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House advances health equity data bill after committee amendment; reporting moved to three-year cycle
Summary
House Bill 293, which revises health equity data reporting and registry disclosure rules, was amended on the floor after the Human Services Committee presented a strike-all amendment requested by the Department of Health; the House approved the amendment by voice vote and ordered third reading.
The Vermont House of Representatives approved a committee amendment to H.293, an act relating to health equity data reporting and registry disclosure requirements, and ordered third reading after a second-reading presentation by the Human Services Committee.
Representative Eastis of Guilford, speaking for the committee, said the Department of Health requested the amendment to reduce the frequency of routine reporting and to expand disclosure permissions for two registries. The amendment changes required report submissions to the appropriate committees from annually to every three years, the committee said. It also proposes to expand information disclosure permissions for cancer and ALS registries to allow sharing for "surveillance" purposes, distinct from research, when accompanied by written documentation and assurances from the commissioner and in alignment with federal code.
Representative Eastis told the chamber the Human Services Committee heard from the Department of Health general counsel and the Office of Legislative Counsel while preparing the strike-all amendment. The committee approved the amendment on a vote of 11 and asked the House for its support. The House then approved the amendment by voice vote; the presiding officer announced, "The ayes do have it," and the body ordered third reading. The transcript records the bill's proposed effective date as July 1, 2025.
No roll-call vote on the floor amendment was recorded in the provided transcript, and no detailed debate or floor amendments beyond the committee recommendation appear in the excerpt.
