Committee reviews joint resolution reaffirming support for transgender and nonbinary Vermonters

The Judiciary committee met Tuesday afternoon, March 18, to review JRS 15, a joint policy resolution "supporting Vermont's transgender and nonbinary community and declaring Vermont's commitment to fighting discrimination and treating all citizens with respect and dignity." Michelle Childs, a staff member who presented the measure, said it is a policy resolution that does not amend state law and is handled like a bill for committee work.

The resolution restates steps Vermont has previously taken, including adding gender identity to the list of protected classes in 2007 (extending protections in housing, employment, banking and public accommodations), changes to vital records, and the 2022 shield laws related to reproductive and gender-affirming care. Childs said copies of the adopted resolution would be sent to the congressional delegation and other offices.

Committee members focused on two procedural issues: whether witnesses were needed before the committee and whether the resolution should single out other threatened groups in addition to transgender and nonbinary people. Childs and others said the measure does not create or amend law and that it had been reported out in the Senate on second reading, 30-0; she recommended the committee could forgo bringing multiple witnesses because the resolution largely reaffirms existing protections.

Several committee members supported the timing of the resolution, saying recent federal actions and anti-transgender language elsewhere in the country have raised concerns among some Vermont residents and college students. One committee member said students had asked whether Vermont remains a safe place even though protections exist; another asked whether the resolution should also explicitly reference other groups such as Jewish Vermonters. Childs and other committee members responded that nothing in the resolution prevents the Legislature from considering additional or broader resolutions later and that the current text focuses specifically on the transgender and nonbinary population because of recent federal activity.

No formal committee vote was recorded during the discussion. Presenters and members said the committee expected to receive the final text within days and would be prepared to act once the resolution comes to the committee.

The committee additionally noted that the measure, as described by staff, is a reaffirmation of existing statutory and administrative protections rather than a change in law.