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Senate committee reviews S.252 to waive $30 VCIC fee for home-delivered-meals volunteers
Summary
A bill to exempt certain requests to the Vermont Crime Information Center from the $30 record-check fee was introduced for committee walkthrough; counsel recommended hearing from agency general counsel to clarify who currently pays or receives waivers.
Chair opened the session with a brief walkthrough of S.252, saying the bill amends the VCIC fee schedule to exempt certain criminal-record-check requests from the $30 fee for agencies administering no‑cost home‑delivered meals to older Vermonters. Michelle Child of the Office of Legislative Counsel outlined that the change is largely continuative language from a 2018 request and that it amends Title 20’s VCIC chapter to add the exemption.
Child said the proposal targets Vermont conviction records checked through the Vermont Crime Information Center (VCIC) and is not intended to alter national checks. She noted existing law (Title 33 §69 14) already authorizes certain background checks under commissioner discretion, and that this bill’s effect is primarily on the state fee schedule.
Committee members asked practical questions about implementation: who currently pays the fee when agencies run checks on behalf of volunteers, whether agencies already obtain waivers, and whether organizations such as the home‑delivered‑meals providers absorb the cost. The chair recommended inviting Stuart Sherrer, the agency general counsel referenced in testimony, for a follow-up to clarify whether fees are waived at the agency level or paid by the provider.
No formal action or vote was taken on S.252 during this session. The committee set the item for further review and recommended a future hearing that includes the agency counsel and additional policy staff to clarify payment and waiver practices.
