Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Will the house please come to order and members kindly take their seats? Good morning. Good morning. The devotional today will be led by representative Sarita Lamont of Morristown, representative Emily Carris Duncan of Whitingham, and representative Brian Cina of Burlington.

[Representative Saudia LaMont]: Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought

[Representative Charles Kimbell]: us.

[Representative Saudia LaMont]: Till victory is won. Life. Something we give, something we receive. What is the most important? What is is it what we achieve? Is it the victories, the histories, the legacies? Is it the tendencies, the frenemies, the normalcies that we conceive? The things that we believe to be true. If it's true for me, must it be true for you? What does it really mean? According to Google, the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. According to Merriam Webster, it's the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual and other things. When complications arise, how do we decide which lives are worth saving? Self preservation, human conservation, what exactly is the expectation for existence? To overcome obstacles and be persistent, to give all of you with no hesitation, no resistance, the ultimate sacrifice, this thing called life. How do we determine the definition of a person from property that was taxable to three fifths up to the fourteenth amendment? How do we calculate the value of one's existence? Do we improvise and prioritize a manufactured hierarchy? Conform conformity to a false sense of normalcy and assimilation, where is the innovation? The integration, the evolution as we work to find solutions for an ever changing society. I get excited to think about the notoriety of how far we've come, And then reality snaps me back with the sobering anxiety I think of. Life, growth and continual change. We live. We give. We receive. We love. We lead. We grieve. We remain.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Members, we have a bill on the notice calendar requiring referral to a money committee pursuant to house rule 35 a. Senate bill two twenty three is an act relating to water quality of the waters of Vermont carrying an appropriation. The bill is referred to the committee on appropriations. Members we have received a request to read three house concurrent resolutions that the house and senate adopted pursuant to the consent calendar. The first is HCR two zero five which is a house concurrent resolution honoring Maria Blair on her exemplary career as a dedicated staff member at the joint fiscal office. Please listen to the reading of the resolution.

[House Reading Clerk]: Whereas Maria Blair graduated from Princeton High School in New Jersey and earned both her bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Vermont. And whereas she pursued employment focused on fiscal and data analysis in both the public and private sectors. And whereas in 1986, while employed at the former Department of Employment and Training, Maria Blair accepted a position with the General Assembly's Joint Fiscal Office, starting a legislative branch career that continued for nearly four decades. And whereas beginning as a budget analyst, Maria Blair quickly demonstrated subject expertise, exceptional interpersonal skills, the capability to build strong relationships across all branches of government, and the ability to provide timely and highly valued advice and guidance for house appropriations for which she exhibited great flexibility working with 11 appreciative committee chairs over the years and for the Joint Fiscal Committee and the Joint Fiscal Office. And whereas aside from her committee related duties, Maria Blair developed an in-depth knowledge of the fiscal minutiae of many topics including LIHEAP and weatherization programs. And whereas in the early nineteen nineties, Maria Blair's proven record of achievement and leadership resulted in her promotion to the rank of associate fiscal officer, a senior position in the joint fiscal office. And whereas Maria Blair was instrumental in building the joint fiscal office camaraderie through her exceptional baking, her dedication to the porch flowers, and her ability to dispel stress through humor and storytelling. And whereas Maria Blair is a genuine animal aficionado who formerly raised and tended to her horses on her homestead, and in more recent years, adopted many dogs, sometimes up to five canine companions who have brought comedy, exasperation, and joy to her life. And whereas Maria Blair, an admired, astute, and congenial, esteemed legislative staff member has concluded an amazing legislative staff tenure and anticipates enjoying time with her family, which includes her son, daughter, and daughter-in-law and with friends tending to her garden and experiencing new life adventures. Now therefore be it resolved by the House of Representatives in the Senate that the general assembly honors Maria Blair on her exemplary career as a dedicated staff member at the joint fiscal office and that be it further resolved that the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to Maria Blair.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Next is HCR two forty four which is a house concurrent resolution recognizing the week of April 2026 as Black Maternal Health Week in Vermont. Please listen to the reading of the resolution.

