Senate committee reviews bill to create cemetery vandalism response fund funded by $5 fee

Senate Committee on Government Operations members on Jan. 27 reviewed S.275, a bill that would create a statewide Cemetery Vandalism Response Fund to help pay for repairs after targeted vandalism at Vermont burial sites.

The bill, as described to the committee, would have the Vermont Old Cemetery Association (VOCA) administer grants to cemeteries and cemetery agencies to repair ‘‘qualifying damage’’ caused by willful or malicious acts. Senator David Weeks, sponsor of S.275, told the committee the program is intended to help towns and volunteer cemetery commissions that typically lack funds for costly repairs and that applicants should first seek insurance or contributions from next of kin before applying for grants.

Legislative counsel walking the committee through the text said the proposal requires an agency to report an act of vandalism to VOCA within 30 days of discovery and allows agencies up to six months after…