from large fossil fuel corporations the funding needed to respond to, and mitigate, climate-fueled severe weather passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously. 

A study on regional and county governance, S.159, passed out of the Senate Committee on Government Operations on a unanimous vote. Later additions to the bill created a legislative committee and a technical advisory committee. 

A bill requiring the disclosure of salaries in job postings, H.704, passed the House Committee on General and Housing. The bill is similar to that which was passed in Colorado, which resulted in national employers not hiring residents of that state. 

House, Senate housing bills on collision course – The House Committee on Energy and the Environment passed H.687 last week, a bill proposing major changes to Act 250 and land use regulation. The bill has been pitted against S.311 in the Senate. 

Both bills seek to create a tiered structure of Act 250 jurisdiction, however, the Senate version has a focus on housing creation while the House version has an emphasis on environmental protection. 

The House version is more prescriptive of these new tiers with an aggressive timeline that means the state will need to wait years to clear the way for urban areas, while the Senate version creates interim tiers to more rapidly deploy housing in areas that require less Act 250 jurisdiction. 

The House Ways and Means Committee passed their miscellaneous tax bill which officially pours cold water on any effort to add a tax unrealized capital gains, as the issue is kicked to a study committee. 

Varying VEGI bills – Both the House and the Senate moved legislation on the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive Program this week with different aims.

The House, in H.10, looked to extend the sunset on the program two years, reduce the number of individuals on the governing committee, and required a study on what a future iteration of it might be. The Senate sought to eliminate the sunset and allow the program to exist in perpetuity. It also established language to proceed with a VEGI application as a forgivable loan instead of its current tax award. 

Human Services reorganization – The Senate Government Operations Committee passed S.183, creating a study tasked with reenvisioning the Agency of Human Services structure, analyzing options, and proposing recommendations by February 1, 2025. This amends the original bill, which aimed to divide the agency into two separate entities.

Data privacy – The House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development is still looking to wrap up work on a data privacy bill this week. The Committee has heard numerous concerns from a vast array of stakeholders that were not addressed, primarily concerns around a private right of action.