Dear Constituents -

This week in the Statehouse was all about S.325, the repeal of many of the provisions of Act 181 that rural Vermonters so clearly spoke in opposition of. S.325 was on the House Floor on Wednesday and Thursday, and we debated into the evening to amend and pass this bill. The amendments to S.325 reflected the desire to keep the spirit of compromise from the Senate alive and to strengthen the provisions of the bill so all small communities across Vermont can engage in housing development if they choose to do so. My colleagues who voted against these amendments yet decry the lack of affordable housing in our state must take a long, hard look at the economic realities that we face: declining enrollment in our schools, lack of employees for the few businesses that remain in rural areas, demise of farms and forest products producers, and migration of young people out of state to find employment and a more affordable way of life that doesn’t involve long commutes to school, work, the grocery store, or to seek medical care. Without adequate housing, there is no remedy for these realities. The amendments (and their outcomes) were as follows: (Failed) Burditt Amendment – to allow Tier 1B towns without appropriate staff to contract for staff;  (Passed) Burtt Amendment #1 – definition change to smart-growth principles that strengthen agriculture and forestry industry use while supporting on-farm housing; (Passed) Burtt Amendment #2 — exempting accessory on-farm businesses from Act 250 review; (Failed) Charlton Amendment — all communities, including small and mid-sized communities, have been given housing targets; it will take much time for those units to be built out, so the ask was to extend the allowable timeframe through the end of 2030;  (Failed) Dobrovich Amendment #1 — extending interim Act 250 exemptions for towns lacking zoning and allowing the approximately 60 communities across the state to go forward with individual projects by a vote of their Selectboard; (Failed) Dobrovich Amendment #2 — attempting to get the same result as the aforementioned amendment with slightly different language to assist towns lacking zoning; (Declared non-germane) Higley Amendment — allowing the use of land enrolled in Current Use (Use Value Appraisal Program) to be counted towards State conservation goals of 30x30 and 50x50 (30% of Vermont’s land to be conserved by 2030 and 50% by 2050) that is required by Act 59 of 2023, yet another bill passed over objections during the time of the supermajority.

S.325 eventually passed with two of the seven proposed amendments, and that would not have been possible without legislators hearing loudly and clearly from the many constituents and Selectboards who reached out with their concerns. Roll calls on most of those amendments and the bill for second reading can be found in the House Journal from May 6 on the Vermont General Assembly website https://legislature.vermont.gov/

It is an honor to serve as your Representative.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

Our Statehouse week began with a ceremonial reading of a House Concurrent Resolution congratulating the 2026 Richford Rockets basketball team on their D-IV championship win.  The team and their coaches traveled to Montpelier to be present for the reading, offered by their local Senators and Representatives. It is always a pleasure to receive visits from school groups and their chaperones at the Statehouse. I will take this opportunity to remind readers that the Governor has an open-door coffee hour each Thursday morning at 8am, and the Lt Governor also offers a similar opportunity for the public to engage with administration officials at these scheduled times:  https://ltgov.vermont.gov/coffeewithconstituents. More information on connecting with the Governor’s Office can be found at: https://governor.vermont.gov/contact-us-requests.

Our work on the House Floor reflects the time that we are spending in Committee reviewing bills passed before crossover and amended by the other Chamber. A full listing of each bill passed can be found on the General Assembly website in each day’s House and Senate Journals.

The Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, of which I am Vice-Chair, passed S.298 (VT Voting Rights) and is currently continuing to hear testimony on: S.206 (Early Childhood Educator licensure), S.278 (cannabis), and the sections of S.323 (miscellaneous agriculture subjects) pertaining to hemp. It’s important to note that if one types a bill number into the bill tracker on the General Assembly website, the most recent draft of the bill isn’t what pops up as a result.  It takes some digging to find that on the webpage of the committee that has possession of the bill.  Drafts can vary widely in content from one version to the next, especially as we approach the end of the session.

