Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Good morning, this is the House Appropriations Committee. It's Thursday, 05/07/2026. It is just after 10:45, and we are here to hear a bill, S2403. What do I have? The S243, which is an act relating to distributing funds for the Language Justice Project. And so this came from the Senate, and then went to House Human Services, and now we have it. So Rey welcome. Introduce yourself and tell us why we're here.

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: Hello, everyone. Good morning. Rey Garofano. I represent Essex And Essex Junction, Vice Chair of Human Services. Thank you for hearing about this great bill. So we got this from the Senate, as the chair mentioned. And it's a bill about this unbelievable organization that we have in Vermont that does this very unique thing that nobody else in the country does. So the organization is a Vermont Language Justice Project. And they have the capacity and the ability to translate and make short videos about public health or other emergencies in various different languages that are spoken in Vermont. And they have demonstrated that they can have a twenty four hour turnaround, which I think we were all free in a public health emergency or a natural disaster, is really critical for folks who don't speak the language and can't access the information that comes through the various state agencies in English. This organization had been getting a lot of funding through the health department through a CDC grant that ended recently about a year ago. And since then, they haven't been getting requests to make a lot of these videos. So when we got the bill from the Senate, it had an appropriation of $150,000 to go to the health department so they can contract with this organization to make these videos when needed. And as we got it, we started doing some investigation and realized that there is we, the body, we appropriated some funding a few years ago to the Office of Racial Equity for purposes such as this, for translation services to get information, public health information, out to communities in Vermont. So we realized maybe we don't need to spend any extra money because there's already money there at the Office of Racial Equity. And we heard testimony from the Office of Racial Equity and the Department of Emergency Management that part of the challenge is that the Vermont Language Justice Project is not part on the list of approved state contractors currently, which means that any time they would need to be used, they would have to go through an RFP process to be able to hire. So we determined that the best course would be to take out the appropriation and really instruct the two state agencies, the Office of Racial Equity, who holds the funding, and the Office of Emergency Management that does a lot of these contracts, and BGS, to assist the Vermont Language Justice Project to actually become an approved state contractor so then they can be accessed immediately in such emergencies. So that's the version that we passed out. And it was one of those things that I think had we had some time and capacity maybe on the Senate side and I know that they have a lot going on but maybe some conversations would have been helpful before drafting a bill to figure out, oh, what can we do? How can we work with the administration to make sure that we're utilizing this really critical service and utilizing funding that we've already appropriated? So that's our version that went out. And we didn't realize we needed to come to you all because we took the money out.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Whatever there. Whatever it will Take it out. We still have to appropriate it. Yes. Yes. So that's why we have to imagine the gist of it.

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: And our committee was very supportive. And it is really an important organization, and they do really critical work. So we want to ensure that Vermonters who don't speak English have access to this really important information in those times of

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: If there's a flood or there's some emergency, you can't wait to do an RFP and get a contract. Floods now. Yeah. Okay, great. So that's the bill. Any questions from anybody in the committee? Lynn? Do you have any numbers on

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: the house who have taken advantage of this over the years?

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: So I can tell you that they have this here somewhere, hold on. I don't have the number of people, but So they work Oh, 200 They have produced over two fifty unique public service videos in as many as 18 to 22 languages. And one piece of information that we found fascinating is we heard from Hunger Free Vermont that also helps push out some of these videos out to their network, that because they make these videos in English and all these other languages, the data shows that the English language videos are actually accessed the most, which is really telling that even the monitors who speak English are really benefiting from this service. And because I think the videos are really easily accessible and digestible and done in a plain way where people can really understand the content rather than some of the more public health announcements that come out. So

[Unidentified Committee Member]: when they make their videos, do they do them captions in both English and whatever language that they're trying to do. Because my thinking is, you know, we watch TV with captions all the time, right? So I would think this would be a good opportunity to help them learn English if they saw the similar kinds of warnings in English someplace that they would recognize and be able to read them.

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: Yeah, and I don't know the answer to that specific question. Happy to follow-up and happy to give that feedback to them if they don't already do it.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Yeah, I just looked at

[Rep. Tiffany Bluemle]: them up because I'm very familiar with this project. And so just an answer to your question, Lynn. So this was published in 2025 in January. They've had 300,000 plus views and have 2,000 plus subscribers and there are 180 plus service providers that are on their list get it and then disseminate the messages. And this was, I know the director, she's a constituent she did initial videos during COVID and they were essential. There was nothing. We were so unprepared to provide information to folks who didn't speak English, at least in certain communities. So, it is very broadly and it's WhatsApp, it's really what they use. That's where people are getting their information. So anyway.

