Meetings
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[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Will the house please come to order and members kindly take their seats? Good afternoon. Members we have two bills that we will be taking up in this block. The first is House Bill six thirty nine which is an act relating to genetic data privacy, the committee of conference report and then also the committee of conference report on house bill seven ten which is an act relating to defining electricity generating facilities. So with that members as I said earlier today, the senate messaged to us the committee of conference report on house bill six thirty nine which is an act relating to genetic data privacy. The clerk emailed you the committee of conference report at 03:29PM today and it is also posted on the house overview webpage and paper copies are available at the main table. Member from Pulton East, can you please offer us a motion suspend our rules to take up house bill six thirty nine for immediate consideration pending its entry on the notice calendar?
[Representative Patricia McCoy]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to suspend rules in order to take up for immediate consideration pending entry on the notice calendar H639.
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The member from Pulte moves that we suspend our rules to take up House Bill six thirty nine for immediate consideration pending its entry on the notice calendar. 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 suspended rules to take up House Bill six thirty nine for immediate consideration. House Bill six thirty nine is an act relating to genetic data privacy. The bill was referred to a committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two chambers. The committee of conference has met and considered the same and recommends that the house adopt its report which is in your email, online and in paper copy. Member from Jericho.
[Representative George Till]: Thank you, madam speaker. So, 06:39, we went to we, the house, proposed a sixty day cure period on actions that are curable to the senate, such as displaying a privacy notice, but we took a hard line on not allowing a cure period on the actual genetics or the information derived from genetics. And the Senate, pushed back and said, we want a cure period on this bill for sixty days for the whole thing. We ended up meeting sort of in the middle. We agreed with them on a thirty day cure period for all of the business activities of these genetic data privacy businesses, and that cure period will go will be around for eighteen months, and then it will sunset. It will be repealed. So the bill goes into effect 01/01/2027. The cure period is in effect for those first eighteen months, and then it is repealed on 06/30/2028. Oh, the vote was Oh, sorry. I don't know what I need to say.
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: No. I'm sorry. Good job. So the question is, shall the house adopt the report of the committee of conference on its part? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. Ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and the report of the committee of conference is adopted. Members earlier today the senate messaged to us the committee of conference report on house bill seven ten which is an act relating to defining electricity generating facilities. The clerk emailed you the committee of conference report at 03:33PM today and it is also posted on the house overview webpage and paper copies are available at the main table. Member from Pultely, can you please offer us a motion to suspend rules to take up house bill seven ten for immediate consideration pending its entry on the notice calendar?
[Representative Patricia McCoy]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to suspend rules in order to take up house bill seven ten pending for immediate consideration pending its entry on the notice calendar.
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: The member from Pulte moves that we suspend our rules to take up house bill seven ten for immediate consideration pending entry on the notice calendar. 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 suspended rules to take up House Bill seven ten for immediate consideration. House Bill seven ten is an act relating to define electricity generating facilities. The bill was referred to a committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two chambers. The committee of conference has met and considered the same and recommends that the house adopt its report which is in your email online and in paper copy. Member from Burlington.
[Representative Gabrielle Stebbins]: Thank you, madam speaker. Yesterday, your committee on energy and digital infrastructure presented an overview of h seven ten, a bill to eliminate an unintended consequence of the definition of a single plant in our clean energy statutes. Also yesterday, we asked for a committee of conference to address some changes the senate made. Today, I'm delivering the report of that conference and will provide some detail on the additions. Last year, to find a good way to eliminate that unintended consequence, we passed act 38, which directed the PUC to recommend an updated definition of single plant. In June, the PUC opened a proceeding that included two rounds of public comments and a public workshop and then circulated a proposed definition to stakeholders for comment. Stakeholders participating in the process included the Vermont Department of Public Service, Renewable Energy Vermont, All Earth Renewables, Vermonters for a Clean Environment, Downs Rackland Martin, Green Mountain Power, Burlington Electric, The Nature Conservancy Vermont, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets, and Alco Renewable Energy Limited. Public comments were also filed jointly by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Conservation Voters, The Nature Conservancy Vermont, and the Conservation Law Foundation. The PUC detailed the testimony and their recommended new definition of single plant in a report submitted November 2025. We translated those recommendations, which drew broad support from diverse