Rep Sibilia: Week 10 of the 2025 Legislative Session

A few updates on healthcare, education and energy policies this week.

From January through May, the Legislature is in session Tuesday through Friday. We spend most of our time working in policy committees of 8 to 11 members, then all 150 members head to the House floor for bill introductions and debate. Each floor session begins with a devotional, reflection, or moment of silence.

This past week, Rep. Bram Kleppner, a fellow member of the Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee, shared a reflection with the House that stuck with me. He talked about the difference between how friends argue versus people who aren’t invested in each other. Friends listen, show patience and respect, and focus on solving the problem causing the argument. If a friend has the better idea, you drop yours and go with theirs. As the legislative session progresses and debates intensify Rep. Kleppner’s words are a helpful reminder. Starting from a place of agreement on shared challenges gives us a better shot at getting things done.

Fiscal Year 2024 Vermont Hospital Reporting: Year-End Actuals Health Systems
Finance Team Report Date: March 12, 2025

Vermont’s Health Care Situation

Vermonters are paying some of the highest health care costs in the country and many of our hospitals are struggling financially. Marketplace premiums are 140% above the national average, and employer-based contributions are the highest in the U.S. At the same time, Medicare’s expanded telehealth coverage is set to expire on March 31, threatening access for rural and elderly Vermonters who rely on it.

Two bills currently moving through the Legislature are attempting to bring costs under control:

Senate Bill S.63 strengthens oversight of hospital finances, executive compensation, and long-term planning.
The House bill expands the Green Mountain Care Board’s authority to lower private insurance rates and step in when hospitals are in financial trouble.

These reforms won’t fix everything overnight, but they are steps toward making health care more transparent, accountable, and affordable.

Read more:

Education Updates:

The House and Senate Education Committees have been given extended time to pass education reform bills to the entire legislature for consideration.

This memo from Bennington County Sen. Seth Bongartz, Chair of Senate Education, outlines his maps of a proposed overhaul of Vermont’s education system, focusing on governance restructuring before addressing funding. The administration’s plan aims to replace the current system of 52 supervisory unions and 119 districts with five large districts. In response, Senator Bongartz has proposed a compromise model with six supervisory districts, three supervisory unions, and two existing interstate districts. The proposal attempts to balance Vermont’s geographic and historical realities, emphasizing larger governance units for better resource allocation while maintaining tuitioning and independent school options.

Other groups are also beginning to make proposals on reforms and new rural and public school advocacy groups are joining school choice and educational professional organizations in the public consideration and debate. I don’t expect to see major reform proposals moving forward in March.

**Youth Climate Lobby and the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure**

This coming week, I will be reporting on a bill I sponsored H.125, which begins to establish a framework for monitoring the economic impacts of the energy transition across Vermont. The bill does three simple things:

Requires a statewide energy data report by December 2025
Tracks existing energy data like electric rates, solar generation, and fuel sales
Analyzes how the clean energy transition affects different communities

H.125 compiles existing data to guide policy and ensure we understand the financial impacts across Vermont.

Climate Legislation

Climate Legislation

At the same time, the Senate Natural Resources Committee recently voted on a proposal to repeal the Clean Heat Standard, a policy that is not yet in effect. This decision was made without taking testimony or fully discussing potential alternatives. It appears that the repeal may be linked to a political exchange for S.65, a bill that would expand and diversify Efficiency Vermont’s electric ratepayer-funded mission. This proposal is still in the early stages and is in need of more structure and consensus among energy experts. Regulators and utilities have raised concerns about potential costs and confusion.

Before this session, work was already underway to refine the Clean Heat Standard and address identified technical and equity concerns to reduce complexity. The checkback report we received in January confirmed that early cost estimates and industry disinformation of $4.00 a gallon were wildly inaccurate. Repealing the framework now makes it harder to build an effective market using those learnings, which is exactly what the fossil fuel industry wants. Worse, it rewards disinformation campaigns.