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: I think another really cool thing, sorry to interrupt, is that the director of the organization, the founder, is a filmmaker. So she's really able to that's her background. And the fact that they have this very quick turnaround. And then also other states, because they're the only ones in the country that are doing this work, other states are now reaching out and contracting with them to do some

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: of this work on their behalf. Yeah, it's a we're It's an economic development going on, too. Great. Mike, did you have a question or comment?

[Rep. Trevor Squirrell (Clerk)]: Just a little piece of information that more than 31,000 Vermont residents speak a language other than English, and this is AI here giving us this Oh, you're tramming, Wayne. Presidents indicated they do not speak English very well and I would suggest that in an emergency, people who don't speak English very well can use this help.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Right, when you're stressed you go back to whatever your natural native language is. Which is the most

[Rep. Trevor Squirrell (Clerk)]: common second language?

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: I

[Unidentified Committee Member]: learned a lot of bad words on this.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Would be related. Any other questions for Rachel? Before

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: COVID or was something that happened afterwards?

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: I believe she started during COVID, if Yeah, she the idea to do this

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: because I remember in Wanuske,

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: there was a whole cluster of COVID cases with people who were non English speakers.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Because they didn't know what was happening. Yeah. They've

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: been collaborating through since COVID very closely with the Office of Racial Equity to kind of identify where the needs and the gaps have been, and again, have been really instrumental in getting the information out to the affected populations.

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: I'm just wondering, is that why it was in the

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Department of Health? Because of COVID. COVID. That's where it started at, Yeah. And that's why now emergency management, because now we have flooding. Other emergencies. Other emergencies that aren't just health. Yeah, that makes sense. Great. Well, I know we have Katie coming, and we can have Nolan go next. Katie and Ray, thank you for coming down, and thank you. On

[Unidentified Committee Member]: the record, you're

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: on the record.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: We're on the record, and Katie just walked through the door, but maybe you should still go first, so Katie has a chance to take two breaths before we start. We're doing it a little bit out of order, but it all works out fine.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: For the record, Noel Langwell joins fiscal office. Before I go to the fiscal note, I just want to pull up the language real quick and highlight it. I don't want to steal his case thunder, but the section one is just defining. The section two, as representative Garikhon talked about how the bill went on half to send a $150,000 appropriation. They stripped out the appropriation, and then they add language saying shall contract. Office racial equity in consultation with our public service shall contract the Vermont Language Project to fair informational materials, etcetera, etcetera. What it does is it it's a contract, but it doesn't say with what money, where the money coming from, etcetera. So we'll have some recommendations on how to clean that up a little bit. In the findings, they talk about how there was some money that was appropriated in fiscal year twenty twenty four budget that included a one time general fund appropriation of 2,300,000 to the AOA, which by the way, is what houses the Office of Racial Equity, to create and implement and oversee a comprehensive statewide language access plan. And then we know as of January 26, the report on the general fund carry forward reversions, it had showed that they had roughly $2,000,000 remaining at that time. Grady had reached out to them recently as they had about another, they still had about 1,700,000, but it didn't take into consideration any other invoices that would be outstanding. That said, the thing I just want to say is that the money exists. There is money to cover this appropriation out of that carryforward. But the language currently doesn't make clear that that's where the money could pay for this would come. So Katie will talk to you about some remedies for that.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Okay, and you'll stick around if we have other questions. Yeah. Great.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: And there is a fiscal note, but I just said everything that I just, it's in this.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Right, thank you.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: Dollar amounts haven't changed. Dollar amounts haven't changed, and I just feel like we

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: have ways to get it. It doesn't involve the general fund.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: So we're happy about that. Correct.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Thank you, Nolan. Okay, we got your second. We want to look at draft 2.1 for the amendment, which should be posted on our website. So, review 2.1, not one point. Welcome, Katie. Running around. I hope we'll get a little break after this. We'll keep you to lunch.

[Katie (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: You're all keeping me on my toes. Okay. I'm logging into Zoom, and then I'll share this.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Okay. That'd be great.

