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[Theresa Wood (Chair)]: If we could a little bit in terms of just the quick changes from the senate. So, Katie, could you join us? Yeah. Sorry. Lots of drops. I realize you've gone through this with us already, but we just want to make sure. And we had a couple members who weren't here at that point. So if we can just go through the changes quickly, that would be great.
[Keaton McGill, Office of Legislative Counsel]: Yeah. You know what I have is I have a section by section summary. Let me pull that up. And it has the changes from House Senate Health and Welfare and Senate Approach in red. Maybe that's a faster
[Theresa Wood (Chair)]: That sounds way to see That sounds a great document that I can use on the floor. You are welcome.
[Keaton McGill, Office of Legislative Counsel]: We live? Yeah, we are. Thank you. Keaton McGill, Office of Legislative Counsel. Let me pull up this document. Okay. So this is a section by section summary. Everything in black is language that came over from the house to the senate. And then I updated this document using red to indicate where Senate Health and Welfare Senate appropes had made a change. So first in the legislative intent, there's language, a continuum of supports and services be available and administered flexibly in a manner to provide a pathway to permanent housing, meet the specific needs of a household experiencing homelessness, and support community partners. No changes in the purpose section, and that brings us to the new chapter. No changes in definitions. Here we are in 2202. This is establishing the continuum. There's new language added that all funding opportunities available under the program are open to any equity or to any entity or community partner, including those that did not previously receive funding. Under program components, the permanent supportive housing is no longer level four, meaning that hotels and motels bumps up permanent And then permanent supportive housing drops down to be its new own section outside of the levels. Some rewording to specify that instead of placing or providing a service, there's the offer to place or provide the service, and you're seeing that here. And this last bullet, once assessed, OEO or community partners shall offer to place a household in the appropriate level of care to address the household's specific needs if capacity, staffing, and geographic accessibility are available. That was pulled from elsewhere in the bill and repeated here. Prevention and diversion shelter. Again, that offer to language. Full barrier shelters, specialized shelters, the use of offer right here. B numbering hotels and motels to be level four. And then a stand alone section on permanent supportive housing. It borrowed a lot of language that had been in your level four, and it moves a little bit of language from elsewhere in the bill. So now it has language that a s departments and their community partners shall offer permanent supportive housing to an eligible household participating in the program. It combines long term community based rental assistance with voluntary flexible supportive services. Your language. And then last bullet, allows the use of permanent supportive housing by an eligible household as long as the eligible household or as long as the eligible household's plan indicates it's necessary. That was in yours. I think it
[Theresa Wood (Chair)]: moved with it somewhere else. Too. They took it out and then I Put it back in. Put it back in.
[Keaton McGill, Office of Legislative Counsel]: This needs to say four. I'm gonna add that since I know you're using it now. Okay. And then we have other emergency housing services. This was broken into three subsections. The first was municipal support, and they added language authorizes an eligible municipality to submit a grant application to OEO containing the estimated cost of the municipality's proposal and other identified funding sources. In 2210, household responsibilities language that the household qualifies for services if it agrees to engage with the lead case manager.
[Theresa Wood (Chair)]: They took lead, though, didn't they?
[Unidentified Committee Member]: See lead. I see the
[Theresa Wood (Chair)]: Doesn't matter, but I'm pretty sure they took out lead. Yeah,
[Keaton McGill, Office of Legislative Counsel]: think you're right. Case Yeah, I think you're right. Thank you. Prioritization, time limits. Adding language, clarifying what rolling means for the seventy day rolling period for hotel and motel use outside of the cold weather season would be calculated from the date of the eligible household's application through the same day of the month twelve months later. Case management services. A household may request but is not guaranteed a specific case manager or a change in case manager. Some changes to this notice section. For starters, the last three subsections of this section were removed. This first bullet has to do with what is in the notice and how the notice is issued. So the effective date of the action has to be transmitted in a timely manner by email or US mail. And then language that fair hearings held under this section are conducted in accordance with the Human Services Board existing statute. Under rulemaking, this is very general, but if you remember the rulemaking section, there is a list of all different topics that had to be covered in rulemaking. And the Senate added a process for reinstatement after termination. They also made a few maybe smaller word tweaks that weren't picked up in this.