The Rural Caucus this week heard presentations on a Medicare-related issue affecting Critical Access Hospitals (which NMC is not designated as).  We continue to discuss updates to S.325, which is the vehicle for repeal of Act 181’s Road Rule and Tier 2 and 3 language.  The House Environment Committee is closing in on passing out that bill, so to find the latest version, please see their webpage. There is also a great deal of talk in general about land conservation, particularly with respect to including land in the Current Use Program as part of the calculation.

Communication is a key ingredient in the democratic process, and I welcome your questions and concerns as I continue to represent my constituents in the Statehouse. Please feel welcome to reach out to me at [email protected] and to learn more about my work at www.hangoforhouse.com

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Berkshire (Franklin-5)

Dear Constituents –

In the Statehouse this week, committees continue to dive into bills returned to them by the other Chamber, vetting changes and taking testimony on potential amendments on issues that have come to light during the legislative process. In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, on which I serve as Vice Chair, we spent much of our time on the following bills: S.206 (Early Childhood Educator licensure by OPR); S.298 Vermont Voting Rights (VT Voter Protections), and a few municipal charters.

On the House Floor, among the bills that we voted on favorably are: S.89 (expanding survivor benefits to certified  law enforcement officers, certain Department of Corrections employees, classified family services employees in DCF, and classified medical employees of State-operated therapeutic community residences or inpatient psychiatric hospital units); S.157 (recovery residence certification); S.239 (Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Working Group); S.255 (establishing a pilot Law Enforcement Governance Council in Windham County.

This is the time of year when we are starting to get a look at what the other Chamber is doing with important (must-pass) bills like the budget, yield bill, Capital bill, and T bill. The first of those to be hitting the Senate Floor appears to be the budget, aka the Big Bill.  At first glance, Senate Appropriations re-arranged the deck chairs considerably, as there is very limited funding available and many stated needs, which vary widely by Legislator. This is where advocates’ voices make a difference.  Both Appropriations Committees are tasked with taking a set amount of money and trying to shoehorn all of the asks and obligations into that window, which for the foreseeable future, is very narrow. Agencies and organizations were put on notice last Fall that the budget process would be difficult, and it truly has been.  Both money committees have done a commendable job trying to accomplish what they are statutorily required to do, which is balance the budget. Now the action in the building will ramp up, with advocates jockeying for position to speak with committee members, lobbying legislators to speak to their colleagues on their behalf, and crossing their fingers. This bill will likely go to a Committee of Conference, as the two Chambers are not aligned in their priorities.

The Rural Caucus picked up where we left off earlier this session, hearing from education organizations on the H.955 Education Transformation bill. This will be an on-going discussion, alternating next week to healthcare issues, so if any organization wishes to speak to the Caucus, please reach out at [email protected]. Act 181 discussions through the vehicle of S.325 continue to be debated in the House Environment Committee, and all of their committee hearings can be viewed on YouTube by clicking on the link to their webpage on the General Assembly website. 

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Berkshire

Dear Constituents –

Our work at the Statehouse this week was dominated by two big themes: Act 181 and Education Transformation.

On Tuesday, the Speaker of the House released a response to the Rural Caucus’ position on Act 181to repeal the Road Rule and Tier 3 mapping.  Vermonters’ voices have been heard, and after an additional day of testimony in the House Environment Committee, the Chair of that committee indicated her support of the same provisions, as well.  It is our expectation that S.325 will go back to the Senate with that repeal language included; however, a vote has not yet been taken as of this writing. Thank you to all of the selectboards and individuals who took the time to reach out to their legislators to assist us in getting to this point.

On Thursday and Friday, the House debated H.955, the Education Transformation bill that doesn’t transform anything. The bill as passed leaves us in much the same place as we were a year ago.  It is much too early to predict how this bill will change in the Senate, but the trajectory in that Chamber is quite different than in the House, with little chance to intersect. The bill will likely go to a Committee of Conference at the end of the session, as the House and the Senate do not appear to be able to work together to pass legislation that is capable of transforming our inequitable and expensive pre-K—12 education system. Once again, Vermonters spoke (in the 2024 elections), and your Franklin County delegation is doing everything possible to ensure that we can afford to deliver an academically excellent and equitable education to our students at a cost we can afford.

