Vermont committee advances amended sister-state bill after wide-ranging testimony and debate over Irish trade commission

The Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on Feb. 3 reviewed H.674, a bill to create a Vermont Sister State Program, and considered a committee "strike-all" amendment that expands eligible partners and narrows governor notification and annual reporting requirements.

Committee counsel summarized three changes in draft 2.1: adding "national" partners (so relationships may include countries as well as subnational governments); instructing the committee to submit to the governor only those applications it recommends for approval; and removing a reporting subdivision that had required explanations of recommended sister-state agreements in the committee's annual report.

Tim Tierney, director of international trade and business recruitment at the Department of Economic Development and co-chair of the working group, testified the agency supports the bill and that ACCD has the capacity to help administer the program. "At ACCD, we're more than willing to take the lead to help administer it," Tierney said, describing the working group as a "great team" that can evaluate cultural, educational and economic aspects of applications.

Education and cultural witnesses emphasized people-to-people exchange. Deborah Bloom of the Agency of Education described her own exchange experience and said the relational aspects of sister-state ties can benefit Vermont schools and institutions. Lise Varonau, who identified herself as president of the Enfleur sister-city committee, recounted 13 years of arts and youth exchanges between Enfleur and Burlington and said formal state-level designation could deepen opportunities.

The National Guard and veteran-exchange experience also featured in testimony. A Guard representative described the State Partnership Program (a Department of Defense-linked initiative) and said the Guard's existing country partnerships informed the task force's recommendations. Peter Lynch, a longtime exchange organizer, said the bill aims to intentionally coordinate existing international activity so that commerce and other state interests are considered.

The hearing turned contentious when Representative Casey objected to language in the amendment that would repeal a recently authorized Irish Trade Commission. "I think I was disappointed to see that in the bill," Casey said, urging the committee to reconsider and noting an upcoming meeting with Enterprise Ireland and a visiting member of the European Parliament. Casey described recent bipartisan progress on the commission and warned that repeal could undercut momentum.

Committee leadership and task-force members answered that the task force recommended consolidating international engagement into a single, transparent program with clear boundaries so Vermont — a small state with limited staff — can manage partnerships consistently. One committee member summarized the approach: the sister-state program was designed to apply "best practices" from other states and to avoid multiple, overlapping avenues that can be difficult to manage.

Committee members debated governance questions about the treasurer-held fund authorized earlier for the Irish trade commission. One member said the fund as written "does not seem like good governance" and "almost seems like a slush fund for that purpose." Supporters of the trade-commission model replied that similar commissions operate in roughly 30 states, that activities can be privately funded and that public-records rules apply. Representative Casey rejected the consolidation as premature and said the move felt like a setback for ongoing outreach with Irish partners.

The committee took Casey's comments under consideration and recessed for 10 minutes to allow members time to review the amendment and testimony. No formal vote on the amendment or the bill was recorded during the session.