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Appropriations Committee advances bill to create Vermont 'sister state' program
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Summary
The Appropriations Committee reviewed H.674, which would create a nine-member oversight committee and a process for Vermont to enter 'sister state' partnerships abroad; legislative counsel said the bill contains no new appropriation and the committee voted to advance the measure.
Rick, legislative counsel with the Office of Legislative Council, briefed the Appropriations Committee on H.674, a bill to establish a formal "sister state" program for Vermont that would create statutory authority, eligibility guidelines and an oversight committee.
Rick said the bill largely tracks recommendations from a working group convened after an assembly directive two years earlier. "So 674, I'm gonna share my screen in case you wanna look at it as I go through it," Rick told members, and he walked the committee through the bill's structure and timeline.
Under the bill, a nine-member oversight committee would manage the program. Rick described the membership as including the secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) or a designee; a House member appointed by the speaker; a Senate member appointed by the Committee on Committees; the chairs of the boards of trustees for the Vermont Council on World Affairs and the Vermont Arts Council; the Vermont adjutant general; and three members appointed for expertise in cultural exchange, higher education, or government.
Members would serve two-year, staggered terms to prevent full turnover. The statute would require the committee to meet at least quarterly and to review agreements, propose new partnerships and prepare an annual report. Rick said the committee could terminate a partnership by majority vote and must submit an annual report by Jan. 15 summarizing the prior year’s activities and a financial overview.
Rick outlined the proposed application and approval process: ACCD develops admission guidelines and a uniform rubric, conducts a confidential internal review (evaluating geopolitical and social considerations), and forwards eligible applications to the oversight committee. If the committee approves an application, it would send that approval to the governor, who "has the sole authority to approve or disapprove it," Rick said. If approved, the governor would instruct the agency to develop the memorandum of understanding within a specified period.
On fiscal questions, a committee member asked whether H.674 included a spending appropriation. Rick responded, "There's not. It's just policy changes," indicating the draft as presented carries no new appropriation; the transcript contains unclear shorthand on reimbursement line items and account names, which are listed in the bill text and fiscal note and should be referenced there for exact amounts and appropriation accounts.
After the presentation the chair asked for other questions and moved the measure to the acting clerk. The acting clerk called the roll and several members were recorded voting in favor. The clerk announced the successful passage of the motion to advance the bill.
What happens next: the committee advanced H.674 for further consideration; the governor retains final approval authority over any partnership the committee approves, and ACCD would be responsible for drafting MOUs and handling confidential reviews. Specific reimbursement amounts, appropriation lines (if any change is later proposed), and the full fiscal note should be consulted in the bill text for final figures.
