House and Senate GovOps committees meet jointly to coordinate on elections, executive order review and National Guard questions

Members of the Vermont House and Senate Government Operations & Military Affairs committees met in a joint session to introduce members and align on priority work for the biennium, focusing on elections and town charters, an executive order proposing an agency reorganization, and questions about federal use of the National Guard.

The meeting served primarily as a planning session: committee leaders described bills they plan to advance, agreed to regular coordination, and scheduled follow-ups. The committees discussed a recently advanced elections measure — described in the meeting as an “Australian ballot language update” — said to have been voted out of committee on the House side and scheduled for a second reading on the House floor on Tuesday, with staff and leaders exploring suspending rules to allow a same‑day third reading.

Why it matters: the elections and charter work affects how towns move between town meeting and Australian ballot processes; the executive order under review could change agency structure and budgets; and the National Guard discussion touches on the legal and practical limits of federal mobilization and possible impacts on agriculture and emergency response.

Elections and charters: committee leaders said the House has produced a high volume of bills this session and described an effort to coordinate so both chambers are not duplicating work. Members noted several towns have submitted charter updates ahead of town meeting and encouraged using joint sessions when the same presenters are scheduled for both committees to save staff and presenter time. The committees discussed one elections bill that was “voted out” of committee on the House side and is slated for second reading on the House floor the following Tuesday; staff said the secretary of state’s office supported moving the measure through before town meeting day. The meeting materials noted leaders plan recurring coordination meetings (proposed: Tuesdays at 9 a.m.).

Executive order and agency reorganization: committee members raised procedural and legal questions about an administration executive order that would reorganize agencies (committee members described the measure as similar to earlier efforts to merge agencies). Lawyers present differed on whether a single chamber could block the executive order or whether both chambers must act; committee members noted that, if the legislature takes no action, an executive order can become law after 90 days without legislative approval. Committee leaders said they will request a fiscal note on the executive order to capture potential salary and administrative costs and scheduled additional testimony from administration officials, including testimony requested from Jen Morrison and Sarah Clark, to explain the administration’s rationale and potential negative impacts. Members recalled a prior merger of Liquor and Lottery that was first introduced as an executive order and later enacted following legislative process.

Appointments and separation‑of‑powers questions: several executive appointments were described as referred to committee, including Sarah Clark and two proposed members of the State Police Advisory Commission. Committee members said they have delayed votes on those appointments pending an expedited pending Supreme Court decision about separation‑of‑powers questions tied to gubernatorial appointment authority; the committee planned to complete candidate interviews the following week once legal issues are clarified.

National Guard and federal mobilization: members discussed recent conversations with the adjutant general (referred to in the meeting as General Knight) about federal mobilization directives and whether the federal government could use National Guard or Ready Reserve personnel in large‑scale operations such as mass deportations. Committee members said federal mobilization rules limit state control when troops are federalized and observed that there is likely limited state authority to prevent federal use. Members nevertheless discussed policy options and an advocacy role, including urging agricultural and industry lobbying groups in Washington to consider the downstream food‑production and supply impacts of federal mobilizations.

Emergency response, resiliency and regional planning councils: members proposed a joint follow‑up to update the committees on an emergency response and municipal support package and to review progress on a resiliency bill. The committee discussed Regional Planning Commission (RPC) deliverables and whether to extend an RPC report deadline (one member suggested moving a November report to January 15). Members said only three of the ten authorized RPC meetings had occurred and discussed logistical fixes to improve municipal recovery and first‑responder support.

Next steps: committee chairs agreed to increase inter‑committee coordination, schedule testimony from administration witnesses on the executive order and to host the National Guard for a fuller briefing next week. Members also proposed recurring joint meetings to coordinate identical presentations and to avoid duplicative hearings.

Ending: the joint session concluded after organizers confirmed follow‑up meetings, scheduled additional testimony, and encouraged staff to coordinate calendars so overlapping work proceeds efficiently.