Bill would add legislative and judicial members to Vermont cybersecurity advisory council

A sponsor introduced H.5.60 to add legislative and judicial representation to Vermont's cybersecurity advisory council, saying better three-branch coordination would improve consistency and cooperation on cybersecurity matters.

The bill would add the chair of the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure, the chair of the Senate Committee on Institutions, and a judicial representative appointed by the chief justice to a council that already includes the executive branch CIO and other sector representatives. The sponsor said the inclusion aims to formalize interbranch communication about cybersecurity policy.

Members questioned whether the legislature's best cybersecurity expertise is already represented and whether legislative IT (referred to in the hearing as Leahy/legislative IT) should have a seat. The sponsor and committee agreed to seek input from Legislative Council and other stakeholders to understand why the advisory council statute includes a repeal effective July 2028 and whether membership or sunset language should be changed.

Next steps: The committee flagged the bill for follow-up, requested quick testimony and documentation on the council's membership and repeal date, and discussed whether to take testimony before voting. No formal vote occurred at the introduction.