Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the house please come to order and members kindly take their seats? Good morning. Good morning. Happy Friday. The devotional today will be led by representative Brenda Steady of Milton.

[Representative Brenda Steady (Milton)]: Good morning.

[Representative Daniel Noyes]: Good morning.

[Representative Brenda Steady (Milton)]: With goals comes achievement. Success is attaining a purpose or a goal that an individual or a team sets out to accomplish. If you want something bad enough, you need to work hard for it. To achieve success, never give up no matter what. Work hard and smart, and you will achieve your end goal. When you feel like quitting, keep moving ahead. Keep that clear vision. Believe in yourself and your team. Great victories come from hard work. Whether you are the athlete on a team working to win the championship, title, or a legislator passing a bill, It takes hard work to achieve success. Never stop striving. Great achievement comes with aspirational goals. Thank you.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Members, we have 12 house bills for introduction today. With that, member from Pultely, can you please offer us the motion to suspend our rules to introduce bills by number only?

[Representative Patricia McCoy (Poultney)]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to suspend rules in order to introduce bills by number only.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: You have heard the motion. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The eyes appear to have it. The eyes do have it, and you have suspended our rules to introduce bills by number only. Please listen to the first reading of bills by number only. H seven zero five. To education. H706. To commerce and economic development. H707. To government operations and military affairs.

[Representative Brenda Steady (Milton)]: H708.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: To government operations and military affairs. H seven zero nine. To general and housing. H seven ten. To energy and digital infrastructure.

[Representative Brenda Steady (Milton)]: H seven eleven.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: To ways and means. H seven twelve. Two ways and means. H seven thirteen. Two general and housing. H seven fourteen. Two general and housing. H seven fifteen. Two education.

[Representative Brenda Steady (Milton)]: And h seven sixteen.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: To energy and digital infrastructure. Members, we have received a request to read a house concurrent resolution that the house and senate adopted pursuant to the consent calendar. HCR one fifty nine is a house concurrent resolution congratulating the twenty twenty five Milton High School Yellowjackets division two championship boys soccer team. Please listen to the reading of the resolution.

[House Clerk (Reading Clerk)]: Whereas the six seated yellow jackets reached the division two championship game after a semifinal round overtime victory over the second ranked Harwood Highlanders. And whereas Milton faced the top seated Mount Abraham Eagles for the division two title in a contest played at the DG Weaver Athletic Complex in Burlington. And whereas the yellow jackets dominated the first half and the eagles the second, resulting in an end of regulation play tie. Just over two minutes into overtime, the scenario experienced Milton's squad was prepared to execute a successful penalty kick, securing a one zero game victory in the division two title. And whereas the triumphant yellow jackets were Brody Allard, Alexander Harlow, Jack Tomasi, Sam King, Colton Foss, Dante Matot, Cameron Fitzgerald, Maxton Greenfield, Killian Choket, Mason Martell, Matthew Shed, Andrew Prouse, Brady Stevens, Matthew Cousin, Joshua Rhodes, Chase Renault, Wyatt Wright, Wyatt Wooten, Matthias Acampo Herrero, Noah Hecker, Brock Busch, and Brendan Metcalf. And whereas head coach Jack Hubbard and assistant coaches Eric Rhodes, Braden Ripley, and Corey Lombard were essential guides for the team's success. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the senate and house of representatives that the general assembly congratulates the twenty twenty five Milton High School Yellowjackets division two championship boys soccer team. And be it further resolved that the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to Milton High School.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Members, before we jump into announcement announcements, the chair has two announcements. First, the clerk has advised me that there is an error on today's consent calendar for action and that the first house concurrent resolution listed, HCR 163 was included in error and therefore it is removed from the consent calendar and cannot be adopted. Second, the chair has two appointments to announce due to the resignation of the member from Saint Alvin's Town. The first is pursuant to house rule 25. The member from Lowell, representative Higley is an exofficial member of the house committee on rules. And second, the member from Pulte, representative McCoys is appointed to the joint legislative management committee. Are there any announcements? Member from Milton.