The National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus met on Tuesday and heard presentations from: Adjutant General Hank Harder, who gave us an update on our service members who are deployed and how we can support the families waiting for them at home; the US Small Business District Director, who described programs to assist veterans starting small businesses and farms; the Governor’s Veterans Advisory Council to introduce their organization to the Caucus; and an introduction to the Civil Air Patrol in Vermont.

The Rural Caucus heard from the Rural Schools Community Alliance; presenters of some of the rural-school related amendments for the Floor debate; and VT Housing & Finance Agency (VHFA) on their draft rules for the Qualified Application Plan (QAP) that must be filed to be eligible to receive funding to create rental housing. In rural areas, the new draft rules will essentially shut down new housing development, particularly age-appropriate housing for older Vermonters, because of a “siting threshold” that requires all new VHFA construction to be within two miles of services such as a grocery store or a pharmacy.  VHFA realizes that this is not possible for our rural areas, and the Rural Caucus is submitting comments, as you also may do, at [email protected] by APRIL 24.

My email is [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango

Dear Constituents –

The week in the Statehouse was highlighted by more Act 181 reform efforts. The Rural Caucus widely circulated a sign-on letter to the Speaker of the House and the Chair of the House Environment Committee to repeal Tier 3 mapping requirements and the Road Rule, with the hope that the Committee Chair will allow repeal to be written into S325 (currently calling for delays only). The alternative to that process will be to offer floor amendments when the vote of the House is taken. The Senate failed in their attempts to do this, but with 57 legislators signed on, and more asking to sign after the deadline had passed, it is possible that amendments would pass in the House. The Governor and the Lt Governor both support these amendments and have expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Rural Caucus.

Most committees are diving into bills sent to them from the Senate, although Ways & Means is focused on the Education Transformation bill (H955) and an education funding formula. Many have said that we do not have a funding problem but a spending problem, and that holds true when one looks at any federal, state, or local government budget. For various reasons, everyone’s budget has increased faster than their income (or revenue) because expenses are rising and services provided have expanded, and that is an unsustainable trajectory.

The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee continues to take testimony on S.206 (Early Childhood Educator licensure) a few town charter changes, S.298 (a VT Voting Rights bill), and S.255 (a pilot policing project in Windham County). We also had a refresher session the adult-use recreational cannabis market and tax structure to prepare for S278, which is a miscellaneous cannabis bill sent to us from the Senate.

The House Floor was quiet compared to the past few weeks and welcome that we had more time in committee to dive into these issues.

As noted above, the Rural Caucus met, drafted a letter, and solicited signatures on Act 181 reform. We also heard from the Land Use Review Board and SkiVT about specific rules around ski areas and golf courses in proposed Tier 3 areas.

It is an honor to serve in the Legislature. I value the work I am doing on behalf of Vermonters and hope to continue as your Representative in 2027-28. To learn more about that work, please visit www.hangoforhouse.com. I can be reached at [email protected].

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents -

The week of April 1 in the Statehouse was much quieter now that the crossover deadline has passed. Both the annual budget and biennial capital budget passed.

The biggest news not worth celebrating is that the House Education Committee passed out the “Education Transformation Bill” (H.955) on Thursday that isn’t a transformation at all. The bill tasks school districts, with the guidance of paid facilitators, to look at how to combine services within Cooperative Education Service Areas. A great idea, but we already enacted legislation allowing school districts to do that! At the moment, there are far too many unknowns to be enthusiastic about this bill, the voluntary implementation deadlines stretch too far in the future to provide any real relief to struggling taxpayers, and there are too many steps between now and “transformation”, whatever your district votes that it should look like. VT is not much farther ahead than a year ago…

The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee began to take testimony on bills from our Senate counterparts: S.232 (relating to public Libraries and the Dept of Libraries); S.298 (VT Voting Rights Act); S.255 (establishing a pilot Law Enforcement Governance Council in Windham County); S.206 (licensure of Early Childhood Educators).

