Senate approves Morristown charter, Medicaid rates and several technical bills; refers avian-flu resolution to agriculture committee

The Senate took up multiple measures on the floor and passed a set of bills covering a town charter, Medicaid provider payment rules and several technical fixes, and it referred a senate resolution on avian influenza vaccine distribution to the committee on agriculture.

H.17, an act approving the adoption of a charter for the town of Morristown, was reported favorably by the committee on government operations and approved for third reading and passage. Senator Collamore, reporting for the committee, said the town vote to adopt the charter was 2,002 in favor and 402 opposed, with roughly 55 percent turnout. The bill directs that Morristown retain corporate existence, be governed by general municipal law and by charter authority, names the town manager as head of the administrative branch and gives the manager authority to hire, appoint, discipline and remove town employees subject to personnel rules approved by the selectboard. The bill’s effective date is upon passage.

H.13, an act relating to Medicaid payment rates for home- and community-based service providers, was amended on the floor with technical edits the committee described as clarifications of agency role and terminology. The floor amendment replaced instances of the word “determine” with “calculate,” added the phrase “for informational purposes” to reflect the legislature’s appropriation authority, and changed a phrase from “extraordinary financial relief” to language allowing providers to “may request provider stabilization” from the agency. After the amendment, the Senate passed H.13 in concurrence.

The Senate also passed H.21, an act relating to service of writs of possession; H.206, an act with a technical transition amendment to the Uniform Commercial Code; and H.463, an act relating to technical corrections for the 2025 legislative session. Senators recorded the floor actions by voice vote, with the presiding officer announcing, "The ayes have it," after each question. The Senate passed over S.18 to complete the orders of the day.

SR14, a senate resolution strongly urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expedite establishment and implementation of an avian influenza vaccine national reserve and distribution system for small and medium-sized poultry farms, was read by title and the chair said the resolution would be treated as a bill and referred to the committee on agriculture.

Announcements following floor business included scheduling notices for committee meetings and social events. The Senate adjourned to a future stated date on a recorded voice vote.

Votes at a glance - H.17 (Morristown charter): Passed in concurrence; committee report 5–0–0; effective on passage; municipal vote reported 2,002–402 (55% turnout) (committee report and floor reading recorded). - H.13 (Medicaid payment rates for home- and community-based service providers): Amended on floor (terminology/clarifying changes); passed in concurrence. - H.21 (service of writs of possession): Passed in concurrence. - H.206 (Uniform Commercial Code technical transition date amendment): Amended on floor (clarified transition dates for transactions begun before enactment); passed in concurrence. - H.463 (technical corrections for the 2025 legislative session): Passed in concurrence. - SR14 (avian influenza vaccine national reserve/distribution): Read by title; referred to committee on agriculture.

Procedural notes: Most floor actions were decided by voice votes; specific roll-call tallies for the Senate on these bills were not provided in the floor transcript.