Rep. Sibilia: Week 16 of the 2025 Vermont Legislative Session

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As federal actions continue to ripple through our communities, impacting everything from healthcare and housing to civil liberties, it’s more important than ever that we stay informed, connected, and ready to support one another.

This newsletter includes updates on actions the Vermont Legislature is taking on data privacy, medical debt relief, veterans’ issues, housing infrastructure, and also opportunities for community conversations in response to current federal dynamics. I’m particularly focused on ensuring that Vermonters know their rights, can access essential services, and have a voice.

Thank you for continuing to show up for each other and for our communities. I hope to see many of you at tomorrow’s event in Jamaica or for our regular first-Saturday conversations in Dover next Saturday, May 3, at the Dover Free Library.

Last week, I wrote about the alarming detention of two individuals legally present in the U.S., both connected to Vermont. Since then, daily new developments across the country underscore the need to address these questions: Are our institutions functioning as they should? How will Vermont stand up for due process and constitutional rights?

Today’s FBI arrest of a sitting judge in Wisconsin, reportedly for intervening in an immigration enforcement, adds concern about due process being undermined. While the details are still emerging, the arrest of a judge is highly highly unusual and would normally follow a thorough investigation into criminal behavior or misconduct. Judges, like all public officials, are subject to the law, but their arrests are rare due in part to the separation of powers and judicial independence.

Silence is not neutral. When people are detained based on lawful political activity or beliefs, it is not enough to “monitor the situation.” Vermont must not be complicit in undermining constitutional rights.

I’m encouraged by emerging legislative efforts from a group of my colleagues to address immigration and due process issues and ensure Vermont responds appropriately. The legislature should consider holding public hearings on the detentions of people like Mohsen Mahdawi to assess the state’s legal responsibilities and ensure due process. We need to ensure legal aid and community support for vulnerable populations.

Vermont must uphold constitutional rights and work together to ensure justice for all. Vermonters can also call on congressional Republicans to rein in this administration, follow the rule of law and protect the rights of individuals across our nation.

We need to work together if we are to ensure justice for all.

– Laura

Protecting yourself when protesting, Know Your Rights: What to Do if You or a Loved One is Detained

Scheduling Community Conversation & Support Events in light of federal actions.

These conversations are rooted in the spirit of mutual aid which is showing up for each other with time, skills, food, or simply by listening. Everyone is welcome.

The first event is scheduled for: Jamaica Town Hall – April 26th at 2 PM Additional dates for Dover, Wardsboro and Stratton will be announced soon. If you’d like to get involved in planning, just reach out.

Protecting Vermonters’ Data …

This year, two of three significant data privacy bills made it past the legislative crossover deadline, but like last year, it is starting to look like they may have trouble. While support for protecting Vermonters’ data remains strong in the House, the Senate continues to be challenged by the level of protections. That’s a problem, especially considering what we’re seeing happen with personal data at the national level.

The three bills, all originally part of last year’s H.121 (which passed the House but was vetoed by the governor and failed to be overridden by the Senate), each address an important piece of online privacy:

S.69 – The Kids Code: Requires default safety settings for online platforms when at least 2% of users are under 18. That means turning off features like autoplay and limiting exposure to harmful content. It’s meant to protect young people from addictive designs and targeted manipulation.
S.71 – Consumer Data Protection (House companion bill was H.208): Focuses on increasing transparency and control for Vermonters over how their personal data is collected and sold. Many people don’t realize how often they’re being tracked online—or how much of that data ends up in the hands of brokers.
H.211 – Data Broker Reform: Would strengthen Vermont’s existing data broker laws by requiring breach notifications, establishing opt-out mechanisms, and ensuring brokers only use data for legitimate purposes. It also includes provisions for biometric data protections.

Meanwhile, in a separate effort, I’ve joined my Chair Rep. Kathleen James and Rep. Mike Southworth in asking the Senate Institutions Committee, chaired by Windham County Senator Wendy Harrison, to add a reporting requirement to H.458, our Agency of Digital Services (ADS) Housekeeping Bill. Over the course of the session, we’ve learned that in some cases, the state of Vermont has sold access to Vermonters’ data.

We’ve asked ADS to provide a report detailing:

What specific data is being sold or exchanged for items of value,
Who is receiving that data, and
How much the state is being compensated.

Vermonters deserve to know when their data is being used for financial gain – especially by their own government.