[Katie (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: Here is draft 2.1, the House of Clips amendment. It's instances of amendment, which I know can be frustrating if you don't have both documents open side by side, so I apologize for that. First, in section two of the underlying Human Services report, there is lead in language that in fiscal year twenty twenty seven, the Office of Racial Equity in consultation with the Department of Public Safety's Division of Emergency Management shall contract with the Vermont Language Justice Project. The proposal in the first instance of amendment is just to swap out Department of Health instead of Office of Racial Equity. Contracting is happening by the Department of Health. The second instance of amendment is adding two new sections of the bill. The first section is a reversion, and I'm guessing you and Nolan probably know a lot more about this reversion than I do. But this is a 150,000, and it looks like you're moving it so you can use it elsewhere. And then section four is the appropriation itself. In fiscal year '27, a 150,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Health for a grant to the Vermont Language Justice Project to prepare information materials for Vermonters who speak other than English in the event of a disease outbreak, natural disaster, other public health emergency. And then on page two of that line that we're renumbering the remaining sections. We don't want to forget about that or lose that one.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: That's right. So what happens is, just to remind everybody, there's carryforward in the Office of Racial Equity. So it's a two step process. The first is we have to revert the money, that's the correct term, to the general fund. And then we appropriate that money that's in the general fund to Department of Health for this particular grant. So that's the two step process.

[Unidentified Committee Member]: I'm loving

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: it. Showing fiscal is So any questions on how that works? Anything, Nolan, that we've missed here? So we added, yeah, we had the original first amendment didn't have Department of Health. Oh, here's my We'll see.

[Unidentified Committee Member]: That number is the DEP ID?

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Yes, the language access plan and they have about 1,800,000 in that.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: Had about 1,800,000 at the last time we checked but we don't know about any outstanding employees.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Okay, right. But if they had 1.8, probably they're still 100.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: Yeah, we think there's going to be sufficient funds.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Okay. So this would normally be yours, or you've missed the whole thing. So we can talk afterwards about whether you want somebody else to do it or you want to do it. Is What we're doing is the $150,000 is We're being reverting the money, some of the money that carry forward in the Office of Racial Equity to the general fund, and then appropriating that 150 to the Department of Health for the grant to do the work. So it's a two step process, because we're reverting money. Right. And how

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: do we technically do that now if

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: we pass the budget? Doesn't matter, budget doesn't matter. This is outside of the cycle. Mean, I know it's the same money. No, no, the carry forward, it isn't in the budget because it's carried forward in the office of racial equity. So the budget isn't affected by it at all.

[Rep. Rey Garofano (Vice Chair, House Human Services)]: It's all in terms I know that's what we're doing.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: Right, but there's no budget impact. So that's good news.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Yes. Lynn? Okay, I'm confused.

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: It was in the Department of Health. Then I went to the Office of Racial Equality under the A of And now it's going back to the Department of Health. So,

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: Brother Nolan, I want to direct this thought. Carryforward is in the office, it's in the AOA. The Office of Racial Equity is housed in the AOA. So it wasn't, the carryforward is there. The underlying bill talked about the office of racial equity initially. There's some changes to the health department to do this work. That's where a lot of the work is done. And the money would revert the money back and then appropriate that money to the health department. So taking it from the AOA, carry it over and putting it to the health department. And the other part is just cleanup. Right.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: And it's appropriate to be doing this because the money that was in the carry forward was exactly for these kinds of things. But now this is the right department to see it through.

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: So the Department of Health will be

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: the ones that will do the contracting now. Yes. ORE is simply allowing us to transfer 150,000 out of their carry pool, which we normally use with S. There's no work that they have to do at all on their end.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: And to clarify your point, it's a carrier board that's specific to the AOA's language access project.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Right. So it was for the same kinds of purposes.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: Same kinds of purposes, just didn't have this split within them.

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: So will the language access project now go back to the department or go to the department?

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: They'll continue to have that we're just taking money out of the carry board from them for this particular thing but the language access project will remain right not moving that project just making some of the carry forward from that for this

[Unidentified Committee Member]: okay got it thank you So they didn't spend all their money and some was carried forward.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: We gave it to them to be used over a period of years. And there's some federal compliance and things that had to be done, so we gave the money

[Unidentified Committee Member]: The original intent

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: was to carry forward. Yes, yes, that was the intent. Nothing surprising about that. I would have been surprised if there wasn't any money left. That's what I would have been surprised about.

[Katie (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: I'm sorry, I'm being You have to call the next.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: So I don't I think we have what we need from you, Katie. Anybody have any more other questions? Are you good already on this? No, I have reviewed it. All right. Thank you. So I would entertain a motion. We're on the amendment first. We have the two votes to approve our committee amendment draft 2.1. That's two forty three. John? Move. Dave? Move. You guys can meet next time.

[Nolan Langfeldt (Joint Fiscal Office)]: John Wayne. We've

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: different pairings.

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: Okay, so if the clerk is ready, let's call roll on the amendment.

[Rep. Trevor Squirrell (Clerk)]: Representative Bluemle? Yes. Representative Dickinson? Yes. Representative Feltus?

