Vermont Legislative Update 2023: Week 10

Legislators were back in Montpelier this week after their weeklong recess for Town Meeting. It’s crossover week, meaning legislation needs to be out of the committee of jurisdiction by the end of today, or the legislation is done for the session… at least, that’s how it is supposed to be. Crossover has never been a hard and fast deadline, despite whatever leadership says. There are some ways around it; a committee can seek a waiver from the rules committee, legislators or a committee can add a piece of legislation that didn’t make crossover as an amendment to a piece of legislation that did make the deadline, and more.

That said, crossover allows a brief relief for those working on legislation, as it narrows the scope. The downside of crossover is that legislation that has not received enough testimony, scrutiny, or attention might move because it is a political priority despite it not being ready for primetime. 

In this week’s update:

• Childcare bill voted out of Senate Committee with paid leave included
• Paid Family and Medical Leave voted out of House Committee
• Housing bill gets watered down in subsequent amendment
• Join us for Tourism Day this coming Wednesday!
• Problematic labor bills advance
• Check-in on liquor legislation
• LCC Weighs in on safe storage of firearms
• The Laundry List