The Rural Caucus held its previously postponed Rural Listening Session on Wednesday evening.  We heard from 45 Rural Vermonters in-person or online and nearly 30 others provided written testimony. To learn more about the Rural Caucus, visit https://www.vtruralcaucus.com/

Because of the importance and sheer number of individuals who have spoken out on the impact of Act 181, the following is a brief explanation of one troubling provision of that law, and a link to provide public comment on future guidance:

Act 181 of 2024 created a new jurisdictional trigger for Act 250. Beginning July 1, 2026 “the construction of a road or roads and any associated driveways” will trigger the need for an Act 250 permit with few exceptions, when the length of any single road is greater than 800 feet, or the length of all roads and any associated driveways in combination is greater than 2,000 feet. See 10 V.S.A. §6001(3)(A)(xii). Exceptions are provided for municipal, state, utility, farm, and forestry roads and driveways.

 Act 181 also provides that the Land Use Review Board (“Board”) may adopt rules to help guide implementation. The Board has requested that the Legislature delay the effective date to allow for the public outreach and consultation required by rule making. Given the uncertainty of whether or not this delay will be granted and the upcoming July 1st effective date, the Board is working instead to develop guidance. Guidance under development is intended to help clarify exemptions, define what qualifies as pre-existing road, and give definition to the difference between a road and a driveway.

 Draft Road Construction Jurisdiction Guidance is now available here: https://act250.vermont.gov/document/road-construction-jurisdiction-guidance-draft-3-25-26 The Land Use Review Board is holding a 30-day public comment period from March 30 through April 30, 2026 on the draft Road Construction Jurisdiction Guidance document:   Comments may be submitted via email to:  [email protected] 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve Franklin-5.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Berkshire

Dear Constituents -

The pace in the Statehouse this week was long, slow, and steady.  Bill after bill lined the calendar, as we sat for hours listening to floor reports and taking votes. A sampling of those bills passed as of 3/25 can be found here: https://vermontbiz.com/news/2026/march/25/speaker-krowinski-provides-overview-bills-passed-house-crossover-deadline?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=enews%20%7C%20House%20bills%20include%20lower%20drug%20costs%20and%20data%20security%3B%20Burlington%20hears%20from%20mayor%20over%20ICE%20raid&utm_campaign=Enews%203%2F25%2F2026&vgo_ee=PT0EYAH7oSBO035WmetdTOhZwccR%2B8cjokLApcdzuOzX%3AG5K42n8t%2B1QysSP%2FIjWrR%2FW546c0C9%2Fa Nearly double that number were passed as of this writing. For more information on specific bills, type the bill letter and number into the bill tracker on the General Assembly website at https://legislature.vermont.gov/

H.951 (the Budget Big Bill) and H.944 (the Transportation bill), as well as H.949 (the Yield bill) were all voted on the House Floor this week.  Each had some concerning provisions that had to be carefully weighed – is the overall bill worth voting for, even though there are sections that are cause for concern? – For me, the Yield Bill was the bill that rose to the top of my concerns; the Governor recommended buying down the property tax rate with the entire $105M surplus (taxpayers’ hard-earned money), but the majority party voted that down to only use 50% of the surplus and keep the remaining 50% for “future use”. Since we can’t bind the decisions of a future Legislature by our actions, who’s to decide what that “future use” is? My other top concern was the Ways & Means amendment to the T-bill that stripped a provision that 50% of the PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) Special Fund, which is raised by municipalities, would go directly back to towns for their town highway budgets.

