Vermont House passes escrow deposit-bonds and equal-pay bills, refers Waterbury charter adoption to Ways and Means

The presiding officer of the Vermont House of Representatives presided over brief floor action on Feb. 8, 2024, during which the House passed two bills by voice vote and referred a municipal charter measure to committee.

House Bill 666, "an act relating to escrow deposit bonds," was read for the third time and put to a voice vote. After members voiced their positions, the presiding officer stated, "The ayes do have it and you have passed the bill." No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

House Bill 751, "an act relating to expanding equal pay protections," likewise received a third reading and a voice vote and was declared passed by the presiding officer.

Earlier in the session, the presiding officer announced that House Bill 801, "an act relating to approval of the adoption of the charter of the town of Waterbury," was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House rule 35a because it was determined to materially affect the revenue of a municipality.

There was no floor debate recorded on either H.666 or H.751 in the provided transcript; both passed on voice votes with the presiding officer announcing the outcomes. The House completed orders of the day, accepted a motion to adjourn and set its next meeting for Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.

Actions recorded in the transcript consist of the two bill passages by voice vote and the referral of H.801 to Ways and Means. The transcript does not include numeric vote tallies or named movers for the bill votes; the adjournment motion was made and approved by voice.