[Representative Brenda Steady (Milton)]: Madam speaker, I am honored to congratulate the Milton varsity boys soccer team on the house floor today. I am a graduate of Milton High School. Both my sons played soccer for Milton, and now my granddaughter is continuing the tradition. They made their Milton community proud with their hard work, determination to win that division two championship boys soccer team title. This team entered the tournament as the sixth c seed and faced the one seed on their path to win this title. I can't imagine the countless hours of dedication by these student athletes and their head coach, Jack Hubbard, assistant coaches Eric Rhodes, Braden Ripley, and Corey Lombard. Madam speaker, please join me along with representatives Michael Morgan, Leonora Morgan, Chris Taylor, Tony Nicholas, and senator Chris Adams in welcoming the team, their coaches, their athletic director, Choquette, to the people's house today. They are seated in our balcony.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the guest of the member from Milton please rise and be recognized? Member from Burke.

[Unknown (Member from Burke)]: Thank you, madam speaker. I would just like to remind the members here that you should have received an email for an event that's scheduled for next Thursday organized by the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative. There'll be a number of regional leaders here to share their perspectives on a number of issues here across the state, but also some things in particular here to the NEK in regard to pieces here in regard to things like housing, health care, affordability, climate resilience, and funding stability. They will be here all day. They have a number of events scheduled. Please check your email here. They got a great schedule going on. They will be in the cafeteria here, and they'll also be joined here by our representatives here from the Vermont Food Bank as well. They're sharing space on that day. So we'll all probably provide a little reminder next Tuesday, but put that on your calendars. Would be great to see all of you stop by and say hello and welcome our visitors from the NEK. Thank you.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Bridport.

[Unknown (Member from Bridport)]: Thank you, madam speaker. Today, I'm honored to introduce the twenty twenty six Snelling Early Childhood Leadership Institute cohort. These are early childhood educators, and they come from all across Vermont and represent the full range of early child of our early childhood system. Together, they reflect the many ways we support and educate Vermont's youngest children and their families. As Vermont continues to implement act 76 and strengthen our early childhood ecosystem, these educators are stepping forward as leaders. They are not only doing the essential daily work with children, but are also helping shape the future of our child care system. Their leadership is a key reason Vermont remains a national leader in early childhood progress. The momentum we built reflects both sustained legislative commitment and a workforce that has met that commitment with dedication and true expertise. I encourage members to connect with them, ask questions, and draw on their experience as we continue this work together. They're seated in the gallery, and we have with us today co directors Sue White of Lincoln and Riva Murphy of Hardwick, Courtney Otis, Middlebury, Cindy Randall of Hoosick Falls, Brandon Diaz of Colchester, Cat Wallers of Winooski, April Dunham of Bennington, Sharon Edmonds Folsom of Newport, Eli oh, I'm gonna mess this up. Alken Glass of Burlington, Robin Schilling of Marshfield, Temby Mulari of White River Junction, Michelle Kersey of White River Junction, Avi Ward of Saint Johnsbury, Cassidy Tadeshi of Milton, Lindsay Shell of Bethel, Kimberly Belnorth of North Fairsburg, Logan Cunningham of Fairfax, Morgan Krebs of Morrisville, Tammy Haslet Haslet of Thetford, Ela Judge of Winooski, Amanda Ellison of Alberg, Elena Bourne of Grand Isle, Mandy Menard of Saint George, Ela Ela Oppenheimer of Shelburne, and Alex Whitcomb of Graniteville. They're seated in the gallery. They'll be in the building today. If you heard your town's name in there, find them and say hi. But in the meantime, I would I hope the body will join me in welcoming them to the State House today.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the guest and the member from Bridgeport please rise and be recognized? Member from Essex Junction.

[Representative Lori Houghton (Essex Junction)]: Madam speaker, it made my morning when I happened to see this person walking down the hallway. We have a former member with us today. She and I served together for six years on health care. She brought some really good trouble

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: and not so good trouble to

[Representative Lori Houghton (Essex Junction)]: the state house, but definitely brought a lot of laughs and an immense amount of passion. Please welcome back former representative, Mollie Cortes, to the state house.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the former member please rise and be recognized? Member from Burlington.