Medical Debt Relief Bill (S.27)

The Vermont House and Senate have passed S. 27, a bill that will erase $100 million in medical debt. Spearheaded by Treasurer Mike Pieciak, the legislation allocates $1 million to purchase and forgive medical debts, potentially benefiting around 60,000 Vermonters. Additionally, the bill prohibits credit reporting agencies from considering medical debt in credit scores. The bill also prevents medical debt from affecting credit scores. It partners with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to purchase uncollectible debt, prioritizing those with debts older than 18 months and low income. The bill has received unanimous support.

CHIP: Community Housing Infrastructure Program and S.127

The Legislature is working on significant housing bills:

Both S.127, the comprehensive housing bill, and the proposed Community and Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP) contained in the bill are currently under discussion in the House. CHIP aims to help small Vermont towns incentivize housing development by financing essential infrastructure like water and sewer systems, offering a new approach to supporting housing projects without relying on property tax hikes or state grants. Modeled after the state’s tax increment financing (TIF) program, it provides smaller communities with a tool to foster growth. S.127 focuses on addressing Vermont’s housing crisis by streamlining the approval process for housing projects, making development more efficient while ensuring continued community input. The rural caucus has asked for more information on how these proposals will benefit their communities.

Taxing Survivor Benefits and Military Pensions

Two bills, H.43 in the House and S.17 in the Senate, would fully exempt military retirement and survivor benefit income from Vermont’s income tax. The Governor has proposed this exemption every biennium. These bills have substantial bipartisan backing, with 75 sponsors in the House and 21 in the Senate, making them among the most supported pieces of proposed legislation this session. Sibilia, et al: It’s time for Vermont to stop taxing military survivor and retirement benefits

However, to date both bills have been held in their respective committees, House Ways and Means and Senate Finance, without being brought to the floor for a vote. This inaction has frustrated many of us.

An attempt to move the exemption through an amendment to a broader tax relief bill (H.483) was made by Rep. Jed Lipsky (I-Stowe) earlier this session. The amendment mirrored the language of H.43 and sought to include the military pension exemption in a larger tax package. With the appearance of the amendment, the bill then got sent back to committee.

This week a new round of testimony on the exemption took place in House Ways and Means. The Chair has indicated that this is under consideration for amending a Senate bill in their possession.

Joint Public Hearing on Veterans Affairs in Vermont

Room 11, Broadcast via YouTube The Vermont House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs and the Senate Committee on Government Affairs will hold a joint public hearing on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. in Room 11 of the State House. The Committees will take testimony on policy issues such as veteran housing and family support, the Vermont Veterans Home, mental health, and access to services.

Interested parties may attend the hearing in person or virtually. Anyone interested in testifying must sign up in advance of the hearing through the online form on or before 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2025. We are capping the testimony to 45 people. To ensure there is enough time for everyone to speak, we are asking that remarks be no longer than 2 minutes. You will receive instructions on how to access an participate in the hearing once you sign up to testify.

Online form: https://legislature.vermont.gov/links/ph-veteransafairs
For those not planning to testify or to attend the hearing in person, the hearing will be available to watch live on YouTube at the following link. YouTube livestream: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-government-operations-and-military-affairs

Written testimony is encouraged and can be submitted electronically through email at testimony@leg.state.vt.us or mailed to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs c/o Autumn Crabtree, 115 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633.

For more information about the format of this event, contact Autumn Crabtree at acrabtree@leg.state.vt.us.

Federal Funds under the Trump Administration

This is a live webpage from the Joint Fiscal Office dedicated to tracking the impact of federal policy on states. The current presidential administration has issued executive orders freezing federal funds, discussed the elimination of federal programs, and has proposed significant changes to tax policy. Congressional budgetary actions could further impact states.

Recent Reports to the Legislature

Vermont Wetland Permitted Losses and Gains for 2024 The 2024 Vermont Wetland Permitted Losses and Gains Report, submitted by the Department of Environmental Conservation, fulfills the reporting requirements under Act 121. In 2024, the Wetlands Program provided technical assistance on 1,899 properties and conducted 766 site visits. Of the 39 permitted projects completed, nearly one acre of wetland was lost due to filling, with minimal offsetting restoration or compensation—resulting in a net gain of only 0.1 acres. Eight counties saw net wetland losses, while two had net gains. Separately, 135 acres of wetland were voluntarily restored or conserved through state-funded efforts. The Program also responded to 273 complaints, with enforcement actions taken in select cases. Broader trend data will be included in a five-year report covering 2021–2025.

Bills That Have Passed Into Law and Signed by Governor

H.2 An act relating to increasing the minimum age for delinquency proceedings
H.31 An act relating to claim edit standards and prior authorization requirements
H.35 An act relating to unmerging the individual and small group health insurance markets
H.78 An act relating to the use of the Australian ballot system in local elections

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