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Committee previews cemetery preservation fee and other bills as it readies calendar
Summary
Committee members previewed upcoming bills including a cemetery bill that would establish a $5 certification fee to fund cemetery repairs via grants, discussed testimony scheduling, and noted a bridal disclosure and technical corrections bill on the near calendar.
During the March 12 meeting, the Senate Committee on Government Operations reviewed several bills slated for upcoming hearings and discussed procedural plans and witness scheduling.
The committee chair described a cemetery bill under consideration that would repeal the current statute and create a $5 certification fee charged at burial. According to the explanation given in the meeting, the fee would be collected by the Funeral Directors Association, sent to the Vermont Historic Preservation Division for annual processing, and then disbursed by FOCA (the Vermont Old Cemetery Association) as grants to local cemeteries for repairs such as resetting toppled headstones. The chair said the Secretary of State’s office had indicated support for the proposal and staff were trying to secure testimony from Diane Bashoff (identified in the transcript as president of municipal parks and treasurer).
Committee members raised affordability concerns; the chair said the bill includes provisions for people who cannot afford the fee. The committee also previewed a bridal disclosure bill and a technical corrections bill expected to return from the House; specific bill identifiers for the bridal disclosure item were not specified in the transcript.
No formal votes on these items were recorded during the meeting. Committee staff said they would continue outreach to town clerks and other stakeholders ahead of scheduled hearings.
The committee concluded with routine logistics and signaled that the cemetery and bridal disclosure bills would be on the near-term calendar for additional consideration and testimony.