[House Reading Clerk]: Whereas according to a research compendium, the KFF, an independent health research organization issued in December 2025, there are stark racial disparities in the nation's maternal and infant care health outcomes that are highly unfavorable for black Americans. And whereas, for example, the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotions Division of Reproductive Health reported that in 2023, the pregnancy related mortality rate for one hundred thousand births for black American women was forty nine point four. While for white American women, it stood at a far lower fourteen point nine. And whereas also in 2023, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics recorded ten point nine black American infant deaths per 1,000 live births, and the comparable figure for white American infants was four point five. And whereas the Black Mamas Matter Alliance is an alliance of perinatal internal, and reproductive health, black and women led organizations, and multidisciplinary professionals that seeks to build consensus and articulate priorities for those doing the work within the communities of black American women. And whereas among the organization's goals are to cultivate innovative research methods to improve black maternal health, introduce and enhance holistic and comprehensive approaches to black mama's care, and redirect and reframe the conversation on black maternal health and amplify the voices of black mamas. And whereas annually, BMMA designates black maternal health week, which in 2026 is from April. And this year, the week's mission is to center the voices, leadership, and lived experiences of black mothers while advancing community led systems change rooted in healing, trust, and collaboration. And whereas coinciding with this mission is the theme rooted in justice and joy. Ten years of building the black maternal health movement, both honoring a decade of groundbreaking work that has transformed the landscape of black maternal health in The US and acknowledging the persistent challenges this demand continual continued innovation and action. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the senate and house of representatives so that the general assembly recognizes the week of April 2026 as Black Maternal Health Week in Vermont. And be it further resolved that the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to BMMA.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: And finally, h c r two fifty three is a house concurrent resolution congratulating the 2025 Green Mountain Council class of Eagle Scouts. Please listen to the reading of the resolution.

[House Reading Clerk]: Whereas earning the rank of Eagle is a special honor that nationally only four to 6% of young members enrolled in Scouting America is privileged to earn. And whereas an Eagle Scout is an individual who exhibits a strong commitment to service and perseveres to reach this challenging goal. And whereas the following scouts who proudly achieved the rank of Eagle during 2025 were Corey Caulfield, Nico Chernisov, Adam Coburn, Elliot Cohen, Emerson Cohen, Emily Carris Duncan, Emily Dennis, Darren Doroshos, Sean Early, Liam Egbert, Gray Fearon, August Fraser, Cooper Freeman, Jackson Gagne, Samuel Gilliam, Logan Grimm, Charlie Gunkel, Alexander Johnson, Lina Joomma, Joyce, Brian Keith Turner, Tyler Keyes, Quinlan Kitson, Travis Knapp, Sampson Lake, Colton Latham, Jacob Law, Daniel Lumiou, Simon Bluemle, Finn Leland, Gabriel Limlo, Alden Luft, Brody Maguire, Ethan Medier, Jeremiah Mosier, James Mount, Alexander Palazzo, Duncan Shaver, Jackson Telstone, Sarah Togiesi, Maxwell Wagner, Jacob Warrell, Benjamin Welborn, Logan Wells, and Jackson Jaeger. And whereas each of these new Eagle rank honorees exemplifies the best attribute attributes of the scouting movement. Now therefore be it resolved by the senate and house of representatives that the general assembly congratulates the 2025 Green Mountain Council eagle class of Eagle Scouts and be it further resolved that the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to each Eagle Scout honored in this resolution.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Are there any announcements, member for Middlebury?

[Representative Robin Scheu]: Madam speaker, we've just heard the resolution honoring Maria Blair for her nearly forty years of service in the joint fiscal office. For most of those forty years, she provided incredible support to the house appropriations committee. She worked with 11 Appropriations Committee chairs over that time period and I was fortunate to be one of them. Maria will be gratefully remembered for her kindness, humor, patience, so many committee members with all kinds of questions, her depth of knowledge on any number of subjects and amazing institutional memory. We would often ask a question about why we were doing something or how we came to fund something in the budget and Maria would have the answer even if it was an issue that arose many years ago. Outside of committee, Maria was and is an exceptional baker, dedicated gardener and lover of dogs having five pups in her household now. While we all miss Maria, one thing Maria won't miss is driving through blizzards and whiteout conditions on the interstate to get to Montpelier. I'm very glad we were able to have a snowy, a sunny, snowless day to recognize her. Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating Maria on her dedication and years of service to this body and for her part in making things better for all Vermonters.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest member from Middlebury please rise and be recognized? Are there any further announcements? Member from Morristown.

