Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Rights Commission Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Human Rights Commission warns of intake backlog, requests four full‑time positions and paralegal support
Summary
The State of Vermont Human Rights Commission told the Senate Judiciary Committee it is overwhelmed by intake volume and investigative demand; the commission requested multiple new positions, including intake staff, additional investigators and a paralegal, to address a growing backlog and rising complaints.
Faith Hartman, executive director and general counsel of the State of Vermont Human Rights Commission, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the commission has seen a “severe uptick” in inquiries and complaints and that capacity constraints have created multi‑month delays for intakes and investigations.
Hartman said the commission currently has seven staff (five attorneys, including one litigator), no dedicated full‑time intake specialist, and that intake delays have grown to approximately three to six months. “We currently have about 90 people waiting to hear back from us about whether or not we can accept their intake for investigation,” Hartman said. She added that many accepted complaints remain unassigned for lack of investigator capacity.
Hartman outlined an eight‑position package she previously requested to the administration and said the House budget included two of those positions (one intake specialist and one staff‑attorney investigator). Her “bare minimum” for next fiscal year is four full‑time positions (including two additional investigator/staff‑attorney slots and a paralegal) costing roughly $450,000 for FY26; the full 8‑position package would total about $880,000 for the year.
She described how capacity shortfalls affect vulnerable populations: people of color, unhoused people, elderly residents and people with disabilities experience delays or have complaints declined because the commission lacks the resources to investigate complex or systemic claims. Hartman also requested two part‑time positions (a mediator to expedite early resolution and a social‑worker case manager to help callers in crisis) and a communications/outreach coordinator in an ideal staffing model.
Hartman said the commission handles neutral investigations of fair‑housing and public‑accommodation claims and state‑employee discrimination; employment complaints involving non‑state employers are generally handled by the Attorney General’s civil‑rights unit. She warned that federal civil‑rights enforcement offices are changing and that state enforcement may be the primary recourse for some protected classes moving forward.
Ending: Hartman urged the committee to consider at least the two positions the House included and recommended adding the additional investigator and paralegal to reduce backlog and enable the agency to pursue both intake and litigation work effectively.