[Unknown (Member from Burlington)]: Thank you. Probably every one of us in this chamber has benefited from the care and support of a mentor. Indeed, some of us might even be serving here now because of a mentor's encouragement. Next Friday, we will recognize through resolution January as National Mentoring Month. Today, we welcome many of Vermont's mentoring organizations and mentees to the State House. They're visiting to share their commitment to mentoring, to working with youth and with their communities. They include Mentor Vermont, Big Brothers and Sisters of Vermont, Cabot Mentoring, Everybody Wins Vermont, Grand Isle County Mentoring, King Street Center, Lincoln Mentoring, Mad River Mentoring, MAUSD Mentoring, Mentor Vermont, Spectrum mentoring, and the collaborative mentoring program. For all members, meeting with mentoring groups, for lunch, we will not be meeting in Room 10 but in

[Representative Patricia McCoy (Poultney)]: the

[Unknown (Member from Burlington)]: cafeteria. So, let us welcome these representatives and their hard work today.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the guest of member from Burlington please rise and be recognized? Member from Burlington.

[Unknown (Member from Burlington)]: It's that time of year. Next Wednesday night at 07:30, our first Farmers Night concert will happen right here in the chamber. Remember, it is free and open to the public, so invite your friends, family, maybe a first date like I did a few years ago. Next week, we're gonna be joined by Bob Wagner and friends. He's a super cool artist based out of Burlington, really soulful guitar music. It's just gonna be a really fun concert, seriously. So please come next Wednesday, 07:30, doors at seven. Hopefully, we'll be back at house. So hope to see you there.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Member from Brattleboro.

[Representative Mollie S. Burke (Brattleboro)]: Thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, members of the Vermont Historical Society are here today in the card room. Perhaps you've already passed by their display of interesting historical objects. These include original competing New York and New Hampshire land patents from Winter County, Dean Davis's hard hat from Greenup Day, Phil Hoff's king of Anusky crown from the famous photo the night he won the nineteen sixty two election. These objects are part of a project that's happening this year, 50 by two fifty project, which prompts writers from around the state to use 50 Vermont Historical Society collection items to tell two hundred and fifty years of Vermont history. So this is a really wonderful project they're engaged in. They will also have information at the table in the card room on their all in Vermont curriculum program for Vermont schools and community history organizations. We are very fortunate in this state to have an organization, the Vermont Historical Society, a wonderful organization, great caliber, And I encourage you to visit the museum next door sometime. It's a wonderful tour for through Vermont history. They also have the Vermont history center in Barrie, which is in a beautiful old building. And people from here, from the historical society, to welcome our director Steve Perkins along with staff Amanda Gustin, Eileen Corcoran, Emily Lev, and Meg Mallory. Please give them a warm welcome.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the guests of the member from Brattleboro please rise and be recognized? Member from Cornwall.

[Representative Peter Conlon (Cornwall)]: Madam speaker, just a reminder to members and a recommendation that in Room 11 at noon today will be a high level overview of act 73 with legislative council. It's a very helpful presentation. We've had it in our committee, and I would recommend folks attend. Thank you.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Pulteney.

[Representative Patricia McCoy (Poultney)]: Madam speaker, I would like to officially recognize to the body, the new house assistant leader, representative Higley from Lowell, and the new house second assistant leader, representative Burditt from West Rutland. Either congratulations or condolences are in order.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Congratulations, members. Member from Burlington.

[Unknown (Member from Burlington)]: Madam speaker, your committee on health care has an awesome new committee assistant. And to answer a question question that was posed to me by a member yesterday, it is not a coincidence that she and I share the same very unusual last name. Please join me in welcoming my daughter, Tasha, back to the state house in her official position.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the guest member from Burlington please rise and be recognized? Member from Glover.

[Unknown (Member from Glover)]: Madam speaker, one of my favorite parts of being a legislator is the opportunity to meet with students and elevate student voice. And this morning, I met with three students from Lake Region Union High School who came to advocate for fairer elections before they can vote, and it was great to just hear their ideas. They're not doing this for a school project or any credit. They're just doing it because they're passionate about using their voices. So I hope the members will help me in welcoming Esso Buck, Levi Eldridge, and Mason Phillips who sit behind me to the State House this morning.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the guests, the member from Glover, please rise and be recognized? Member from panel.

