Senate orders 3rd reading of H.872 after committee report expanding VCJC code and first‑complaint authority

The Senate received a committee report on H.872, a bill updating powers of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council (VCJC) and related duties of law‑enforcement officers.

The sponsor described H.872 as a package to create a new law‑enforcement officer code of conduct, consolidate various category B misconduct violations under that code and explicitly add untruthfulness to the list of prohibited conduct. The bill directs the VCJC to adopt the code no later than Dec. 31, 2024, and sets the effective dates for replacing prior category B language to follow adoption of the code. It also limits sanctions the VCJC may impose on a first complaint to those the officer’s employer could impose, with exceptions when an officer has resigned or been terminated for the same conduct, the agency failed to investigate properly, the head of the agency engaged in the conduct, or the agency’s sanctions were clearly unreasonable.

The sponsor said the bill represents stakeholder work (including law‑enforcement members) and a subcommittee process that reported recommendations to the legislature. After floor discussion and a request for the reporter of the bill, the Senate ordered the bill to 3rd reading by voice vote.

What’s next: The VCJC is expected to adopt a code through rulemaking by the date specified in the bill; implementation details and any employer‑level sanctions remain subject to the statutory exceptions included in the text.