June 2026 – End of Session Legislative Update Provided by Colchester’s State Representatives

Dear Neighbors,

The second year of the 2-year legislative session is over, and we wanted to update you just some of the work undertaken this past year. As always, we invite your input on what is most important to you! Our contact information is included at the end of his report.

Tax Relief You, our Colchester constituents, shared that affordability and rising property taxes are deeply concerning. That is why, led by Representative Bishop, your Colchester Representatives fought this year to see a change in Vermont’s statute to ensure that Colchester taxpayers would not be unfairly subjected to a double tax on any of our school construction costs. That change was made and our debt will not be counted toward the so-called

excess spending threshold that triggers double taxation. You may also be glad to hear that the legislature

and the Governor agreed to use $100 million to lower property taxes. This generated significant savings in our tax bills.

Education Reform

To achieve greater equity of educational opportunity for all Vermont’s children and in order to address concerns about rising education costs and property taxes, the Legislature passed additional education

reform measures aimed at improving efficiency while preserving local input. The bill does not mandate school district mergers, but instead requires districts to evaluate potential mergers with neighboring districts and consider whether they would benefit students and taxpayers. It also creates Cooperative Education Service Areas (CESAs), which will help districts achieve cost savings by sharing services such as special education, finance, administration, transportation, and professional development. Finally, the legislation begins the transition to a more predictable and sustainable education foundation formula designed to bring greater stability to school spending and property taxes.

All committees of the Vermont House were hard at work this session. Allow us to focus on updates from those that include members from Colchester.

House Committee on General and Housing

Colchester Committee Member, Gayle Pezzo S.89 (Act 102) – State employees and survivor benefits. Expands eligibility for the State’s $80,000 line-of-duty death benefit to include law enforcement officers, most Department of Corrections employees, certain Family Services Division employees, and medical staff working in State-operated therapeutic residences and psychiatric hospital units.

S.328 (Act 179) – Increasing housing production. Creates new financing and planning tools to encourage housing development, including municipal revenue bonds for housing infrastructure, expanded state-backed financing programs, additional housing-development financing authority, and new local housing-planning requirements.

H.757 (Act 155) – Relating to manufactured homes and limited-equity cooperatives. Introduced and championed by Representative Pezzo, this bill updates and modernizes laws governing manufactured homes and limited-equity cooperatives. It streamlines the transfer of manufactured homes and ensures they are treated the same as other housing under local zoning laws. The legislation also updates terminology to reflect that these homes are typically permanently sited rather than routinely moved. To help preserve affordability, the bill limits subleasing in limited- equity cooperatives and exempts manufactured homes from sales tax, making transfers subject to the property transfer tax instead. Limited-equity cooperatives provide affordable housing

opportunities for low- and moderate-income Vermonters.

House Committee on Human Services

Colchester Committee Member, Doug Bishop

H.938 (Act 143) – Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum. H.938 overhauls Vermont's approach to homelessness, creating a coordinated system that moves households from prevention andshelter services to permanent housing. The bill limits motel use, expands supportive services, establishes a state-funded rental assistance program, and makes key investments in homelessness and housing programs.

H.660 (Act 141) – Opioid Abatement Special Fund. Allocates approximately $7.6 million in opioid settlement funds to support prevention, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and recovery services. The bill also requires regular spending reports, pauses new FY2028 funding proposals pending an outcomes review, and provides funding for youth substance misuse prevention programs.

S.198 (Act 148) – Regulation of Tobacco Products and Tobacco Substitutes. Modernizes tobacco laws by expanding regulation of tobacco substitutes and vaping products, prohibiting products designed to appeal to youth, increasing licensing and enforcement requirements, and strengthening penalties on retailers who violate the law.

H.657 (Act 136) – Department for Children & Families. Makes a variety of updates to child welfare laws, including allowing certain unaccompanied homeless youth to make key decisions without parental consent, strengthening protections for youth in state custody related to the use of restraint and seclusion practices, and limiting the state’s use of foster youth Social Security benefits to reimburse state costs.

House Committee on Health Care

Colchester Committee Member, Wendy Critchlow

This year, the Legislature took several steps to make health care more affordable and accessible for

Vermonters. Most notably, H.577 (Act 132) established Vermont's participation in ArrayRx, a nonprofit prescription drug discount program available to anyone with a Vermont address. The free program is expected to save Vermonters millions of dollars by providing significant discounts on both generic and brand-name medications while protecting participants' privacy and ensuring pharmacists are fairly compensated.

Legislative action also included S.197 (Act 173), a bill related to primary care that takes steps to improve access to primary care and control long-term health care costs by increasing investment in primary care practices, reforming payment systems, and reducing administrative burdens on providers. The legislation strengthens Vermont's primary care infrastructure, improves data collection and accountability, and lays the

groundwork for future reforms aimed at making primary care more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for Vermonters. The Legislature also expanded access to care by allowing pharmacists to test and prescribe medications for certain common conditions and HIV prevention

(H.588/Act 119), broadening the role of physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses in hospital care (S.163/Act 92), permitting specially trained psychologists to prescribe medications for mental health treatment (H.237/Act 84), and creating a pathway for internationally trained physicians to become

licensed in Vermont (S.142/Act 172). Together, these measures help reduce costs, address workforce shortages, and improve timely access to medical care across the state.

House Committee on Environment

Colchester Committee Member, Sarita Austin

Land Use Policy (S.325/Act 152) – During the first year of implementing Act 181, Vermont's landmark 2024 land-use reform law, it became clear that some aspects of the rollout were producing unintended consequences and raising significant concerns among Vermonters. Testimony from

landowners, farmers, foresters, rural communities, and others highlighted worries that proposed rules

could subject small-scale home construction and development in many parts of rural Vermont to

additional Act 250 review, while important decisions about protecting natural resources were

moving forward without sufficient public input. In response, the Legislature listened and acted. S.325

repeals the proposed Road Rule and Tier 3 designations, creates a more robust public- engagement process to guide future land-use policy, establishes legislative oversight of implementation, and preserves key housing

exemptions. The bill reflects a recognition – a recognition that we all shared – that Act 181 needed

course corrections and that Vermonters deserved a stronger voice in shaping how these important land-

use policies move forward.

Hunting and Private Property (H.723/Act 90) – Vermont has a long tradition of hunters and anglers

accessing private lands with the cooperation of landowners. This law does not change that tradition

but instead makes the process for posting private property clearer and less burdensome for

landowners. It removes outdated sign requirements, ensures minor gaps in signage do not invalidate a property's posted status, and helps reduce misunderstandings and conflicts by providing clearer notice of a landowner's wishes regarding access and use.

Please contact us at:

Representative Sarita Austin, Colchester’s

CHI-19 District, sarita.austin@vtleg.gov

Representative Wendy Critchlow, Colchester’s CHI-

19 District, wcritchlow@leg.state.vt.us

Representative Doug Bishop, Colchester’s

CHI-20 District, doug.bishop@vtleg.gov

Representative Gayle Pezzo, Colchester’s

CHI-20 District, gayle.pezzo@vtleg.gov