House adopts a swath of bills on calendar, from health coverage to housing disclosure

The Vermont House on March 20 advanced and in many cases passed a large number of bills on the notice calendar in a sequence of third and second readings.

Key outcomes at a glance:

- H 173 (third reading): Passed by voice vote.

- H 233 (pharmacy benefit management): Passed on third reading by voice vote.

- H 279 and H 350 (trust law updates): Both passed on third reading by voice vote.

- H 606 (professional licensure and immigration status) and H 614 (land improvement, fraud and timber trespass): Passed on third reading.

- H 644 (access to records for people who were in foster care): Passed on third reading.

- H 621 (diagnostic breast imaging coverage): Committee on Health Care reported the bill with an amendment; presenters said it will remove cost-sharing for medically necessary diagnostic breast imaging and the House ordered third reading after voice vote.

- H 639 (disclosure of flood history, accessibility rules for state-funded housing, and reporting/metrics on housing goals): Committee presenters described standardized seller disclosures for FEMA flood hazard areas, landlord disclosure, mobile-home disclosures, adaptability standards for state-funded residential units, and new reporting requirements for DHCD; the House adopted committee recommendations and ordered third reading.

- H 661 (child abuse and neglect investigation reforms): Committee recommended changes including adopting preponderance-of-evidence rules, improved notice and appeals, and updated expungement procedures; the House ordered third reading.

Several bills that carry appropriations (H 585, H 630, H 871, H 874 and others) were referred to the Committee on Appropriations pursuant to House rule 35a as required.

Most of these actions were decided by voice vote; H 289 was the notable exception that drew a roll-call recorded result (99-39) on the committee amendment.