House Appropriations advances S.239 to study mandatory child-abuse reporting; amendment approved

The House Appropriations Committee advanced S.239 on April 17, 2026, approving a committee amendment and then voting the bill out of committee. The bill, described by Michelle Childs of the Office of Legislative Council, would create a working group charged with examining laws and policies around mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect, with an interim check-in by April 1 next year and a final report by Oct. 1, 2027.

Childs told the committee the amendment passed by House Human Services includes findings that helped frame the group’s work: from 2022 through 2024 Vermont’s rate of referrals to child welfare services was “over three times higher than the national rate,” yet only 17% of those referrals met criteria for further action, and just 20% of victims received post-response services in Vermont compared with a 57% national average. Those gaps, she said, motivated a focused review of who is a mandatory reporter, reporting processes, training and guidance for reporters, and possible exemptions.

Members debated the size and composition of the working group. The bill lists roughly 13 working-group members and names about 10 stakeholder organizations for consultation. Some lawmakers worried similarly named advocacy groups might be duplicative and questioned whether the list would produce an unwieldy panel; others argued inclusive membership is important so affected communities and mandated reporters can inform recommendations. A committee member summarized the trade-off: a smaller panel can be more efficient, but excluding voices risks producing recommendations that lack input from those affected by the reporting process.

On budget questions, Nolan of the Joint Fiscal Office told members the Senate-passed version lacked per-diem language so it carried no fiscal note; the House amendment added a per-diem entitlement under 32 V.S.A. § 1010. Nolan said that even under a higher-attendance scenario (about six paid participants at 12 meetings), per-diem costs would be roughly $9,500 — “under $10,000” — and that DCF indicated it could absorb the expense within its existing appropriations. Committee discussion emphasized that most working-group members would attend in a professional capacity and not expect per diem, and that the two members with lived experience were more likely to claim expenses.

The committee also accepted a narrow change to the consult list: the Agency of Education will be included as a consulting stakeholder rather than a formal working-group member, and the appointed school-counselor slot will be filled by a designee of the Vermont School Counselors Association. That change was incorporated into draft 1.2 and put to a recorded roll-call vote.

The clerk conducted roll calls first on the committee amendment and then on final passage. The transcript records multiple members answering “Yes” during each roll call; the amendment and the bill were announced as approved by the committee. The roll-call list in the record is partial in the transcript available to this report; the committee announced passage at the conclusion of its votes.

The bill requires DCF to convene the group on or before Aug. 15 of the summer and directs the agency to provide administrative support; per-diem and expense language ties payment to funds appropriated to DCF. If implemented, the working group will consult federal compliance bodies (including entities that work with CAPTA, the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act) and look at best practices from other states.

The committee paused other business after the vote and indicated it might not convene on Tuesday; staff said they would follow up with sponsors and stakeholders about next steps and implementation details.