Vermont Senate passes H.479, a comprehensive housing package; bill now goes to House

The Vermont Senate passed H.4.79, a comprehensive housing bill, and sent its actions to the House, the Senate president announced after a series of committee reports and floor explanations.

The bill, presented by the senator from Chittenden Southeast as the Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee's proposal of amendment, carries forward provisions from earlier housing legislation (S.127) and adds new programs and protections, including the Vermont Rental Housing Improvement Program (VHIP) changes, a codified manufactured home improvement and repair program, expanded brownfield revitalization tools, a Community Housing and Infrastructure Program (CHIP), and new tenant protections such as requiring landlords to accept an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) or other government ID for background and credit checks.

Supporters said H.4.79 builds on S.127 by adding a 30% set-aside for the deeply affordable five-year VHIP loan program, requiring annual outcome reporting, adding disaster-displaced individuals to eligibility, and allowing master leases. The proposal also directs expanded data transparency measures, including anonymized rental data reporting, and initiates studies…