[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6525378,"mediaKeyId","3516057-03bcff70098ef2636404cad07742e733","parentId",3516057,"title","Senate approves H.480, an education law package; sponsors cite social‑work support and multistate precedent","audioSeconds",210,"startMs",235000,"endMs",445000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516057-03bcff70098ef2636404cad07742e733&start=235&end=445","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516057-03bcff70098ef2636404cad07742e733/thumbnail_235000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6525378/Vermont/Senate-approves-H480-an-education-law-package-sponsors-cite-socialwork-support-and-multistate-precedent","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525378-43f538fd7bae8c5f15120661d6d1c929/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144072&Signature=hKe82HEs17O397rQXu47LXLLd7QhG39LouEkhx4grjVjtcFGFBSTUhsqYRzidCHiM~ev4BHU2Z7TMX7DreSiNaijT3OrNa485DDFX7~zUBm2QqkGdYmATB7VVP-l1XUmbMe12L3~tZRLQf450c93GEO9sZ8PPkC6bBD4lhqGOhq~nPjXVumEYoZId0fDnUvYvC8-rsaXkqeFbNtXtAU9buMmM2Fy0idd5q9slhWz3EZwe8vXPCFElarI-QeVNxtWFFHNaLb5hFISUXuvjfwn2r-qK4mOhcG-Lnb-dN~MUbtKkxcKu2Ga5v64k3EwKa9NwIRXQmDCkYqb3VNXriOY-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Vermont Legislature","date","2025-05-27T13:58:54Z","article","The Vermont Senate passed H.480, an act making miscellaneous amendments to education law, by voice vote after floor discussion and moves to message the action to the House forthwith.

Senators on the floor described outreach that accompanied the bill. A senator responding to questions said the Vermont chapter of the National Association of Social Workers had submitted a letter supporting the bill’s goals, urging the legislature to advance the measure “with urgency and thoughtfulness.” A floor speaker also said 12 states had adopted similar legislation or had bills prepared.

Members discussed a provision in H.480 related to a BOCES (boards of cooperative educational services) startup grant program. A senator clarified that the BOCES language follows Act 168 of 2024 and that the term “supervisory union” in that act includes supervisory districts; the clarification was offered to address a question about whether supervisory districts were covered by the startup grant language.

After the reading and brief floor discussion the Senate voice‑voted to adopt the concurrence and later suspended its rules to message the action on H.480 to the House immediately.

The bill was advanced by voice vote; the transcript does not include a roll‑call tally in the excerpt provided.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Session - May 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Vermont Senate passed H.480 in concurrence with a proposal of amendment. Sponsors said the bill updates education law, cited a letter of support from the Vermont chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and said a dozen states had adopted similar measures.","taxTitle","SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",29455,"location","Vermont","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6525384,"Senate advances H.397 to expand flood response tools, municipal finance options and dam drawdown authority",2237,499000,2736000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3516057-03bcff70098ef2636404cad07742e733&start=499&end=2736","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3516057-03bcff70098ef2636404cad07742e733/thumbnail_499000.jpg","/articles/6525384/Vermont/Senate-advances-H397-to-expand-flood-response-tools-municipal-finance-options-and-dam-drawdown-authority","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6525384-4d3fc15c59e75759940d72c50313f0bd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144072&Signature=JhqW6bHXN7Fe9HphckP54sr16vRcZbpU6uqYuNzyy3uS94Dv245O-WBzu-o1BmWklp3fKZGcSV5dsvUmsmMVB1FEqZ1~KnA0hFgQ51ujv4HV0TZx0R1u4xIvVS3c0L~zaKzi-t~Lu2PbNf5UbUS5flyuM5Bfw~ETtX6oA0U0UH6ao6zzOWMHsMGl96ntX1LSTlq6udMrhuCjhYuSWisYoCEv8Ull6GU9V7DFbSIEZchDmQ2Bov3djFTxUvN25JlmZywEujbk4cW416uFNJe0Fa~NFhstA65O4sMmF4htqSsoGf6J3~uBqZUM08whYEnw2yfrDrU1Gzo6KDqREmSKSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Vermont Senate advanced H.397, an act addressing emergency management and flood response, by adopting committee amendments and ordering the bill for third reading after committee reporters outlined changes to flood planning, municipal finance, and dam management.