I successfully reported H.935, an act relating to Emergency Management, on the House Floor on Friday, which enables nonprofits to enter into an MOU with the Div of Emergency Management for the Ready Response Grant Program to swiftly provide shelf-stable food and bottled water on-site during all-hazards events, ensures that individuals with disabilities have a say in planning emergency response, updates fire statutes, and releases previously appropriated funds to the Dept of Public Safety for continued improvements to statewide call-taking and dispatch technology over a period of three years.

Committee time was limited to hearing amendments to our bills and taking limited testimony on the few new bills coming in slowly from the Senate. With Floor time extending into the evening, our daytime was taken up with writing reports and tracking the progress of the bills we’ve reported out of a very busy Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee.

The Rural Caucus continues to be inundated with requests to submit testimony on the impact of Act 181 on rural Vermonters. A scheduled listening session had to be postponed until April 1 due to the extended Floor time last Wednesday.  After a rally on the Statehouse steps where we heard from Vermonters who are impacted by this law, many in the Rural Caucus are more determined than ever to roll back the Road Rule and Tier 3 mapping set into motion in 2024.

As always, please feel welcome to reach out to me at [email protected] or visit my website www.hangoforhouse.com to learn more about the issues that are important to me.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5 (Berkshire)

Dear Constituents –

The week after crossover in the Legislature is one of “hurry up and wait”. The bills that had to pass out of committees by March 13 moved on to money committees this week. Those discussions were difficult, as the reality is that there are far more funding requests than revenue coming into State coffers. The Appropriations committees have an unenviable job to balance that budget while fulfilling their obligation to protect the most vulnerable, create economic opportunity, and return affordability for Vermonters.

Committee members spent their time writing or hearing amendments to their bills, hearing testimony on new bills that have come over from the Senate, writing floor reports, and determining which bills to take up in the second half of the biennium.

On the House Floor, we debated and passed a large number of bills in two weeks.  As previously reported, many committees didn’t pass bills until the end of last week, so they were stacked up for hours to be heard, debated, and voted on the House Floor. For complete information, one can go to the General Assembly website to read the daily House and Senate Journals.

Most of my time for the past two weeks has been spent drafting H.935, a committee bill on Emergency Management, which can be found on the House Government Operations & Military Affairs webpage, that we built over two months, including requests brought to us by various agencies and organizations such as the Department of Public Safety, the VT Division of Emergency Management, the VT Foodbank, the VT Language Justice Project, VT Access Network, and the Urban Search and Rescue teams.

The Rural Caucus has heard an outpouring of concern about the implications of implementing Act 181, which has also been reported in this column and on my website, hangoforhouse.com, where I will be posting regular updates from the Land Use Review Board (LURB) on their activities.  You may also go to https://act250.vermont.gov/home for contact information to make public comment, learn about Act 250 and Act 181 as enacted in VT statute, and hear recordings of their public hearings.

S.325 at this writing is the only vehicle available for Act 181 reform; while not going so far as calling for repeal of the egregious “Road Rule” or the Tier 3 mapping process, it does call for implementation delays, and for greater outreach to the public on Act 18’s provisions in general.

Please feel welcome to reach out to me at [email protected] with questions and concerns.  It is an honor to serve in the General Assembly.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5 (Richford, Berkshire, Franklin, Highgate)

FROM THE LURB:

Act 250 Tier 3 Followers,

** February/March 2026 Update **

Feel free to forward this update widely!  Additional updates to follow each month.

Stay Tuned… again.

Work on the next version of the draft Tier 3 rules and mapping continues to take longer than anticipated.  I originally planned to get the next draft out to everyone by January/February.  Apologies for the delay.  Frankly, all the input from Vermonters has been extremely helpful, and it’s important to me that the Board hear the feedback and do the best we can to factor it into our work.

I now expect the next draft to be ready by the end of April.  That means more extensive public engagement will shift to May and June.  A final draft and final public hearings will therefore shift into the summer.  Reminder that Tier 3 jurisdiction begins at the end of 2026 (12/31/26), but see below for more on this.

