Good evening friends and neighbors,

This update highlights a few local happenings, office hours and some new bills that the governor has singed into law. Tonight’s fundraiser for the East Dover Fire Department at American Flatbread in Dover goes until 8 pm – we will be there early!

West River Educational District Budget Revote – Wednesday, June 17 (tomorrow!)

Voters in Brookline, Jamaica, Newfane, Townshend, and Windham will have another opportunity to vote on the West River Modified Union Education District’s proposed FY2027 budget.

Polling locations and hours are:

• Brookline Town Hall: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Jamaica Town Office: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Newbrook Fire House: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Townshend Town Hall: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Windham Town Office: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Regardless of how you intend to vote, I encourage everyone to participate. Public education is one of our largest local investments in our communities, and voting is important.

Office Hours

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by my office hours over the past several months. As a reminder, I hold office hours in:

• Dover: First Saturday of each month at 11:00 a.m. at the Dover Free Library
• Wardsboro: Third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Wardsboro Public Library (this Thursday!)

I am also working to establish a regular evening location in Jamaica on the second Wednesday of each month and hope to begin those meetings in July.

Constitutional Amendments on the November Ballot

This November, Vermonters will vote on Proposition 3 and Proposition 4, proposed amendments to the Vermont Constitution.

Changing Vermont’s Constitution is intentionally difficult. A proposed amendment must be approved by the Legislature twice; once before and once after a statewide election. Then voters have the final say at the ballot box. The process takes several years and is designed to ensure that changes have received careful consideration.

• Proposition 3 would add language to the Vermont Constitution establishing that employees have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing.
• Proposition 4 would add an equal protection provision to the Vermont Constitution stating that individuals may not be denied equal protection under the law because of characteristics such as race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics.

New Laws

Act 96 (H.762): County and Regional Governance Study Committee

This act extends the work of a bipartisan legislative committee studying how Vermont organizes and delivers regional services. The committee will continue examining issues such as emergency management, public safety coordination, regional planning, public transit, and whether there are ways to improve efficiency while preserving strong local government. The committee is now expected to report its recommendations in 2027.

Importantly, the legislation states that any future recommendations should strengthen, not replace, direct relationships between municipalities and state government and should not create unnecessary barriers between local communities and decision-makers.

Act 100 (H.582): Adult Protective Services

This law updates Vermont’s Adult Protective Services statutes relating to abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults. It clarifies reporting requirements, updates definitions in statute, and revises procedures for investigations and appeals. The goal is to better protect vulnerable Vermonters while ensuring a fair process for everyone involved.

Act 106 (H.385): Protections Against Coerced Debt

This law creates new protections for victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and exploitation who have been forced or manipulated into taking on debt. Beginning in 2028, survivors will have a process to challenge qualifying coerced debt, pause collection efforts while claims are investigated, and seek removal of that debt from their credit reports. The act also allows financial institutions to temporarily delay suspicious transactions when they reasonably suspect financial exploitation is occurring.

Act 126 (S.298): Voter Protections Act of 2026

This act strengthens Vermont’s election laws by increasing protections against voter intimidation and interference with elections. It also establishes additional protections to ensure eligible Vermonters can participate fully in the electoral process, updates provisions relating to voter checklists, and provides a transition period as the state implements new candidate disclosure requirements. The act also clarifies that reasonable expenses related to a candidate’s personal security may be treated as campaign expenditures.

Act 128 (S.327): Economic Development

Economic development looks different in different parts of Vermont. In rural communities, it often means helping an existing business expand, finding a productive use for an underutilized property, training local workers for jobs that already exist, and making sure our communities have the tools they need to respond when opportunities arise.

This year’s economic development bill included several initiatives intended to support those goals:

• Supporting Rural Economic Development: The act permanently establishes and expands the Rural Industry Development Grant Program, which provides assistance through local development corporations for projects involving business relocation, expansion, site development, and redevelopment. Communities experiencing limited economic and grand list growth receive priority consideration.
• Helping Vermont Businesses Grow: The state will conduct a comprehensive study of how Vermont supports businesses at different stages of growth, identify gaps in available resources, examine access to capital, and recommend ways to better connect businesses with the programs that already exist.
• Hospitality and Culinary Workforce Development: Following the closure of the New England Culinary Institute, the act directs the state to study how Vermont can rebuild culinary and hospitality training opportunities. It also creates a pilot apprenticeship program in these fields. Hospitality remains one of southern Vermont’s largest industries, and workforce shortages continue to be a challenge for many employers.
• Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE): Municipalities will have the option of establishing voluntary programs that allow commercial property owners to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, resiliency, and water conservation improvements through special assessments tied to the property. Participation is entirely voluntary.
• Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI): The act continues Vermont’s performance-based business incentive program while reducing the amount that may be awarded annually. VEGI is intended to encourage job creation and business growth by rewarding measurable economic activity.
• A Look at Convention and Performance Space Opportunities: The legislation also extends the work of a task force examining whether Vermont could benefit from developing a convention center and performance venue. Supporters see this as an opportunity to attract visitors and economic activity, while critics raise questions about costs and location. The task force is expected to continue its work and provide recommendations next year.
• Yes, This Is the “Pennies” Bill: The act allows businesses accepting cash payments to round the final total of a transaction to the nearest five cents when pennies are unavailable or impractical. For example, a cash purchase totaling $10.02 could be rounded down to $10.00, while a purchase totaling $10.03 could be rounded up to $10.05. Electronic payments, debit cards, and credit cards would continue to be charged the exact amount owed.

The Fiscal Note for this bill is here. As Co-Chair of the Rural Caucus, I continue to believe that Vermont’s economic policies should work not only for our larger population centers, but also for the communities that power much of our tourism economy, natural resource economy, and small business sector.

Looking Ahead

In the coming weeks, I’ll share a few reflections on some of the major debates that shaped the last two years, including Governor Scott’s vetoes.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out this year with questions, concerns, and ideas. Whether we agree on every issue or not, your experiences help inform my work and make me a better representative. I appreciate the opportunity to serve our communities.

If you need help with state services, please reach out. I do not have staff and I work year-round, so if you do not hear back in a day or two, please follow up or send a text. If you find my work useful and are able to support it, you can do that here.

Thank you for staying engaged and staying in touch!

Rep. Laura Sibilia
Windham-2 District (Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, Wardsboro)
Email: lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us
Phone: (802) 384-0233

Sibilia Announces Campaign for Reelection to Represent Windham-2