Committee reviews H.219 to create family support pilot for incarcerated parents, includes $400,000 appropriation

Ben Novogrovsky, attorney with the Office of Legislative Council, presented H.219 to the House Corrections & Institutions Committee on Feb. 26, describing it as "an act relating to creating a family support pilot program for incarcerated parents and guardians." The proposal would create 28 V.S.A. §128 to establish pilot programs at Chittenden County Regional Correctional Facility and Northern State Correctional Facility.

The bill text, Novogrovsky said, frames findings and intent that approximately 6,000 children in Vermont have an incarcerated parent or guardian annually and that existing family-friendly programming in the women's facility (operated via a DOC grant and contracts with a nonprofit) has demonstrated benefits. The bill would require the Department of Corrections to ensure gender parity and to develop a phased plan to expand family-support services to all state correctional facilities by 2028.

H.219 would authorize the department to support programs through grants or contracts with qualified nonprofit entities (the presentation noted Lund's "Lund Kids Apart" program as an existing model at Chittenden). The program services required under the draft statute include parenting education and skill-building, child-focused visitation spaces for in-person and virtual visits with safety protocols, outreach and coordination with services for children and caregivers, reentry support for parents and guardians, and improved cross-system collaboration.

The bill also would add a duty for the commissioner to include sufficient funding in the department's proposed annual budget for trauma-informed family services pursuant to the new section, and it includes an explicit $400,000 appropriation from the General Fund to DOC for FY2026 to establish and support the pilot programs. Novogrovsky explained the budgeting mechanics to the committee: while the bill can appropriate $400,000 in the current session, "a current legislature cannot bind future legislatures to spend money," and the long-term funding level would depend on future budgets. He noted the department's budget presentation to the governor and the legislature is the typical vehicle for base funding going forward.

Committee members pressed for measurable outcomes and implementation detail. Kevin (committee member) observed that the bill's annual-report requirement (subsection C of proposed section 128) is general: the department must report before July 1 each year on funding, participation and outcomes and progress toward statewide implementation and gender parity. He asked how success would be measured; Novogrovsky and other members agreed the reporting requirement exists but that outcome measures would need clearer definition.

Members discussed the program's scope and future costs: one member cautioned the 400,000 appropriation is intended to start the pilot but that statewide expansion would likely entail greater long-term costs. The draft statute includes a repeal (sunset) date of July 1, 2028, to allow the legislature to evaluate whether to continue, expand, or discontinue the program.

Next steps noted by the committee included scheduled testimony later that day from Department of Corrections staff, Lund Kids Apart, and Parent Child Centers, and a plan for committee members to prepare questions about program goals, operational mechanics, and evaluation metrics. No formal committee vote on H.219 occurred during the Feb. 26 presentation; the bill remained under committee consideration.