[Unknown (Member from Pownal)]: Madam speaker, it's a big day that we've all been waiting for. The caucus Vermont economy will meet in Room 10? 10. Bring your lunch. We look forward to seeing you. Any and all viewing of pictures of baby twins will be limited to attendees at that meeting. Thank you.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Are there any further announcements? Seeing none. Orders of the day. Members, we will begin with house bill six forty nine, which is an act relating to captive insurance and companies insurance and com insurance companies. Please listen to the third reading of the bill.

[House Clerk (Reading Clerk)]: Page six forty nine, an act relating to captive insurance companies.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The question is, shall the bill pass? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have passed the bill. Next is senate bill 60 which is an act relating to establishing the farm security special fund to provide grants for farm losses due to weather conditions. Please listen to the third reading of the bill.

[House Clerk (Reading Clerk)]: S 60, an act relating to establishing the farm security special fund to provide grants for farm losses due to weather conditions.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The question is, shall the bill pass in concurrence with proposal of amendment? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have passed the bill in concurrence with proposal of amendment. Up next is house bill five thirty four which is an act relating to community action agencies. The bill was referred to the committee on human services which recommends that the bill be amended as printed in today's calendar. Member from Mollie S. Representative Noyes will speak for the committee. Please listen to the second reading of the bill.

[House Clerk (Reading Clerk)]: H five thirty four, an act relating to community action agencies.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Member from Mollie S.

[Representative Daniel Noyes]: Thank you, madam speaker. H 34 can be found on in today's calendar on page 53. This bill ensures that Vermont's five community action agencies are accurately represented in statute and remain closely connected to the people and communities they have served since Governor Phil Hoff established them under the Federal Economic Opportunity Act of 1965. Community action agencies play a critical role across Vermont. They help families and individuals keep the heat on, put food on the table, and access housing supports. They are often our first line of defense in helping people move out of poverty. The bill does not change that mission. What it does is strengthen planning, oversight, and governance structure that supports this work and updates the statute to use people first language. The first section of the bill, thirty nine zero one, updates three VSA chapter 59 by changing the name in statute from community action I'm sorry, community service agencies to community action agencies. This is reflected throughout the bill. Section thirty nine zero one, thirty nine zero two, and thirty nine zero three primarily update statutory language to be person first. This approach puts puts the person before the condition or characteristic emphasizing their humanity rather than defining them by a single trait. For example, references to the poor are updated to individuals with low income. Section thirty nine zero four addresses planning requirements for each community action agencies. Agencies must complete a community needs assessment every three years and use that information to establish an annual community action plan. That plan must clearly describe the services being provided. Any new expanded services anticipated, and the resources needed to carry them out. This ensures services are driven by current community needs, not outdated assumptions, and provides boards, funders, and the public with a clear picture of how decisions are made. Section thirty nine zero five clarifies these eight how these agencies are governed. It reinforces the long standing principle that community action agencies board should reflect a balance of perspectives, elected officials, individuals with lived experiences of poverty, and representatives from a broader community, including businesses, labor, education, and partner social service agencies. It keeps these agencies grounded, responsive, and accountable to both the people they serve and the public resources they manage. This section also addresses board structure and term limits. It requires board to adopt clear term limits and ensure geographic representation. This is not about micromanaging nonprofits. It's about encouraging healthy broad board turnover, fresh perspectives, and strong local representation. Best practices many organ agencies already follow. This bill does not add any bureaucracy, reduce services, or interfere with day to day operations. It simply updates structure to reflect modern planning practices and good governance while respecting the independence of these community based organization. We heard testimony from the following witnesses, the executive director of South Southeastern Vermont Community Action, legislative council, office of the legislative council, director of the economic office department for children and families. The committee on human services voted ten zero one and believes that these changes support the essential work of community action agencies while ensuring transparency, accountability, and a strong community voice. We ask for your support.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The question is, shall the bill be amended as recommended by the committee on human services? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it, and you have amended the bill. Now the question is, shall the bill be read a third time? Are you ready for that question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and third reading is ordered. Members, the final bill on our action calendar today is house bill 84 which is an act relating to allowing telehealth appointments to be recorded with patient and provider consent. The bill was referred to the committee on healthcare which recommends that the bill ought to pass. The member from Winooski, Representative Berbeco will speak for the committee. Please listen to the second reading of the bill.