The bill would require the Division of Emergency Management (Vermont Emergency Management) to report annually to government operations committees on actions and the all‑hazards mitigation plan, to consult with relevant stakeholders when preparing the state emergency plan, and to provide assistance to municipalities seeking access to statewide river observation/modeling and enhanced weather forecasting systems. The Senate amendment narrowed a House proposal that would have created more prescriptive municipal planning requirements into a more general consultation mandate.

H.397 explicitly authorizes a grant program to support voluntary buyouts of flood‑impacted properties but does not include a new appropriation for that grant program in the text as reported; committee members noted the division already supports a voluntary buyout program and that explicit statutory authority would allow grants when funding is available. The bill requires the division to conduct a needs assessment and report on required staffing and resources by November 15, 2025.

The measure adds municipal finance changes: it would allow municipal legislative bodies to establish unassigned fund balances (commonly called rainy day funds), authorize short‑term emergency borrowing of up to five years (or up to the reasonably anticipated useful life of improvements) for costs associated with all‑hazard events or a declared state of emergency, and permit municipalities to select level debt service repayment schedules for bonded debt.

On dams, the bill authorizes, under specified conditions, the governor (in consultation with the secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources) to waive applicable water‑quality permitting requirements to allow an advanced drawdown of a reservoir in anticipation of a flood event likely to cause substantial damage or injury. Before a waiver may be used, the director of emergency management must determine that an advanced drawdown will reduce risk or hazard, and the dam operator must have a secretary‑approved drawdown plan meeting minimum hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, downstream communications, maximum safe drawdown rates, a refill plan, monitoring and reporting requirements, and documentation of updates. The bill calls out federally licensed dams for consultation requirements and notes there are roughly 1,000 private dams in the state.

H.397 also modifies local option tax revenue sharing: it raises the portion retained locally from 70% to 75% (state share drops from 30% to 25%) and updates charter references for Burlington, Montpelier, Middlebury and Williston to link to the statutory split. The bill includes session law provisions to refund overpayments to the education fund to two municipalities: the City of Barre (stated as $437,028) and the Town of Milton ($184,451). Committees discussed the refunds as corrections to prior accounting and described the appropriations committee’s amendment as an accounting change that preserves the net impact while routing funds through the general and education funds as required by accounting rules.

The Senate government operations committee reported the bill out unanimously; the finance and appropriations committees recommended further amendments, which the Senate adopted before ordering third reading. Committee members and senators said stakeholder consultation provisions were added in response to testimony, and questions on language access and emergency communications were raised on the floor; the committee said the broader stakeholder consultation requirement is intended to include organizations such as the Vermont Language Justice Coalition but no direct appropriation to that group was added in H.397.

If enacted, most sections would take effect July 1, 2025; the local option tax change would be effective Oct. 1, 2025; the provision preserving federal regulations incorporated by reference takes effect on passage; the bill requires the division’s written needs assessment to be submitted by Nov. 15, 2025.

Votes at the chamber level recorded in the transcript were voice votes to adopt committee amendments and to order third reading; no roll call tallies were recorded in the transcript excerpt.","The Vermont Senate advanced H.397, a wide-ranging bill that would change requirements for emergency planning, authorize grant funding for voluntary buyouts of flood‑prone properties, allow limited pre‑event dam drawdowns with approved plans, and alter municipal finance rules including local option tax revenue sharing.","actionData","errors"]

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Senate approves H.480, an education law package; sponsors cite social‑work support and multistate precedent

Senate advances H.397 to expand flood response tools, municipal finance options and dam drawdown authority