House committee walks through strike‑all draft of S328, advancing multiple housing measures

The House Committee on General & Housing reviewed a strike‑all amendment to S328 on April 9 that merges provisions from S328 and H775 into a single draft for committee consideration.

Legislative counsel Cameron Woods walked members through the draft and explained the approach: where bills overlapped, counsel selected language from one bill or the other and rearranged sections numerically for statutory clarity. "I've merged sections of 328 and 775 together," counsel told the committee, noting the draft highlights where language originated from either bill.

Major provisions in the strike‑all draft include:

- Secretary of State resource: A new section would require the Secretary of State to create and maintain a free public website with guidance for common interest communities about governance, conflict resolution and unit‑owner rights; the Secretary of State’s office acknowledged receipt and plans to provide testimony.

- Service‑supported housing advisory council: The draft would establish an advisory council in the Department of Aging and Independent Living to advise BHCB and other agencies on producing permanently affordable housing for individuals receiving Medicaid‑funded developmental disability services, require annual reports and allow the council to recommend funding sources.

- Per‑acre charge analysis: The initial report (due Nov. 15, 2026) would include an analysis of a potential per‑acre charge on lands enrolled in the use‑value appraisal program (UVAP) that are not primary residences as a potential funding source; counsel said early, informal calculations suggested the concept could raise "north of $5 million a year," but members noted major implementation and equity questions.

- Credit facility and off‑site construction pilot: The draft restores the House version’s provisions to increase the state credit facility and adds a 1% credit for off‑site housing financing; it also includes an off‑site construction accelerator pilot to be run in participating municipalities and discussed a possible one‑year extension to the pilot report deadline.

- VEDA/VHFA roles: Counsel revised VEDA language to clarify when Vermont Economic Development Authority may finance multi‑unit housing and limited the agency from financing portions of a development that VHFA would otherwise serve, addressing concerns raised by both agencies.

- Institutional investor report: At a member’s request, the draft asks the Department of Housing and Community Development to report by Nov. 15, 2026 on single‑ and two‑family purchases by covered institutional investors (how other states regulate, counts of covered entities in Vermont, holdings, purchases 2020–2026, and enforcement methods), with an explicit provision allowing DHCD to say if the data are unavailable and to propose methods for future data collection.

Why it matters: The strike‑all draft packages multiple housing tools — resource pages, advisory structures, financing mechanisms, pilot programs and reporting requirements — into one vehicle the committee can mark up and send through Appropriations and Ways and Means. Counsel said the approach is intended to keep House and Senate versions aligned so negotiations can proceed if either chamber advances the underlying bills.

Quotes
"This is a strike all amendment for S328," counsel said. "I've merged sections of 328 and 775 together." — Cameron Woods, legislative counsel
"It's a do. It's not just think and write and plan," a committee member said of the off‑site construction pilot.

Ending
Committee members asked for minor clarifications (population definitions in advisory council language and coordination with JFO on appropriation tweaks) and agreed to move forward with counsel's draft for markup after circulation of the updated language; no final votes were recorded in the session reviewed.