Vermont House passes homeless bill of rights, parentage and telehealth parity measures; delays property tax change

The House of Representatives met in session and, by voice votes, approved three bills and postponed action on a fourth during its floor session.

Member from Castleton said he had reviewed House Bill 132, an act to establish a homeless bill of rights and prohibit discrimination against people without homes, and that earlier concerns he had raised about a potential liability for realtors were clarified after discussion with the bill’s presenter; he said he changed his vote from "no" to "yes" and urged the Senate to adopt clearer language to avoid potential liabilities for realtors or renters. The presiding officer then called the question; the body responded by voice and the presiding officer declared H.132 passed.

Representative Member from Northfield offered an amendment to H.745, the Vermont Parentage Act, seeking to clarify wording in subsection a(12) so that documents refer to "a record signed on or after the birth of the child by each intended parent," replacing phrasing that could be read as requiring consent prior to conception. The member said the amendment was drafted with legislative counsel to preserve the bill’s legal intent while clarifying language. A House Judiciary Committee representative reported the committee’s thanks and said the amendment was found favorable in a committee straw poll (transcript records the phrase '803 vote'); the body voice-voted to adopt the amendment and then passed H.745 on third reading.

The House also heard third reading of H.861, addressing reimbursement parity for health care services delivered in person, by telemedicine, and by audio-only telephone. The presiding officer called the question and the bill passed by voice vote.

On the final calendar item, Member from Corinth moved to postpone action on H.629, an act relating to changes to property tax abatement and tax sales, for two legislative days. The body approved the postponement by voice vote.

All floor votes reported in the transcript were voice votes and the presiding officer announced the outcomes; the transcript does not record roll-call tallies for the floor votes.