[Representative Saudia LaMont]: Madam speaker, we just heard a resolution recognizing April 2026 as best paternal health week in Vermont. This resolution is more than symbolic. It is a call to conscience, to action, and acknowledgments of hard truths. Because the truth is, in the richest nation in the world, black mothers are still dying at alarming rates that should propel every one of us into action. In 2023, black women in America died from pregnancy related causes at a rate of four point nine deaths per 100,000 births, more than three times the rate of white women. Black infants died at more than twice the rate of white infants. Black maternal care is about more than mothers, infants, and mortality. It is about the people who have birthing bodies, whether they give birth or not. Because some challenges happen far before the childbearing age, as women of color are predisposed to other reproductive health issues such as precocious puberty, PCOS, and fibroids, and endometriosis. By the age eight or nine, fifty percent of black girls are beginning to show signs of puberty, while at the same time, only fifteen percent of white girls. This has effects on behavior, life, and outcomes. Black women are three times more likely to have fibroids or endometriosis. One in six women experienced mistreatment by health care professionals during the birthing process. Most reported verbal abuse, discrimination, threats of withholding treatment, forcing unwanted treatment, and delay or refusal of care, according to the Giving Voices to Mother study. In a national study, black women of black women, sixty seven percent reported race based discrimination when seeing providers for family planning services. Eighty percent of pregnancy related deaths are preventable. These are not random statistics. These are not biological inevitabilities. These are outcomes of a systemic inequities shaped by bias. Systems shaped by generations of of structural racism in health care, housing, transportation, environmental policy, and access to quality care. And let's be clear, education and income do not erase these disparities. Black women with advanced degrees still face far worse maternal outcomes than white women without a high school diploma. That means the crisis is not about individual choices. It is about systemic failure. And while Vermont often prides itself on being progressive, we are not immune. We know our state struggles with some of the deepest racial disparities in the nation in health care and access to outcomes. We know black and brown Vermonters often face barriers to culturally responsive care, provider bias, and geographic isolation. We know our rural landscape can make prenatal and postpartum care harder to access. When we fail mothers, we fail families. When mothers and babies do not survive, our collective humanity is diminished. Black maternal health week, established by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, reminds us that solutions already exist. The people closest to the pain are the closest to the solution. Black led organizations, doulas, midwives, birth workers, and advocates have long been leading with wisdom, compassion, and innovation. This year's theme rooted in justice and joy, ten years of building black maternal health movement, reminds us that this work is not only about survival. It is about dignity, healing, restoration, and joy. Justice means every mother deserves to be heard, believed, and every mother deserves respectful, competent, culturally responsive care. As legislators, our work cannot stop with the resolution. We must continue advancing policies that expand access to prenatal and postpartum reproductive care and support continue to support midwives and doulas as we did last year and continue to invest in community based and culturally competent health care models. We must build a Vermont where every family regardless of race, ZIP code, or income can thrive. Today, we are joined online by Black Mamas Matter Alliance. And here in the house, we have guests who are black mamas and or care for, came from, or love black mamas. And I hope you will join me in giving them a warm welcome. They are seated in the gallery.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest of the member from Morristown please rise and be recognized. Member from Milton.

[Representative Michael Morgan]: Madam speaker, we also just heard a resolution honoring our Eagle Scout class of 2025 for the state of Vermont. Today, we recognize an elite group of young leaders in our community, the newest class of our Eagle Scouts. Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout is not merely a milestone, it is a pinnacle of achievement that signifies years of dedicated service, character development, and rigorous skill building. Only a small percentage of scouts reached this summit, and today we honor those who have gone above and beyond. To earn this rank, these scouts did not just learn to camp or tie knots. They completed over 20 merit badges and organized significant service projects, improved our parks, schools, and communities. They have shown they are trustworthy, loyal, helpful, and kind, not just in words, but through their actions. These young people have demonstrated the resilience and adaptability necessary to be our future leaders. We also recognize that no scout acts alone. We applaud the parents, families, and scout leaders who fostered this journey and dedicated countless hours to supporting these new Eagle Scouts. Madam speaker, please join me in congratulating these dedicated individuals on their remarkable accomplishment and and in thanking them for their service to our community and to the nation. Once eagle, always an eagle. They are seated in the balcony.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Will the guests of the member from Elton please rise and be recognized? Are there any further announcements? Member from Cavendish.

