House concurs in Senate amendments to S.192, clarifies language on secure programs and messaging action to Senate

The Vermont House suspended its rules to take up Senate Bill 192 and voted to concur in the Senate's proposal of amendment to the House proposal of amendment, then moved to message the action to the Senate forthwith.

Member from Northfield reviewed the bill's history and the Senate's changes. He said the House had earlier passed language to address the need for a secure program for the rare individual charged with a crime who is incompetent to stand trial or adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity. "We did not object to [the Senate's] desire to include the term 'forensic facility' in the statement of purpose to make clear that this bill does not preclude the future development of a forensic facility," the Member from Northfield said. He described how the amendment reorganized the request for alternative options, clarified who the program would serve and required that any future funding proposals include legislative language protecting due process for individuals who might be held in a secure program.

House committees reported on the floor that Health Care, Human Services and Judiciary reviewed the amendment and did not object; Health Care was reported as voting 10-0 and Judiciary as a favorable straw poll. The House then concurred in the Senate proposal of amendment by voice vote and approved a motion to message the House's action on S.192 to the Senate forthwith.

Floor transcript records voice votes and committee endorsements for the amended language; no roll-call tally of individual yeas or nays appears in the floor record.