Witnesses tell Senate Judiciary they support H.2’s raise-the-age changes but worry DCF lacks resources for 19‑year‑olds

March 20 — Senate Judiciary heard testimony supporting H.2, the bill to expand Vermont’s juvenile court jurisdiction, but witnesses urged caution about implementing the next phase that would bring 19‑year‑olds fully into family court.

The testimony focused on three elements of H.2: raising the minimum age of juvenile jurisdiction from 10 to 12, increasing the age for supervision in some cases (lifting certain supervision limits from 19 to 20, and extending supervision for some 18‑year‑old cases to age 21), and a proposed shift in the timeline for full implementation to 2027. No formal committee vote occurred at the hearing.

Supporters told the committee the statutory changes are appropriate policy but said operational readiness at the Department for Children and Families (DCF) is inconsistent. "We are what I would call reluctant support of stage 2," said a public defender testifying for the Defender General's Office, praising the move to raise the minimum age to 12 while warning that DCF and contracted providers currently lack the staffing and program capacity needed for 19‑year‑olds. The defender described 10‑ and 11‑year‑olds as rarely charged and typically developmentally…