House concurs in Senate amendments to ethics commission referral bill

The Vermont House of Representatives on May 22, 2025, concurred in the Senate proposal of amendment to House Bill 1, which revises how the Vermont State Ethics Commission provides advice when referring complaints to legislative and judicial entities and delays some expanded enforcement authority.

"The language of the statute attempted to control constitutional powers of legislative and judicial branches, but statute cannot control the constitution," said the Member from Milton during floor remarks explaining the bill's history and the Senate amendments. The House agreed to the Senate changes by voice vote; the presiding officer announced, "the ayes appear to have it."

House Bill 1 is a follow-up to provisions enacted in 2024 that expanded the Ethics Commission's powers and duties. Sponsors said constitutional questions were identified after the 2024 act's enactment. The Senate amendments (as described on the House calendar) change the referral and consultation process by requiring the commission to specify how the state code of ethics applies to allegations and to include a recommended action when referring a complaint. The amendments also state any advice the commission provides to a receiving entity is confidential and nonbinding.

The bill also amends effective dates: the transcript notes provisions that would permit the commission to refer complaints to itself for enforcement are delayed until Sept. 1, 2027, and other consultation-procedure changes take effect Sept. 1, 2025. The House Judiciary/Government Operations committee reported a favorable recommendation on the Senate amendments following a 9-0-2 straw poll and asked the body for concurrence; the House concurred by voice vote.