House concurs in Senate amendments to H.877, adding municipal livestock rules and tightening hemp and penalty provisions

The Vermont House suspended its rules to take up House Bill 877 for immediate consideration and voted to concur in the Senate's proposal of amendment, which adds sections on livestock regulation, penalties for animals running at large, hemp-product definitions, and an effective date.

Member from Williamstown described five new sections the Senate proposed and walked the chamber through key changes. He said the Senate's additions would amend 24 V.S.A. 2291 to authorize municipalities to regulate livestock running at large by ordinance and would modernize penalties in Title 20, chapter 191. "The current law has a penalty of a maximum of $10 and a minimum of $3 per animal," the Member from Williamstown said, and reported the amendment would increase that to a "$100 maximum and minimum of $50 per [animal]," covering animals on public land, rights of way, municipal property, and other people's property.

He also summarized an amendment to hemp-product definitions (changes that clarify which products are not considered hemp and that address Cannabis Control Board rulemaking for regulated cannabis products), and a provision specifying that a licensed person operating an outdoor cannabis conservation operation with fewer than 10 full-time employees and limited hours would not be regulated as a public building.

The Agricultural, Forest and Food Resilience Committee reported a committee recommendation to concur with the Senate proposal of amendment; the Member from Williamstown said the committee met and on a reported straw poll (as read on the floor) recommended concurrence. The House then took the question on concurrence and approved the Senate proposal of amendment by voice vote.

The bill as described on the floor sets an effective date of July 1, 2024. Floor record shows the House concurred; the transcript does not include a roll-call of individual votes for the floor concurrence.