House advances medical‑leave, professional‑regulation bills; bars flavored tobacco in concurrence

The House of Representatives met in Montpelier and on third reading passed H.856, an act to provide medical leave for serious injury, and H.870, a measure revising professions and occupations regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation. Both bills were approved by voice vote; the transcript records 'the ayes do have it' but does not include a roll‑call tally.

Clerk of the House announced that H.856 "relating to medical leave for serious injury" had received a third reading and asked, "The question is shall the bill pass?" Members responded by voice and the bill was carried. Similarly, H.870 received a third reading and passed by voice vote.

The House postponed action for one legislative day on three bills after motions from the floor: H.279 (Uniform Trust Decanting Act), H.350 (Uniform Directed Trust Act) and H.664 (designating a state mushroom). Representative floor motions to postpone were recorded as, "I move that we postpone action on H.279...for 1 legislative day," and the body adopted the motions by voice vote.

On Senate Bill 18, an act relating to banning flavored tobacco products and e‑liquids, the House considered a last‑minute amendment to the House proposal of amendment that had been emailed to members. The member presenting the amendment asked to withdraw it after an unfavorable committee report. During debate, the Member from Shelburne summarized federal action and health concerns about nicotine and flavored cigarettes, and the Member from Morristown cited CDC language noting that many cigarettes sold in the United States contain some menthol. The House then passed S.18 "in concurrence with proposal of amendment" by voice vote; the transcript records passage without a roll‑call tally.

What this means next: the transcript records referral actions (first readings) for several other bills introduced that morning — including H.871, H.872 and H.873 — and referrals of two senate bills (S.109 and S.191) to their respective committees. Where the House took formal votes during this session, they were recorded as voice votes in the transcript; no roll‑call vote tallies or individual member votes are recorded in the provided text.

Votes at a glance

- H.856 (medical leave for serious injury): Passed (voice vote; roll call not recorded in transcript).
- H.870 (professions and occupations): Passed (voice vote; roll call not recorded in transcript).
- S.18 (ban on flavored tobacco products and e‑liquids): Passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment (voice vote; roll call not recorded in transcript).
- H.279, H.350, H.664: Postponed for one legislative day (motions adopted by voice).

Officials and sources: procedural language, motion text and votes are drawn from the House clerk’s reading and the floor exchanges in the transcript. The transcript shows committee referrals for other bills but does not record committee action or final dispositions beyond this session.

Next steps: The bills referred to committees will proceed through those committees; the bills that passed by concurrence proceed according to legislative procedure. The record here uses the House transcript: recorded voice votes indicate adoption but do not provide member‑level tallies or individual recorded votes.