Vermont Senate adds state employees’ union to privatization study, passes S 96

The Vermont Senate on the floor amended S 96, an act relating to privatization contracts, to add the Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA) to a study group that will examine privatization practices and then approved the bill on third reading.

The amendment, described on the floor by the senator from Chittenden Central as "very simple" and "a 1 word change," would include the VSEA on the study group charged with reviewing current privatization practices. "It adds the Vermont State Employees Association to the study group," the senator said on the floor.

The senator from Caledonia said the Senate Appropriations Committee had not formally met on the amendment but indicated that the committee "would support the amendment," arguing that employees affected by privatization should be included in the study.

The presiding officer put the amendment to a voice vote; the presiding officer announced "the ayes have it" and stated the bill was amended "as offered by Senator Vychovsky and others." After no further amendments were offered, the Senate proceeded to third reading and again approved S 96 by voice vote. No roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript for the amendment or the final passage.

S 96 will proceed according to the Legislature's normal administrative steps following floor passage. The Senate adjourned later in the day and is scheduled to reconvene April 4, 2024, at 1 p.m.