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Senate Institutions Committee hears testimony urging codification of PREA protections in Vermont
Summary
Charlie Lesserman of the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence told the Senate Institutions Committee that codifying federal PREA standards in state law would preserve protections for incarcerated people amid recent DOJ guidance changes and funding cuts; committee members raised questions about misgendering, staff impacts and compliance. No formal action was taken; DOC and legal counsel will be invited for follow-up and the bill would require a DOC report by Dec. 15, 2027.
Charlie Lesserman, director of policy at the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence, told the Senate Institutions Committee on April 4, 2026, that the bill’s section language would lock in federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards in Vermont law.
"When the state incarcerates someone, it assumes control over that person's environment and a heightened duty to protect them from harm," Lesserman said, urging lawmakers to codify the standards in state statute so changes in federal enforcement would not roll back protections.
Lesserman said Vermont began implementing federal PREA standards in 2013 and that the state achieved federal PREA certification in 2015. He told the committee that two sections of the bill — identified in testimony as section 6 and…
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