[Unidentified Committee Member]: Can I just ask a very a very technical question? Just to learn. So right above twenty two sixteen, there are two of those section markings. What does that why Oh,
[Keaton McGill, Office of Legislative Counsel]: because there are it's more than one section. Sections. Yeah. It's plural. Okay. That's what I guess. Infections. Let's see. Merger of continuums of care, the grant requirements. This new language specific to fiscal year twenty seven about how the rolling counting happens in fiscal year twenty seven. So in fiscal year twenty seven, an eligible household utilizing GA emergency housing in a hotel or motel during the previous fiscal year shall not be subject to the seventy day limit established in the continuum until the twelve month anniversary of the eligible households fiscal year twenty six application. So May 26 application, that household doesn't become subject to the seventy days in the continuum until May 2027. Transition language, interim oh, emergency rulemaking. Okay. So the emergency rules would take effect on September 1. House version had July 1. So that gives two months for the department to put those rules together. And then there is language that in July and August 2026, DCF administers the continuum by applying GA emergency housing rules approved by LCAR on March 13 for the administration of the act. Again, not a perfect fit, but an interim solution. Next is the adoption of permanent rules, and there's some stakeholder involvement. Prior to filing the permanent rule, DCF must work in collaboration with stakeholders to develop the rule, including at least five stakeholder meetings throughout various regions of the state. And then by next April, submitting draft rules to the policy committees for review and consideration of committee comments. So that is not the committees approving the rules, that's providing feedback to the department. No changes in 10. 11 is the Vermont Rental Assistance Bridge Program. This new language directs AHS to collaborate with the state housing authority to develop a framework for establishing a unified housing voucher program that consolidates voucher assistance currently provided through the agency's departments. And there is a report of findings and recommendations by next January. Requires the state housing authority and AHS departments to incorporate existing rental assistance that is funded by AHS and its departments and designated for Vermonters exiting homelessness into the program and establish eligibility criteria and any prioritization that may be necessary for the use of funds appropriated from the program and the appropriate length of assistance under the section. Language that the program does not provide the full amount of the household's rental payment and shall not be a permanent voucher. Same language about the recipients of home. And then new language that the program is accessible to eligible households served by each AHS department with priority given to those exiting homelessness, but not to the exclusion of other eligible populations. Payment rate structure. Instead of establishing a payment rate structure, proposing one. And then in the second bullet, breaking this into an interim report and a final report. So an interim report by next April, and then the final report by next November. Capped room rates. In terms of the expenditures, some of the numbers have changed. So 500 to the community resource center and then reducing the emergency hotel motel by 500. The senator probes wanted this cross reference, grants to municipalities pursuant to what is in, yeah, in the chapter up above, to be clear. And then there was language added that requires quarterly reports from OEO describing how the funds have been utilized to date. Those are the changes that came over from the senate. Quarterly reports to the legislature? Say that again. I'm sorry. Quarterly reports to the legislature? Yes. Let me double check, but I believe so. On or before 10/01/2026, 01/01/2027, 04/01/2027, the office shall submit a written report to the various policy committees and appropriations committees describing how the funds referenced have been utilized to date, etcetera.
[Theresa Wood (Chair)]: Great. Thank you. Are there any questions? This is pretty much the same review we had a little while ago. There was slight modification from the Appropriations Committee downstairs. Okay. I would entertain. Oh, no, I don't need official motions. For all of those people who are in favor of concurring with the Senate's proposal amendment to House Bill H. Nine thirty eight, please raise your hands. And Eric has also indicated his concurrence. That's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Okay, thank you so much, Katie. Thank you. Was a long, book for couple years of work on this system. Do you ask Anne? She's resting downstairs. I'll stick my head in and see if she wants