• For Tier 3 questions and comments, you can reach out to me directly by phone (802-480-1885) or send email to [email protected].

• Want to schedule a presentation or conversation with your organization or local board?  I’m at your service, including evening meetings.  I’ve had productive meetings with municipal officials and boards in Cabot, Grafton, Ripton, Reading, and I am planning meetings in Charlotte, Chester, and the larger Windham County region.  Perhaps your Planning Commission, Conservation Commission, or Select Board would like more information?  If so, let me know.

Board Recommends Pushing Start Dates to December 31, 2027

On February 20, the Board testified in front of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee.  We recommended pushing the start date of several new provisions included in the Act 181 reforms (passed in 2024):

• Tier 3 Jurisdiction – push one year; move start date from 12/31/26 to 12/31/27

• Criterion 8C, a new review criterion for Act 250 projects – push one year; move start date from 12/31/26 to 12/31/27

• Road Construction Jurisdiction – push 18 months; move start date from 7/1/26 to 12/31/27

We want more time for the necessary rulemaking process, in part to get it right and in part to ensure a robust public engagement process that provides multiple opportunities for feedback.  Just as importantly, Vermonters need more time to learn about and prepare for these substantive statewide land use permitting changes.  Many people I have spoken with have expressed concern that their neighbors and fellow community members are unaware of these Act 250 changes – particularly the expansion of jurisdiction for new road construction and in Tier 3 areas.  The Land Use Review Board wants to raise awareness and welcome more Vermonters to the table to help us implement Act 250 reforms in a meaningful and practical way.  We need more time to make this happen.

We also recommended that the Legislature grant the Board the authority to apply a limited number of Act 250 review criteria for development in Tier 3 areas.  This would help keep the Act 250 review focused on just the criteria relevant to the critical natural resource area that triggered the need for a permit in the first place.  This could reduce the scope and complexity of the application and review in Tier 3 areas.  With the proper authority granted, the Board would engage in a public rulemaking process to determine which of the 10 review criteria (and 32 sub-criteria) to apply in Tier 3 areas.

The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee appeared to be receptive and is working on a full re-write of bill number S.325 to make a variety of necessary changes to Act 181.  This bill’s intent, as described in draft language, is to “provide technical clarification, transitional certainty, and implementation alignment” to Act 181 without altering its underlying policy goals.  We can’t know for certain that the Board’s recommendations will make it into the bill.  That will become clear if/when the Committee and then the full Senate finalize and vote on the bill.  Hopefully in the next two weeks.  After that, the bill would still require review and approval by the House Environment Committee, the full House, and the Governor.

Road Construction Jurisdiction Guidance Coming Soon

Separate from Tier 3 jurisdiction, the new road construction jurisdiction provision will require an Act 250 permit for the construction of certain new roads and related development. As noted above, the new road construction jurisdiction provision goes into effect on July 1, 2026.  This date is in the middle of Vermont’s road construction season, which is one more reason the Board is recommending pushing this to a winter date – i.e., December 31, 2027.  At recent Board meetings, we’ve been discussing various components of the road construction jurisdiction provision.  We plan to have a guidance document available ahead of the upcoming road construction season – target date is the end of March 2026.

• For Road Construction Jurisdiction questions, reach out to two of my fellow Board members who are working on guidance - Sarah Hadd, [email protected], 802-480-1886; Brooke Dingledine, [email protected], 802-480-1878.

Information Online

Tier 3 Rulemaking and Report | Act 250

https://act250.vermont.gov/tier-3-rulemaking-and-report

Road Construction Jurisdiction | Act 250

https://act250.vermont.gov/road-construction-jurisdiction

Wondering what this is all about…

What is Act 250?

Enacted in 1970, Act 250 aims to balance environmental protection with sustainable development. It regulates large development and subdivision projects based on environmental, economic, and public welfare criteria. The law helps maintain Vermont's historic settlement pattern of compact villages and urban centers, separated by rural countryside, while allowing for responsible growth. Act 250 plays a crucial role in fostering distinctive communities and preserving Vermont's unique sense of place.