[Rep. Martha Feltus (Vice Chair)]: Yes. Representative Laroche? Yes. Representative Laroche? Yes.

[Rep. Trevor Squirrell (Clerk)]: Michael? Yes. Representative Squirrell, yes. Representative Steven? Yes. Representative Yacovone? Yes.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: And representative? Yes. 11005, you got that. And then I'll entertain a motion to pass S-two 43 out.

[Rep. Trevor Squirrell (Clerk)]: Have to pass the Senate and amend it by House Human Services and further amended by House Appropriations. Second. Yes. So moved. Thank you, Lynn. Second? Yes.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Okay. Any further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, the board can call the roll, please.

[Rep. Trevor Squirrell (Clerk)]: Representative Mike Rose? Yes. Mr. Squirrell, yes. Representative Steven?

[Rep. Thomas Stevens]: Yes. President Yacovone? Yes. Yes. Thank

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: you, Nolan. Warren, are you

[Warren (Committee Staff)]: comfortable with recording? You're Okay, so we'll

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: have Marty do it. Thank you for being

[Rep. Eileen “Lynn” Dickinson]: That's true.

[Unidentified Committee Member]: Didn't we're sure

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: we were going get back on the phone. Somebody's actually voted to do it. Okay, So, Thank you very much. We've passed the bill. I don't know. We will have more bills coming, but I don't know when. We don't have anything being referred to see if there's checking today's calendar. I haven't heard about anything being pulled off notice. The optometry bill is coming eventually? Yes, S-sixty 4, I believe, is going to come Oh, that might be pulled off the menu. The menu of bills. I don't know. Guess I'm trying to remember from Betsy Mowen. Me just check on the clerk. Not seeing anything being pulled off the notice calendar at the moment. I was under the impression that that was going to come to us, but maybe they're just not pulling it off the notice calendar. It might just be on the calendar and then it comes to us, but I think it may be coming to us. And there'll be some others, the CTE bill is still going around, that's in house, I think it's still in house ed, and that would go to ways and means and eventually come to us. I think it's S-three 13 is the number of the CTE bill. It came out of commerce last week. And there'll be others scattered. We'll just see where they are all there. But committees, I think, have been told to really, like, by next Tuesday, they ought to be getting all their bills out so they can make their way through the other committees so we can

[Unidentified Committee Member]: So you don't have to say Don't answer.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Well, we won't in this committee. I mean, even if we do, it's going to be pretty quick. We can the floor will. The floor might, but it's not going to be like the bills we had before crossover.

[Unidentified Committee Member]: It won't be a dump like that.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: No. No. And but I think we can manage four bills a day if we have to, and they'll be pretty quick. As soon as I know anything, I'll let you know. But I don't have anything on the docket anymore unless anybody enjoyed this phone. No?

[Rep. Trevor Squirrell (Clerk)]: I'm sure there will be more. There will be don't you answered know any yes.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Yeah, right. Right. So dribs and drabs, we'll find out. So that's what we have for today. We're on the floor for quite a while, looks like, according to our clerk. She has us there till 05:30. We'll see. And tomorrow's Friday, and I think we don't have anything else for tomorrow. So this is it for the week. But I have asked some of you to do some deeper dives and do a few things that we're seeing in the budget. So do read those. Committee members want to look at the greetings Christmas tree, the green and red language, which shows all the differences,

[Warren (Committee Staff)]: I don't have it in front of

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: me, the materials that we have in our community conference book, where would we find, did you send those out to everybody yesterday? Yeah, I just

[Warren (Committee Staff)]: filled an email, they're all posted on our community page, either under just three page gate or if you go through all the budget documents or under committee of conference.

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: So you can take a look at those. So if you want to look at any of the spreadsheets or the green and red sheet I'm talking about, the red side is the house and the green side is the senate and the language part. Brady does this amazing job of creating this big sheet of all the changes that are here and there what's struck and all of that. That's easier than trying to look at two bills. Easy that for us. So thank you, Greed. So that's what I've got. And we'll all be around. The community of conferences at this point, not scheduled this week. We'll schedule a time next week. And as soon as we've figured that out, we'll let you all know.

[Unidentified Committee Member]: Yeah. Would the capital bill come about same time?

[Rep. Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Yes. The capital bill let's see. So the t bill got passed out of Senate appropriations today, the transportation bill. Capital bill will probably be next week. And that's going to tie into the budget, too, so that there would be things changed as we need to for that as well. I don't think there were huge changes, but I think there were some changes that need they're gonna have a committee of conference, is what I heard from chair edits. Those are gonna have to mesh. Yeah. So that's why we have joined fiscal figure out the Southwest.