[Representative Thomas "Tom" Charlton]: Madam speaker, today I have a guest here in the State House who came here by way of Colorado. Little over a year ago, I offered him an invitation to come visit me here at the State House and see this wonderful people's house we get to work in. After careful consideration, a lot of deliberation with himself on the merits of being seen in public with a politician, yesterday, he finally took up the offer. And today, he is here to visit the People's House. Would you please help me welcome my friend, Ren Do to the People's House?

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest and member from Cavendish please rise and be recognized? Are there any further announcements? Member for Milton.

[Representative Michael Morgan]: Thank you, madam speaker, for indulging me a second time. I have a constituent of mine shadowing me here today. She is also a member of the select board in our community. Would you please give a warm welcome to Betsy Pare. She is seated behind me in the gallery.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest of the member from Milton please rise and be recognized? Member from Morristown.

[Representative Saudia LaMont]: I promise I'll be brief this time, madam speaker. I also have another special guest with me today. I would like to introduce my legislative intern from Norwich University, Michaelina Merriman. While finishing her degree, committed to making positive contributions to the state and her community through public policy. As an intern, she's been working here alongside me on Fridays, enriching her knowledge of policy, politics, and research here at the state house. Graduating this spring, she's one year ahead of her peers of her high school peers, thanks to Vermont's early college program, substituting her final year of high school with a tuition free year of college. For Michaelina, participating as an intern has meant contributing to the services that the state has provided in an effort to motivate students and serve as a testimony for a testimonial for the success of such programs. She has lived the vast majority of her life in Duxbury, Vermont with intermittent periods of studying abroad and improving second language proficiency. Her specific areas of interest include bolstering social services in Vermont, encouraging long long term resident well-being, and easing housing shortages. In the future, she hopes to gain experience on the national lever in D in DC, but will ultimately return to Vermont with the intent of serving here in the Vermont legislature. Will you please help me welcome her to the people's house?

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest member from Morristown please rise and be recognized? Are there any further announcements? Seeing none, orders of the day. Members we will begin with senate bill two fifty five which is an act relating to establishing a pilot law enforcement governance council in Windham County. The bill was referred to the committee on government operations and military affairs which recommends that the house propose to the senate to amend the bill as printed in today's calendar. The member from Milton, representative Morgan will speak for the committee. And then affecting the revenue of the state, the bill was referred to the committee on ways and means which recommends that the bill ought to pass in concurrence with the proposal of amendment recommended by the committee on government operations and military affairs. The member from Newport City, representative Page, will speak for that committee. Please listen to the second reading of the bill.

[House Reading Clerk]: S two fifty five, an act relating to establishing a pilot law enforcement governance council in Windham County.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Member for Milton.

