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[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Good afternoon. Welcome to the Senate Committee on Government Operations Committee meeting of Thursday, 03/19/2026. And we have one item up for consideration today, h seven sixty two. Somehow it's gained a numeric identification in the last twenty four hours because we could only speak about it in general terms before, but we now have possession of the bill. And I'd like to welcome in my counterpart from the house chamber, Matt Vyhovsky, who will didn't realize it was a oh, good. It's only a toupee. Okay. Oh, yes. Walk us through what what this does.
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: Yes. For the record, representative Matt Byron, chair of house member and operations in the late Harry Affairs. But before we get started, mister chair, I came very yes. We have a surplus of pastries Oh. Up in the committee. So I brought a little snack bag for everyone. I was at a community meeting the other day, and I complimented this lovely old lady on the filling to dough ratio. Next thing I know, I'm walking out with a freezer bag. So I felt like I would share some of those
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Technical.
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: Delectable bites with you folks. Yep. So, mister chair Yeah. We're familiar with as you and I both sit as co chairs of the current committee, familiar with this concept and structure due to some turnover from the last election cycle and other committee assignments. Action on the current committee has kind of stalled out a little bit.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: So
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: there was a report delivered by the credit committee that's currently formed. The report recommended that it be extended for a duration of time. I believe the report suggested one year. Mhmm. So that's how the bill was introduced. We, up in house gov ops, decided to actually take it out of two years because it's such a large scope of work, but that we wanted it to still have continuity should there be a continuation of work from the subcommittee after this new report deadline is achieved. As for changes to the current structure within it, we added some legislative intent. I do wanna make note that I worked with Senator Harrison on this bill and the language, because she was one of the most engaged returning members from the original committee structure. So, I mean, that's kind of the nuts and bolts of it. We did some I've added a little bit of clarification We believe. Within the charges and duties the legislative intent, the dates, as I spoke to, and we got a delivery date of 12/15/2026 on the next report. We did change it to a traditional committee structure for assignment of the chair as to be elected by the committee Mhmm. Where the previous one was in statute that it was the chairs of the committee's jurisdiction. I think that's the nuts and bolts.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Okay. Can you remind the committee, the members of the, from the house that are on this now?
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: Oh, that would be myself. Yeah. Rep Harris Duncan and representative And
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: just for purposes of verification on this side, senate side, it's myself, senator Harrison, and senator Norris. Correct.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Okay. Does anyone have a question for representative firearm? Senator White? How did it go on the floor? Smooth. How
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: about it? I mean, was a it was a voice mail. There was a couple of, like, nos, but I think the sentiment was the not really understanding what we were trying to achieve.
[Legislative Counsel (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: There was more just, like, more government bad.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Okay. Yeah.
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: Yeah.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: It wasn't like this specific charge of I have an issue with there weren't there wasn't a concerted collection of disagreers on a certain point. It was just a joke. Okay.
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: I think it was a general sentiment without knowing what was really within the meat of the matter. So I think it was more philosophical than, like, nuance or policy. Okay. I no debate. No question.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Okay. Great. Okay. That that is I would describe that as smooth sailing. Yes. Any other questions? Because I know I'm gonna get to the floor. Okay.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: As always, thank you, and a pleasure to see you. Hey. Quick and easy. See each
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: other Tuesday. I will be released then. Thank you. I will leave you in the keep over my hands of mister. Yeah.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Thank you, everyone. Sorry about the delay. No worries. That is something over which I have. Thank you
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: for the truth. Yes. They were debating the right to garden upstairs. Upstairs. So yes.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Pro gardening.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Thanks, pal.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Pro gardening.
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: I will head back. So am I, but it
[Legislative Counsel (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: was an interesting Bill, like, to, like, hear the nuance too.
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: Yeah. Yeah. Anyway. Be well. You.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Afternoon, Congress. You. How are you?
