Committee hears H.154 to designate November as 'Vermont Month of the Veteran'; testimony set for Friday

The Senate Committee on Government Operations took up H.154 on March 18, a bill that would designate November of each year as the Vermont Month of the Veteran.

Legislative counsel Michael Chernick, who drafted the bill language, told the committee the proposal would be placed in the state's statutory ceremonial provisions so the designation would be permanent and need not be renewed annually. He said the bill’s operative section designates November as the Vermont Month of the Veteran and that the bill’s standard effective date is July 1, 2025. “If we were doing this as a one time, for example, designating November 2025 as veterans month, then we would do a res,” Chernick said; he added that the current language is intended to make the designation recurring and administratively permanent.

Mike Vareniki, identified in the meeting as the original sponsor, and other committee members said the House passed the measure unanimously last year but time ran out in the Senate; sponsors said they are resubmitting the language this year. Committee members asked about the breadth of the bill’s definition of “veteran.” A senator raised concern that symbolic recognitions sometimes unintentionally leave groups out; the committee discussed whether the bill’s language could exclude people depending on phrasing or discharge status. Chernick said the definition in the draft is broad, referring to service in the U.S. Armed Forces (and noting that the Space Force is included), and that the draft does not limit eligibility by discharge status in the text as presented.

Committee members also discussed the bill’s effective date. Chernick recommended the standard July 1 effective date for administrative simplicity; the committee compared that approach with making the designation effective immediately to cover the coming November and noted that the general assembly would not be in session in November. The committee scheduled witness testimony for Friday, including from Bob Burke, and indicated it would likely vote on the bill at that time.

The committee recorded no amendments or final vote on H.154 during the March 18 meeting; members asked staff to provide amendment language and witness lists ahead of Friday’s session.