House reads five bills for first reading, honors local shop, reassigns HB403 to agriculture committee
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Summary
On the floor the House read five bills for first reading (on harassment, school attendance, emergency shelter reimbursement, a snowmobile ban on the Beebe Spur Rail Trail, and secondary enforcement of certain motor vehicle violations), read HCR 166 honoring the Pick and Shovel’s 50th anniversary, and voted to relieve the Committee on General and Housing of H.403 and commit it to the Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry.
The House read five bills for first reading and referred each to the appropriate committee: H.8 91 (amending the definition of harassment in Title 16) and H.8 92 (school attendance requirements) were referred to the Committee on Education; H.8 93 (creating a municipal emergency shelter program and reimbursing municipal corporations for emergency housing costs) was referred to the Committee on Human Services; H.8 94 (prohibiting the use of snowmobiles on the Beebe Spur Rail Trail) was referred to the Committee on Transportation; and H.8 95 (secondary enforcement of certain motor vehicle violations) was referred to the Committee on Judiciary. The Clerk read each bill's title on the floor.
The House also read House Concurrent Resolution HCR 166 congratulating the Pick and Shovel in Newport City on its 50th anniversary. The resolution text in the transcript names the "Hamblett family" as having established the Pick and Shovel in 1975. A Member from Newport City then introduced guests identified in the gallery as the store's owner, Chris Hamlet, and his wife Karen, and asked members to "join me in wishing the Hamlet family another 50 of service." The transcript contains both the spelling "Hamblett" in the resolution text and "Hamlet" when the owners were introduced; the record is inconsistent on the family name.
On a separate motion, the Member from Callas moved to relieve the Committee on General and Housing of House Bill H.403 (relating to fair labor standards and housing standards for agricultural workers) and to commit the bill to the Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry. The motion was decided by voice vote; the Chair stated the ayes have it and the reassignment took effect.
Other floor business included noting House Bill H.5 66 on the notice calendar and referring it to Ways and Means because it affects state revenue, announcements of visiting delegations from Vermont Law and Graduate School, congratulatory remarks for Vermont athletes (including Ben Ogden and others), and scheduling notices for several caucus meetings. The House adjourned the session by voice vote until Wednesday, 02/11/2026 at 3:30 p.m., per a motion recorded on the floor.