The push to repeal the Clean Heat Standard, isn’t happening in a vacuum. Americans for Prosperity, founded by the Koch brothers and backed by Big Oil, is continuing to lead the campaign against policies which aren’t being enacted while also supporting newly proposed federal economic policies that will actually raise heating and goods prices.

I represent Vermonters who are worried about rising costs, federal instability and the effects of climate change. My job is to work for you – not the fossil fuel industry. Stay tuned…

New Gardening Group at The Wardsboro Library, Main Street, Wardsboro, VT

The library is launching a monthly gardening group alongside its seed and tool lending program! Open to all skill levels, we’ll focus on growing food, pollinators, medicinal herbs, and more. Meetings will be hands-on, with garden visits to share knowledge and troubleshoot challenges.

First meeting: Saturday, March 15, at noon at the library. Future dates will be flexible. A Wardsboro library card is required to borrow tools/seeds, but all are welcome! Donations of seeds, tools, and books appreciated. For details, reach out to Diane at greenfireherbs@gmail.com or wardsboropubliclibrary@gmail.com.

Latest Legislative Reports

Recommendations to the General Assembly Regarding Viable Approaches to a Cap-and-Invest Program Office of Vermont State Treasurer: Vermont’s Treasurer analyzed options for reducing transportation emissions and funding sustainability efforts. The report found that Vermont should not create its own cap-and-invest program due to its small size. The only existing program, the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), would immediately raise gas prices by at least $0.26 per gallon, which could harm Vermont’s economy, especially in border areas. Instead, the Treasurer recommends waiting to assess the New York Climate Initiative (NYCI) when more details are available, as it may offer a more gradual transition with fewer economic downsides.

Bills I’ve sponsored

H.340 An act relating to regulating developers and deployers of certain automated decision systems: this bill proposes to regulate developers and deployers of automated decision systems used in consequential decisions in an effort to avoid algorithmic discrimination towards consumers.
H.341 An act relating to creating oversight and safety standards for developers and deployers of inherently dangerous artificial intelligence systems
H.371 An act relating to the use of dynamic pricing by retail establishments: his bill proposes to establish a moratorium on the use of electronic shelf labels or dynamic pricing by retailers selling consumer commodities in the State. The moratorium would be effective until January 15, 2027. During the moratorium, the bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets to report to the General Assembly regarding the use of electronic shelf labels or dynamic pricing and how to protect consumers. When the moratorium expires, provisions regarding the use of electronic shelf labels or dynamic pricing would go into effect
H.385 An act relating to remedies and protections for victims of coerced debt
H.401 An act relating to exemptions for food manufacturing establishments: This bill proposes to exempt a food manufacturing establishment with gross annual receipts of less than $30,000.00 from licensing fees. It further proposes to exempt from licensing requirements an individual manufacturing and selling bakery products from the individual’s own home kitchen where the individual has gross annual receipts of less than $30,000.00.
H.407 An act relating to protection from nuisance suits for agricultural activities: This bill amends Vermont’s right-to-farm law by strengthening protections for agricultural activities against nuisance and trespass lawsuits, as long as they follow generally accepted agricultural practices. However, these protections would not apply in cases of negligent operation or violations of state water quality standards. The bill also ensures that farms do not lose legal protections due to ownership changes, temporary closures (up to 10 years), or shifts in crops or farming methods. Additionally, it requires mediation between complainants and farmers before a lawsuit can be filed.

During the 2025 legislative session from January through May I will continue to meet on the 1st Saturday of the month at the Dover Free Library from 11-noon and at your group’s invitation as schedules allow.

Monitor my votes and the bills I am sponsoring at: https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/single/2026/24023

As always, if you have suggestions, concerns or critiques please be in touch so we can schedule one on one time to discuss. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need assistance navigating government services at (802) 384-0233 or lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us. Follow my regular posts online at http://www.laurasibiliavt.com