stakeholders, into h seven ten, which changed the definition of single plant from any facility sharing infrastructure to any facilities that use the same point of interconnection to connect the generating facilities to the grid. As a body, we supported that change to the definition of single plant, and we passed h seven ten on February 18 on a roll call vote of one zero eight to 30. The senate returned an amended bill that included some improvements and some areas of concern. With that in mind, we took the bill to a conference committee. I'll now walk you through the bill as approved by the committee of conference. Section one changes the definition of a single plant from facility sharing infrastructure to facilities connecting to the grid at a single point of interconnection. Section two is a new section which simply clarifies that this statute is not retroactive and applies only to new applications for permits and certificates of public good or CPGs. Section two a is a new section reflecting our shared concern about building solar on agricultural lands. This section directs the Department of Public Service to provide a report to us on 01/15/2027 with more comprehensive data on the conversion of farmland into solar production in Vermont. Section three is a new section that expands at the PUC's request. The list of people the PUC can hire when making a determination about a renewable energy application to include consultants, temporary employees, and other providers of research, scientific, financial, economic, actuarial, accounting, or engineering services. The expanded list meets the PUC's needs for personnel to calculate the decommissioning fees, which are discussed in the next section. The PUC does have the authority to bill the petitioning parties for the cost of additional personnel the PUC has to engage to adjudicate complex applications and petitions. Section four is a new section which creates a new structure to ensure that the communities aren't saddled with the cost of dealing with an abandoned clean energy facility. This section creates a single decommissioning fund administered by the PUC, which will be funded by a one time payment a developer makes as part of receiving a CPG. Under normal circumstances, if whoever controls the site of a generating facility decides they don't want that facility on their land anymore, whoever holds the certificate of public good for that facility is responsible for taking it down and restoring the site to its original condition. However, when there is an abandoned nonoperational or disclaimed electric generation or energy storage facility where the holder of the certificate of public good is unknown, cannot be contacted, is unwilling to take action, is incapable of carrying out decommissioning or site restoration, or does not take timely action as ordered by the commission, the PUC can use money in the decommissioning fund to take the facility apart and restore the site. Section five requires the PUC to report back to us on the formula they've developed for calculating the decommissioning fees that will go into the decommissioning fund. Finally, section six is the effective date, which is 07/01/2026. Madam speaker, the committee of conference voted unanimously in favor of this report. We believe the administration, the PUC, the Clean Energy Development Community, and the senate all support this report, and we ask for the body's support. The
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: question is, shall the house adopt the report of the committee of conference on its part? 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 and the report of the committee of conference is adopted. Members, will the house please stand at ease and can I see leadership at the podium, please? The house of dented East. Will the House please come to order and members kindly take their seats. Will the House please come to order? Members after conferring with house leadership and with the senate, we don't anticipate anything coming back over to us tonight. So we will be adjourning and coming back tomorrow. So that completes the orders of the day. Are there any announcements? Member from will the house please come to order? Member from Barrytown?
[Representative Gina Galfetti]: Bigger? There it goes. I don't always sit in on the Democratic caucus, but when I do, I find myself reflecting on the camaraderie in that caucus and seeing something really cool happening there. And today, we found out that you are not running again, madam speaker. And I just wanted to say we will miss you and thank you for your service.
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Thank you. Member from Berkshire.
[Representative Lisa Hango]: On behalf of senator Clarkson, I told her I would invite everybody to please go into the Cedar Creek Room and watch the slideshow, the end of the year legislative slideshow. It's worth a watch. Thank you.
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Fairfield?
[Representative James Gregoire]: Thank you, madam speaker. I won't be as nefarious as my friend from Barrytown, but I was I won't be here tomorrow because I have to go away for business And I wanted to be able to say to you in person that I was saddened by your announcement. I know I will miss you, but I wish you nothing but the best and you guys don't have to stand up again. But thank you so much everything you've done for us. You've been a great leader.
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Thank you member. Are there any further announcements? Member from Middlebury?
[Representative Patricia McCoy]: Madam speaker, I ask the body to wish the I think the senior member from Randolph a very happy birthday.
[Representative Jill Krowinski (Speaker of the House)]: Happy birthday member. Are there any further announcements? Seeing none. Member from Pulte, can you please offer us a motion to adjourn until Friday, 05/29/2026 at 10AM?
[Representative Patricia McCoy]: Madam speaker, I make a motion this body stand and adjournment until Friday, 05/29/2026 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. Aye. The ayes appear to have it, the ayes do have it and this body stands in adjournment till tomorrow at 10AM.