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Committee to restore emergency‑broadcast language in H.397; appropriation to be handled separately
Summary
Committee members said they will restore language to H.397 requested by the Vermont Association of Broadcasters to preserve emergency‑notification capability for local radio stations, while removing an explicit appropriation so funding decisions remain with the appropriation committee.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations discussed restoring language to H.397 that would preserve authorities or provisions for local radio stations to perform emergency notifications, the committee chair said on April 16.
Wendy Mays of the Vermont Association of Broadcasters had asked to keep provisions in the bill that support stations that provide emergency‑notification functions, committee leaders said. The chair said the House removed equipment‑funding language but that the Senate Appropriations Committee has money in its budget and that the committee could restore the language without attaching the appropriation amount.
"I believe the original appropriation was $200,000," Senator Larry Hart, chair of the committee, said during the hearing. He told members he would add the language back to the bill "minus the appropriations request," leaving any funding amount to the appropriations process.
Committee members said the decision to reinsert the statutory language would preserve practice while allowing appropriators to decide how much, if any, funding to provide. A committee member reported that the Vermont Association of Broadcasters had already sent a letter in support of the language.
The committee will draft and return revised text to the bill; funding decisions remain subject to the separate appropriations process.