What are Tier 3 areas?

Historically, Act 250 jurisdiction has been based on the size of the development or subdivision, with a focus on larger projects.  Act 181 of 2024 implements location-based jurisdiction reform by identifying three different areas.  Tier 1 areas are planned for growth in and around village and downtown centers, where Act 250 jurisdiction would be reduced or eliminated entirely in favor of municipal-level permitting and other State permitting (e.g., ANR, Division of Fire Safety, etc.).  Tier 3 areas are critical natural resources, where Act 250 jurisdiction would be increased to cover more types of development than today.  Tier 2 areas are the rest of the state, where Act 250 jurisdiction would remain largely as we know it today, but with additional jurisdiction for projects building more than 800 feet of new roads.

Act 181 tasks the Land Use Review Board (LURB) with rulemaking to identify what critical natural resources will be included in the Tier 3 definition, and when Act 250 jurisdiction will be triggered for development in Tier 3 areas. The Legislature outlined certain types of resources that must be considered, but left the final decision to the LURB rulemaking process. That’s where we need help from stakeholders, experts, and the public!  It’s a policy discussion and a mapping exercise all wrapped up in a rulemaking process.

--------------------------------------------------------

Alex Weinhagen | Board Member

Land Use Review Board

10 Baldwin Street

Montpelier, VT 05633-3201

[email protected]

802-480-1885
https://act250.vermont.gov

Emails and other written or recorded information produced or acquired in the course of public agency business are public records and may be subject to public examination under Vermont’s Public Records Act.

Dear Constituents –

The week of crossover in VT is behind us, and bills passed will go on to the other Chamber or to a money committee if they affect the revenue of the State, where they are required to be voted out by March 20 in order to stay alive. Big money bills (T-bill, the budget, the yield bill, and the Capital bill) are exempt from crossover deadlines. Apparently, the Education bills will also be granted exemption, as those committees continue to discuss everything but the elephant in the room, which is district maps.(I’ve heard there is another one coming soon…)

The House floor saw a flurry of action where we heard hours of bill reports and took many floor votes. A few of the bills that passed the House from the Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs and on the Floor are: H686 (expanding identification of certain lobbying advertisements), H.588 (professions and occupations regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation), H762 (County and Regional Governance Study Committee), H841 (Animal Welfare procedures). Many more passed our committee but remain in the queue for Ways & Means or Appropriations. You can find these bills and their committee votes by visiting our webpage and clicking on “Bills Out of Committee”.

Committees heard amendments to bills coming to the Floor, and HGOMA heard our share. Even when a committee votes out a bill unanimously, it is most likely that someone will want something changed along the way. We spent the majority of our committee time working on a committee bill for Emergency Management and Disaster Response, DR 26-0550. As of this writing, it had not yet been introduced and assigned a bill number.  This bill had several sections and addresses technical rescues, emergency food and water distribution, wildland fires, emergency response involving individuals with disabilities, community media use in emergency situations, and public safety communications.

The Rural Caucus continued to hear updates on S325 that addresses some aspects of delay or reform of Act 181, the 2024 land use law that went into effect after the supermajority overrode the Governor’s veto. Breaking news: Senate Natural Resources & Energy voted out S.325 with a substantial delay to the Road Rule and more support for public outreach on these issues.

To submit public comment to the governing body, the Land Use review Board (LURB): [email protected].

The Rural Caucus will be hosting an event to listen to the concerns of rural Vermonters on Wednesday, March 25th from 5:30-7:00 pm in Room 10 of the State House and online via Zoom. More information is linked here and available on the resources page of vtruralcaucus.com .

The VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus heard from NE Delta Dental about a free veterans dental care program that they run in partnership with local dental clinics and the VTNG Family Programs.  Please call 1-888-607-8773 for more information if you are a veteran needing dental care.

It is an honor to serve as your Representative.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

[email protected]