Lawmaker urges tougher penalties under H.255 after Green Mountain Transit reports driver assaults

Representative Emily Prasnow, Chittenden-9 of South Burlington, testified Feb. 28 before the House Judiciary Committee in support of H.255, a bill that would extend enhanced criminal protections to public transit workers, saying the measure responds to a rising risk of assaults on transit staff.

Prasnow told the committee that Green Mountain Transit (GMT) Urban Operations recorded four assaults against staff in 2024 among 78 employees (an annual assault rate she characterized as 5 percent) and two additional assaults so far in 2025. She said one 2024 incident involved a driver being assaulted while the bus was in motion in Burlington and that such attacks could produce catastrophic harm to drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other vehicles.

"We are fortunate that a tragedy did not occur, but we cannot continue to rely on luck to ensure the safety of workers and the public," Prasnow said. She said H.255 would amend Title 13 of the Vermont statutes to categorize public transit workers as protected professionals, placing them alongside law enforcement, firefighters, emergency responders, health care workers and certain child-protection staff.

Prasnow said the request for the change came from GMT's Urban Safety Committee, which she described as composed of both union employees and management. She urged the committee to consider the bill as a way to send a stronger legal signal that assaulting a transit worker is a serious offense.

Committee members focused questions on drafting details and scope. Members asked whether the bill's definition of "public transit worker" should mirror other statutory definitions that specify employment relationships (for example, an "employee of" a named entity) and whether the bill should cover non-driver staff such as kiosk attendants, Amtrak employees, or private-ride operators. Prasnow replied that the GMT data she provided covered the 78 GMT employees and that she did not have statewide figures; she suggested legislative counsel and transit providers could assist if the committee takes up the bill.

Prasnow acknowledged that H.255, as drafted, would not necessarily cover off-duty assaults and that the committee could decide how broadly to define protected workers. She also said she would collect follow-up information — including answers from GMT and examples from other states — and make that available to the committee.

One committee member referenced New York penal law as an example of harsher penalties for assaults on transit workers and said they supported stronger sanctions; Prasnow and other members said they were open to expanding penalties if the committee decides to do so. No formal vote or committee action on H.255 was recorded during the testimony.

Prasnow closed by repeating her request that the committee consider the bill to improve safety for transit workers and said she would follow up by email with additional details promised during questioning.