Vermont House adopts committee of conference report on S.51, unpaid caregiver tax credit

The Vermont House of Representatives suspended its rules and adopted the committee of conference report on Senate Bill 51, an act relating to a Vermont unpaid caregiver tax credit, then immediately messaged the action to the Senate.

Members voted by voice after a motion to suspend the rules to take up S.51 for immediate consideration; the speaker announced “the ayes do have it.” The committee of conference had met on the bill after the two chambers disagreed and recommended that the Senate accede to the House proposal of amendment. The first assistant clerk emailed the committee report to members at 9:48 p.m., and an amendment was posted on the House overview web page with paper copies available at the main table.

Member from Fairhaven reported the committee of conference’s findings, saying the committee "respectfully reports that it was met and considered the same and recommends that the senate accede to the house proposal of amendment." The report ties together sections that had been split out of a larger miscellaneous tax bill: the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, and a military retirement and survivor income tax exemption (originally H.43) were combined into the conference agreement reflected in S.51. Representative Hangle, Representative M. Morgan, Representative Morrissey and Representative Canfield were listed as the four main sponsors of H.43; the reporter said H.43 attracted about 75 co-sponsors from the House.

After the House adopted the committee of conference report, a separate motion to suspend the rules to message the House’s action on S.51 to the Senate forthwith also passed by voice vote. The speaker then requested Representative McCoy of Poultney and Representative Logan of Burlington to meet in the Speaker’s Office; the House recessed for 10 minutes at that point.

The record shows voice votes only; no roll-call vote tally was recorded in the transcript.