[Representative Michael Morgan]: Madam speaker, at its core, s two fifty five is about a simple problem that rural Vermonters understand very well. Access to law enforcement is inconsistent, unequal, and in too many places, unreliable. In much of Wyndham County, people do not experience public safety the same way as communities that have their only local police departments. Response times can be long. Services can be fragmented, and towns are left trying to patch together a system that was not built for today's needs. S two fifty five does not pretend to solve every public safety issue in Vermont. What it does is something more practical and more responsible. It creates a narrow guarded a narrow guarded time limited pilot in Wyndham County so we can test a better way to govern and fund regional police policing policies and services. It is a legislative study and practice to answer questions posed but never exercised by our prior studies on this issue going back as far as 1967. One of the guiding principles behind this bill has been do not break what is already working. This bill is not a statewide mandate. It does not force participation. It does not affect towns that choose not to join. It does not interfere with communities where a system is already working. This is also not a new tax. That point matters. Towns are already paying for public safety often through separate contracts, separate negotiations, and separate silos that create inefficiency and inequity. S two fifty five enables participating towns to use existing law to form an organized regional structure. It replaces a cumbersome patchwork model with one that is more transparent, more coordinated, and more democratic. Under this bill, participating towns would form a council of governments with one vote per town. The towns themselves would determine the service levels, the budget, and the expectations. The sheriff would provide services according to that framework. Non participating towns would not pay for it and would not be drawn into it. That is what makes this proposal so Vermont. It is local control, voluntary participation, clear guardrails, and accountability that built in is built in from the start. And importantly, this is just a pilot. It sunsets. It reports back. It gives the legislature the chance to review what worked, what did not, and what needs to be changed before anything permanent is considered. For decades, Vermont has studied the challenge of rural public safety and regional service delivery. S two fifty five finally gives us a chance to do more than study the problem. It gives us a chance to test a practical solution. It is about making sure Vermonters, no matter what town they live in, have fair access to public safety services. I'll do a brief walk through of the bill by section. Section one establishes definitions for the bill. Section two permits the Wyndham County assistant judges, sheriff, and towns who choose to participate to establish a governing body for the purposes of this pilot project. Section three explains how a town in Wyndham County can join or leave the council, representation if a town joins the council, and services the council agrees to obtain through this model, and last, costs associated with the services. Section four explains the governance of the council, which includes their meeting frequency, compliance with open meeting laws, the powers and authority of the council. Section five establishes the budgeting authority of the council. The budget is used as a special assessment through existing mechanisms and law with the county. Towns that are not members would not pay the special assessment. The formula would be the cost of the services divided by the population of all participating towns equals the per capita rate. Each participating town pays their population multiplied by the per capita rate. Section six provides a relationship between the council and the Wyndham County Sheriff. It addresses issues where the judiciary is considered current law to be silent while continuing to use existing mechanisms and understandings of sheriffs, municipal authority, and other requirements. Section seven requires an annual report to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs and the Senate Government Operations Committee annually. Additionally, it requires a comprehensive evaluation of the full project on or before 12/31/2033. At the end, I will also brief you on a slight amendment our committee made to section seven. Section eight creates protections for towns who do not join and clearly communicates that it doesn't rescind any existing laws or expectations. Section nine sunsets the project in 2034. Section 10 allows the county assistant judges to continue with current budgetary practices while also allowing them to collect the special separate assessment. Section 11, the bill would take effect on passage. In our committee testimony, we did make, as I alluded to earlier, one small change in draft 1.21, which amended this or 1.2 amended this bill to add an additional report back to the bill's current reporting expectations as an opportunity to consider what progress has been made and considerations on future statutory changes may be possible in 2030. It reads, on or before 09/30/2030 and again or on or before 12/31/2033, the council in consultation with the Wyndham County Sheriff and Windy Windham County assistant judges shall submit a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot program to the house government on government operations and military affairs and the senate committee on government operations including, one, an assessment of cost effectiveness compared to alternative service delivery models. Two, an analysis of service quality improvements. Three, an evaluation of the governance model's effectiveness. Four, recommendations regarding continuation, modification, or expansion of the program. And five, a proposed framework for statewide replication if warranted. In going through the bill, we took testimony from the following: legislative council, office of legislative council, the bill sponsor, Jeanette White, former senator, Wyndham County, assistant judges from Wyndham County, state court administrator, Vermont judiciary, Orleans County sheriff and member of the Vermont Sheriff's Association, Roger Markku, Lemoyle County sheriff and member of the Vermont Sheriff's Association, the sheriff from Winden County and who is also past president of the Vermont Sheriff's Association, the police chief from Brattleboro Police Department, the criminal division commander of the Vermont State Police, legislative policy and records attorney, Department of State's attorneys and sheriffs, and last, director of intergovernmental affairs, Vermont League of Cities and Towns. Your house on, committee on government operations and military affairs voted on this bill with a vote of nine zero one, and we ask for the body's support.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: And now speaking for the committee on ways and means, member from Newport City.

[Representative Woodman Page]: Madam speaker, we've just heard a description of s two fifty five along with the proposal of amend proposal of amendment. Your ways and means examined s two fifty five and determined that there is no fiscal impact to the state's revenue. Ways and means did take testimony from the following. The office of legislative council joined fiscal office, the sheriff of Wyndham County, former senator from Wyndham County, and the Vermont League League of Cities and Towns. Your ways and means committee found s two fifty five favorable in a ten zero one vote and request members of the body also support the bill.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: The question is, shall the house propose to the senate to amend the bill as recommended by the committee on government operations and military affairs? 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 proposed to the senate to amend 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. 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 nine fifty six, which is an act relating to approval of an amendment to the charter, the city of Burlington relating to the office of racial equity inclusion and belonging. The bill was referred to the committee on government operations and military affairs which recommends that the bill ought to pass. The member from Burlington, representative Stone, will speak for the committee. Please listen to the second reading of the bill.