[Legislative Counsel (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: I'm doing well, thanks. For the record, to the Metropolitan Legislative Council. So,
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: see,
[Legislative Counsel (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: the committee should have, not only the bill, as you're hearing, passed by the House, which is seven six two, and I have the and regional government study committees. I've also provided the committee with series of other documents, which is confront essentially provide historical context. I have an overview of this bill, which is overview of this bill and the bill it's modifying, Act one eighteen from 2024. I have, let's see, the confirmed report as issued by the summer committee, and also just an introductory memo for how county governance works in general. I really won't be addressing any of those unless the committee would like me to. I'd be happy to just either walk through the bill or I can work on the overview. It's really up to what committee about this morning.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Feel pretty good about the bill, but if you want to do a section by section, I'm gonna
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: see too many.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Any specific questions for attorney general? Basically I'm sorry. Go ahead. No. I mean, I the one kind of general question I have, and I could have asked Matt this as well, but since there was a change of chairship that kind of changed how involved the committee was, are there any pieces in this field that would perhaps prevent that kind of, like, continuity drop? It's all the same layers of committee. So if chairs change, then what was there any resolution to that concept?
[Legislative Counsel (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: Well, I think one of the reasons for extension was loss of continuity for the chair change and the membership change that you just referenced. There's another election coming. It's feasible that the composition will change again. Can't really predict that much, but we do have the report that was issued, had a lot of information that the committee absorbed up to the point of releasing this report, which was, let's see, 11/05/2025, so some are releasing, but it includes lists of, if these can be found in the appendices, enabling authority, but lists of witnesses, as well as hyperlinks to presentations, materials, the committee web page is all still active. So these materials can be pulled down, hopefully digested by whoever may be on the committee in the future. I would hope that at least some of the committee members will return, and hopefully there'll be some transmission of knowledge that way. But suffice it to say that all the materials that were reviewed by the last iteration of the committee have been archived and are readily available, what would be legal memorandum, various factual presentations from, let's see, other kind of county governments or NCAE, that sort of service, etcetera, etcetera, and, yeah, oh, and I should just note that the committee itself didn't really form substantive recommendations. The recommendations were more people were to extend the committee for the most part, so it'll be up to the new composition, to whatever degree that does change, of the committee to really kind of actually execute the charge.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Okay. I can't think of a way that you could prevent that situation from happening again without having it be maybe you could be a legislative member if you weren't Oh. You know, like, if you weren't reelected, but I I don't wanna make any grave changes to it. But I do think yeah. It sounds like the documentation will still be there. You've still got all your memos. Like, it could be picked up if everyone if the whole house were to change over, you could still have the same. Okay. Well, thank you. That was my one broad question.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Did you have a question, did you have a Senator Vyhovsky?
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Senator Wyatt kind of got to my concern. Okay. So I don't need to beat that dead horse. Beat that pony. I like that better.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: Okay, thank you, Chittenden. You're welcome. I don't think we'll need to see you again this week, but I could be incorrect and Did you say take the
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Yes. For her? No.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: We have the technical corrections bill, which doesn't have a note yet. And then the town of Bennington charter changes tomorrow. That's it. So this has been a pretty late week given the fact that, you know, it's all working. And don't forget, tomorrow was the deadline for the money committees to have their work completed. I asked this morning, I didn't get a very clear answer, but I probably asked the wrong person to get out of John Morley III, If, like, an approves or a finance committee is still deliberating tomorrow afternoon on a bill, and they don't get to a conclusion, does that mean that bill is done?
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Yes.
[Rep. Matt Birong (Chair, House Government Operations & Military Affairs)]: It Or
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: does it mean that they could come to the Rules Committee in the Senate
[Legislative Counsel (Office of Legislative Counsel)]: and ask for a I
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: think we can always go to the Rules Committee then ask a sliver question, yeah.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: But I thought, as long as it got passed out by the committee of jurisdiction.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: Yeah.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: For the first deadline, but the second deadline is supposedly, and I don't have the calendar with me, but it reads something like money committees have an extra week, they must have left the money committee by tomorrow's date. Yeah. Okay. But I could be incorrect. Anyway, the only thing left we have, I think, this week, and I don't know where this bill is right now, is that cemetery bill Oh, yeah. February. I think it's still in finance, and since it wasn't on notice today, it won't be taken up until Tuesday unless you wanna call it off notice calendar, but I I don't see any need to do that. I don't think there was anything else that we were going to well, the extension or the expansion of the survivor benefit bill will be up tomorrow. And it's gonna be most people will be reporting on that. And I don't know what else there was a lot of notice today.
[Sen. Thomas Chittenden]: There was a lot of notice.
[Sen. Brian Collamore (Chair)]: We're at eleven tomorrow too, not 11:30, which is normally what we do on Fridays. It'll give us a little bit of a head start. Okay. Well, guess what? Got the rest of the afternoon off. Let's start off in time, unless somebody else has