Bankers group urges clearer support for legislative working groups to avoid open‑meeting burdens

Chris Celia, president of the Vermont Bankers Association, told the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on May 2 that the Legislature’s practice of creating working groups without attaching agency or Legislative Counsel support can impose public-meeting obligations that slow or complicate the group’s work.

"Long story short is it's not an issue of us being in favor of 59 or against 59, but it is an issue of how the legislature creates a working group that is not supported by an agency or legislative council," Celia said. He described a recent working group that required volunteers to host agendas, record meetings, and post recordings, and said the group ultimately relied on the state library system for technical support.

Celia recommended that future working groups include statutory direction to provide staff support (agency or Legislative Counsel) or adopt nonstatutory guidelines to help lay participants comply with public-meeting statutes. Committee members noted the point and said staff would consider whether guidance or statutory language could ease the administrative burden while preserving transparency.

No committee action was taken; members said they would note the concern as they continue work on S.59 and related procedural issues.