Sen. Ruth Hardy briefs committee on bill to expand libraries' access to afterschool grants

Sen. Ruth Hardy of the Addison District on March 31 told the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee that S.232 is intended to strengthen public libraries’ ability to access state grants and federal funding by updating statutory language and program procedures.

"They are a crucial resource in all of our communities, big and small," Sen. Hardy said, summarizing the bill’s findings and the importance of libraries for early literacy, afterschool programming and community connection.

The bill does several concrete things, Hardy and legislative counsel Tucker Anderson explained. It establishes Vermont Libraries Day (the third Monday in October, not a state holiday), amends several statutory sections to explicitly call out public libraries as eligible recipients of the Universal Afterschool and Summer Special Fund (funded by cannabis sales tax revenue), permits the Agency of Education to allocate an annual portion of the fund to the Department of Libraries for subgrants, and requires the agency to create a simplified application and reporting process to reduce barriers for small, community-based organizations.

"The agency shall create a simple application and reporting process that reduces barriers to grant program participation for small, community-based organizations," Anderson said when describing the new procedural language; he also noted that the advisory committee will now include the state librarian or a designee and must annually solicit public input on the grant program and procedures.

Other technical changes in the bill include clarifying that the Department of Libraries’ collections may be digital or physical—language written to protect continued eligibility for federal digital-collection funding—and removing an out-of-use audiovisual revolving fund that once paid postage to ship VHS tapes and similar media. The bill sets an effective date of July 1, 2026.

Witness testimony in support came from Nicole Miller, executive director of Vermont Afterschool, who said the bill ‘‘clarifies the eligibility for the grant program’’ and will help rural libraries and small afterschool providers successfully compete for funds. "Libraries are a very well-known community resource," Miller said, adding that the bill aligns with the advisory committee’s work to expand access to afterschool and summer programs.

Committee members pressed for fiscal detail. Members asked whether S.232 imposes any fixed percentage or annual cap for libraries; Sen. Hardy and counsel said the Senate removed an explicit 5% allocation and the bill does not require a percentage or fixed annual disbursement amount. Committee members requested updated revenue and award projections from the Joint Fiscal Office and Agency of Education: the fiscal materials discussed during the meeting indicate that the grant program awarded $2.4 million in fiscal year 2025, but members asked staff to bring more recent data on fund size and projected inflows.

Members also raised a municipal governance issue. Counsel explained that statutory language was clarified so that municipal appropriations to nonprofit library corporations would not be construed as giving municipalities control of a library corporation’s board of trustees.

No formal motion or vote was recorded during the session. Committee members agreed to seek additional fiscal detail and testimony (Joint Fiscal Office and Agency of Education) before moving the bill forward. The committee adjourned after the briefing and witness testimony.