House committee hears H.38 to add staff, funding for Vermont Human Rights Commission

The House General and Housing Committee on Jan. 22 heard H.38, a bill that would add staff and funding to the Vermont Human Rights Commission to address a growing backlog of discrimination complaints, committee members and commission staff said.

The bill, as read by Office of Legislative Council staff, would authorize six additional full-time positions and two additional part-time positions for fiscal year 2026 and requests operating and facility funds to support those positions, Sophie Pizzadatni of the Office of Legislative Council told the committee.

Representative Kevin Christie, who identified himself as a representative from Hartford and chair of the Vermont Human Rights Commission for the hearing, framed the bill by describing everyday incidents that lead to complaints and the human impact of delays. "When you think of all of the members of our community that are protected by our laws ... you don't realize how important it is," Christie said, citing examples such as inaccessible…