Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Committee reviews H.108 to remove criminal penalty for failing to support parents
Summary
A legislative committee heard testimony on H.108, which would strike the parental-support provision from 15 V.S.A. §202. Staff and witnesses said the provision is rarely used, that the Office of Child Support lacks authority under federal rules to enforce the parental piece, and that deleting it would narrow an outdated criminal statute.
A legislative committee on Friday considered H.108, a bill that would remove the parental-support provision from 15 V.S.A. §202 and thereby eliminate the criminal penalty that can apply when an adult fails to provide financial support for a destitute parent.
Michelle Towns of the Office of Legislative Council told the committee she researched the statute’s history and noted its origins reach back to England’s Elizabethan Poor Relief Act of 1601. “If you are surprised that there is a legal requirement subject to a criminal penalty for not supporting your elderly parents financially, if you are able to do so, count me in that category of surprise as well,” Towns said.
Towns outlined a timeline of changes to the law, citing enactments and amendments from 1890, 1902, 1915, 1921,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