[House Reading Clerk]: Page nine five six. An act relating to approval of an amendment to the charter of the city of Burlington relating to the office of racial equity, inclusion, and belonging.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Member from Burlington.

[Representative Mary-Katherine Stone]: Madam speaker, this bill asks the Vermont general assembly to formally approve a change to the city of Burlington's charter. Burlington voters already approved this charter amendment on 03/03/2026. The yes votes were 4,959, and the no votes were 3,729. So the legislature's role here is ratification, which is standard process required under Vermont law for municipal charter changes. It should also be said that the roles and duties of the office discussed in this charter have been carried out for many years. It's not a new thing, and the office office itself was established in 2019. So the charter change would just be making that office more official by enshrining the office of racial equity inclusion and belonging, which I will now refer to as REIB into the Burlington City Charter. I will now walk you through the bill. Section one, charter amendment proposal. The general assemblies officially approves the charter amendment. It notes that Burlington voters passed the underlying proposal at the 03/03/2026 city vote. Section two, the new charter provision of office of racial equity inclusion and belonging. This is really the heart of the bill. It adds a new section to Burlington City Charter establishing the office of racial equity inclusion and belonging as a permanent city office, a director of REIB hired through standard city HR procedures who will directly report to the mayor, and the off and it states the office operates under the director's leadership and is subject to city council oversight. It also lays out the director's key duties that they include advancing equity, social justice, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and anti racism on behalf of the city, developing, coordinating, and administering racial equity and inclusion strategies across city departments, consulting within making policy and program recommendations to city departments, the mayor's office, the city council, improving representation of underserved communities and city government including in decision making bodies and policy development, and facilitating community and constituent engagement that creates inclusive spaces for participation in city government. The mayor and director are also jointly responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive racial equity inclusion and belonging strategy for Burlington. Section three is the effective date. The act takes effect immediately upon passage. The bottom line here is this is a three page the narrow scope. It codifies in the Burlington City Charter and office that voters approved. It gives the director a permanent role reporting to the mayor and lays out five core duties centered on equity, policy, community representation, and constituent engagement. Our committee heard from the following witnesses, the bill sponsor, legislative council, office of legislative council, the director for the Burlington Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, the assistant city attorney, city of Burlington, and a city councilor from the Burlington City Council. This was voted out of your house government operations and military affairs committee favorably on a vote of ten zero one, and we ask for the body's support. The

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: 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? Member from Woodstock.

[Representative Charles Kimbell]: Thank you, madam speaker. At noon today, if they're I'm encouraging members to see first if they can find Room M 108. And if you can, then we'll be having a discussion on the excess spending threshold if you have any curiosities about it. So M108 at noon. Thank you.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Member from Shelburne.

[Representative Chea Waters Evans]: Madam Speaker, today at noon the Caucus for Vermont's Economy will be meeting in Room 10 and we will be hearing from representatives of the multidisciplinary task force working on permit reform on how that is coming along. Hope you can join us.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Are there any further announcements? Member from West Rutland.

[Representative Thomas Burditt]: Thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, Pam Harris has won the 2026 Survivor Activist Award at the upcoming twenty twenty six National Crime Victims Rights Week award ceremony. And for those that don't remember, Pam was the advocate for her mother, Roberta, who was the catalyst for the abuse of a corpse bill. And the ceremony today is today at 01:30 over at the Capitol Plaza.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: Are there any further announcements? Members earlier today, the committee on ways and means reported favorable with amendment on senate bill three twenty seven, which is an act relating to economic development. Carrying an appropriation, the bill is referred to the committee on appropriations pursuant to House Rule 35A pending its entry on the notice calendar. Are there any further announcements? Seeing none, member from Pulte knee, can you please offer us a motion to adjourn until Tuesday, April 28 at 10AM?

[Representative Patricia McCoy]: Madam speaker, I make a motion this body stand in adjournment until Tuesday, 04/28/2026 at 10AM.

[Speaker Jill Krowinski]: 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 stand