[House Clerk (Reading Clerk)]: H 84, an act relating to allowing telehealth appointments to be recorded with patient and provider consent.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Member from Winooski.

[Representative Daisy Berbeco (Winooski)]: Madam speaker, h 84 is a bill that updates Vermont's telehealth laws by allowing telehealth appointments to be recorded when both the patient and provider consent. Telehealth is now a permanent and very essential part of how we all access care, particularly in our rural communities, for mental health services, as well as for people that are just juggling work, caregiving, have transportation barriers, or even a disability. Under our current law, recording health care encounters is allowed, but not if it's a telehealth visit. Vermonters really embraced telehealth during the COVID pandemic, especially for mental health care, and we just need to catch up the statute to that reality. Allowing providers to record appointments is really critical for modernizing our system of care and enabling the use of technologies that improve patient interactions, reduce the infamous provider burden that has our doctors spending more time with paperwork than focusing on direct patient care. This also allows for our providers to meet their required hours of supervision that they need for their licensure sooner. So this is also a important piece of supporting our workforce. H 84 does not require recording. It does not permit any secret recording or mandate it. What it it doesn't weaken our already existing strong patient privacy laws. What it does is very simple and deliberate. It allows a telehealth visit to be recorded only when both parties agree. So I'll walk you through the bill, which is posted on the House Health Care Committee webpage. Section one adds the requirement of consent to its existing statute on telemedicine recording or store and forward. Store and forward would be if you have some health data, like from a wearable device that you wanna store or or that you wanna forward to your provider or maybe you are getting a consultation. You wanna forward them a a picture of an injury that you have. Section two adds the same the same language to the section of existing statute for recording an audio only telephone consultation. This is very simple. It's a half page bill, and it's effective on passage. H 84 keeps recording voluntary on both sides. So a patient can't compel a provider to record a visit, and a provider can't compel a patient to agree to recording as a condition of care. All patient privacy protections that we have remain intact, including both state and federal privacy laws. And recordings and content already are covered by existing confidentiality standards, both state and federal medical record protections, as well as the professional practice obligations that we have through OPR. By explicitly addressing telehealth recordings, h 84 removes any uncertainty and aligns statute with the real world modern care practices that we need to support our mount our medical professionals in this age of quality care and delivery. The House Health Care Committee took testimony from the deputy chief counsel, office of legislative counsel, from the chief health care advocate at Vermont Legal Aid, from the chief clinical and programs officer at Washington County Mental Health Services, the executive director at Northeast Kingdom Human Services, and the chief health information officer at UVM Health. The committee voted to voted favorably on a ten zero one vote, and I urge my colleagues to support h 84.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The question is, shall the bill be read a third time? Are you ready for the question? Member from new oh, member from Franklin.

[Unknown (Member from Franklin)]: Madam speaker, may I inquire of the presenter of the bill?

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The member from when new skis interrogated.

[Unknown (Member from Franklin)]: Just just to be clear, is the patient also able to record the visit?

[Representative Daisy Berbeco (Winooski)]: Yes, they would be as long as both the patient and provider consent to the recording.

[Unknown (Member from Franklin)]: Thank you.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The question is, shall the bill be read a third time? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it, and third reading is ordered. Members, that completes the orders of the day. Are there any announcements? Seeing none. Member from Pulte, can you please offer us motion to adjourn until Tuesday, January 20 at 10AM?

[Representative Patricia McCoy (Poultney)]: Madam speaker, I make a motion this body stand in adjournment until Tuesday, 01/20/2026 at 10AM.

[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: You have heard the motion. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it, the ayes do have it and this body stands in adjournment until next Tuesday at 10AM.