2025-2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 88th biennial session of the Vermont Legislature adjourned on May 29, 2026.
During this biennium, the League of Women Voters of Vermont had three priorities: Voting and Elections Integrity, Ethics, and Civil Rights and Due Process. In addition, the League followed three other areas of interest – Education, Health Care, and Housing/Homelessness.
Below, is a report on the status of bills followed by our legislative team. You can find the status of bills, acts, resolutions, and constitutional proposals at Vermont General Assembly Bill, Act & Resolution Search.
VOTING RIGHTS AND ELECTION INTEGRITY
Reported by Marguerite Adelman, Johnna Ferguson, and Betty Keller
S.298 (Act 126) Voter protections
League Position: Support
Status: Passed May 22, 2026. Governor Scott signed into law on June 8, 2026.
Created a new Vermont voter protections framework aimed at protecting access to voting and election administration, while also updating rules on voter checklist use, candidate disclosures, campaign-related security expenses, election intimidation, voting rights enforcement, and candidate compliance procedures.
ETHICS
Reported by Catherine Rader
H.951 (Act 144) Appropriations for support of the government (State Ethics Commission)
League Position: Support
Status: Passed May 29, 2026. Governor Scott signed into law on June 16, 2026.
Vermont FY2027 Budget included the additional full-time staff position for the Vermont State Ethics Commission. The Budget Conference Committee included one attorney position as approved by the House and the General Assembly passed it. The Commission is still four positions away from being fully staffed. LWVVT believes ethics is the cornerstone of a strong democracy and will continue advocating for full funding every year.
CIVIL RIGHTS AND DUE PROCESS
Reported by Betty Keller
S.208 Standards for law enforcement identification
League Position: Support
Status: Did not pass
A motion to suspend the rules and take it up on the final evening of the session failed to reach the three-quarters threshold (81 yes, 51 no, with 99 needed). The bill expires and will need to be re-introduced next year.
S.209 (Act 150) Prohibiting civil arrest in sensitive locations
League Position: Support
Status: Passed May 20, 2026. Governor Scott allowed to become law without signature on June 16, 2026.
Supports immigrant communities in Vermont by making sure that essential services remain safe and accessible in the face of the federal government’s overreach.
Community locations, like schools, hospitals, and government-owned buildings, will be protected from warrantless immigration arrests.
S.227 (Act 125) Creating immigration protocols in Vermont schools
League Position: Support
Status: Passed May 20, 2026. Governor Scott signed into law on June 8, 2026.
Creates a safe and inclusive environment for students in Vermont’s 119 school districts and 52 governing units by standardizing immigration protocols across all school districts. Federal immigration authorities such as ICE, Department of Homeland Security, and border patrol agents are restricted entering school grounds without a warrant. Schools will not collect or request information regarding citizenship or immigration status of students or their family members. Superintendents or their designee will be the point person for immigration-related matters.
H.849 (Act 87) Civil action for damages for deprivation of federal constitutional rights by any government official
League Position: Support
Status: Passed. Governor Scott allowed to become law without signature on April 27, 2026.
Empowers individuals to hold state and federal officials accountable for violations of their civil rights by suing for damages.
HEALTH CARE
Reported by Betty Keller
H.583 (Act 133) Clinical decision making
League Position: Support
Status: Passed. Governor Scott signed into law on June 15, 2026.
Implements sweeping guardrails to restrict private equity firms and corporate hedge funds from interfering with the clinical judgments of medical providers. It mandates strict financial transparency, restricts “straw ownership” structures, bans corporate-enforced noncompete agreements for practitioners, and blocks healthcare facilities from absorbing debt incurred via corporate leveraged buyouts. Passed the House and Senate.
HOUSING
Reported by Lila Richardson
H. 938 (Act 143) Establishing the Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum
League Position: Support
Status: Passed. Governor Scott signed into law on June 16, 2026.
Overhauls the state’s approach to sheltering people experiencing homelessness by reducing reliance on hotel and motel vouchers and establishing a structured response continuum.
H.772 Residential rental agreements, eviction procedures, and creation of the positive rental payment credit reporting pilot program
League Position: No position
Status: Did not pass.
Due to changes in the bill, LWVVT did not end up taking a stand to either support or oppose the bill. At the last minute, the Senate deadlocked in a rare tie vote, and Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers cast the tie-breaking “no” vote to kill the legislation. The bill died due to a deeply divided legislature and fierce opposition from a coalition of tenant advocates and mixed party lawmakers.
EDUCATION
Reported by Chase Empsall
H.955 Next steps in transforming Vermont’s education system
League Position: Support
Status: Passed on May 29, 2026. Governor Scott signed into law on June 18, 2026.
H.955, the year’s defining education bill passed following a compromise between the Legislature and Governor Scott.
H.955 dropped the forced district consolidation in favor of an accelerated voluntary merger process backed by state oversight and construction-aid incentives. It bet that incentives, deadlines, and gradual fiscal pressure will achieve what mandates could not, while preserving local control. Supporters argue voluntary mergers and a population-based formula will curb future spikes. The real test will be whether the orphaned-district process and descending spending cap quietly accomplishes the consolidation that the state declined to mandate outright.
The new funding formula, effective July 2029, will weigh funding by student population and cost-to-educate. However, lawmakers have not set those weights, postponing the real distributional fight. The combination of mandatory study committees, the descending spending cap, and the orphaned-district process may end up functioning as the de facto pressure that the voluntary framework formally denies.
Recommended Readings:
- https://vtdigger.org/2026/05/29/vermont-passes-landmark-education-reform-without-forcing-districts-to-merge
- https://vnews.com/2026/05/27/senate-passes-school-district-bill
- www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2026-05-29/with-a-deal-on-education-reform-in-hand-vermont-lawmakers-close-out-the-session
RESOURCES
To track bills related to our priorities, observe agendas and written testimony for House and Senate committees, or view House and Senate sessions or Committee hearings live or recorded, visit the Vermont Legislature website. You can also track bills and learn how the Legislature works at the
