Committee adopts amendment to H935, clarifies public‑safety communications spending and funds Ready Response grants

The House Appropriations Committee on March 20 approved an amended version of H935, the emergency management bill, after hearing staff explain draft 2.1 and answering members’ questions.

Tucker Anderson of Legislative Council walked the committee through the amendment’s key changes to section 12 and related carry‑forwards. The amendment spells out how roughly $4.5 million in previously appropriated carry‑forward funds may be used over a three‑year period to advance a statewide Land Mobile Radio (LMR) public‑safety communications program: conduct a statewide conceptual design, produce detailed designs and proofs of concept for pilot projects, and implement or improve equipment and antenna deployment at 10 or more LMR sites. "It's going to be used to implement and expand the LMR network … and finally to build out or improve 10 or more LMR sites," Anderson said, describing language drawn from task‑force reports.

The amendment removes several direct appropriations that had been in the original bill and replaces them with program directives and contingency language making implementation contingent on agencies identifying existing funds. One remaining appropriation is $500,000 from the general fund to the Department of Public Safety in FY27 to support the Ready Response Grant Program administered by Vermont Emergency Management; the program would partner with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to hold shelf‑stable food and bottled water for emergency response distribution.

Members clarified administrative details: microgrants for technical rescue teams would be capped (not more than $5,000 per grant) but could be set lower (testimony noted some grants could be as small as $100), and staff said they would confirm whether the $500,000 would also appear in the operating budget to avoid double counting.

The committee voted to approve the amendment and then voted to report H935 as amended. The transcript records recorded 'yes' votes from members present during both the amendment roll call and the final roll call. Marty (reported by the clerk as the bill reporter) closed the item and the committee recessed for a 10‑minute break.

The amendment includes reporting benchmarks (May 2027, January 2028, January 2029) intended to monitor progress on the public‑safety communications work and requires the Department of Public Safety to return to the legislature for approval before spending leftover carry‑forward funds on additional items.