Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Training Open Meetings topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House adds training requirement for state advisory bodies made up entirely of non‑government members
Summary
The House version of S.59 added a training requirement that members of state advisory bodies composed solely of non‑governmental members must receive open‑meeting law training; the committee heard the Secretary of State has a recorded training video available.
The Senate Government Operations Committee reviewed a House amendment to S.59 that would require members of state advisory bodies made up entirely of non‑governmental members to receive open‑meeting law training.
Tucker Anderson, legislative counsel, told the committee this new subsection (1 V.S.A. §312(k) in the draft) bundles training requirements passed in Act 133 and adds a requirement for advisory‑body members who are not government officers or employees. Anderson said the change grew from testimony about an advisory body that lacked legal help from a state agency and whose members had questions about complying with open‑meeting law.
Anderson said the statute does not explicitly require the Secretary of State to provide the training, but the Secretary of State’s office has recorded a training video that is publicly available. “This would add a requirement that those members get training from the Secretary of State's office,” Anderson said when describing the House language.
Committee members signaled they want additional time to review the amendment; the Senate panel asked Judiciary counsel to take a closer look and provide guidance before the panel decides whether to concur with the House changes.
