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House amends bill to harmonize documentation for crime-victim status under FEPA
Summary
The House amended H.887 to add survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to the Fair Employment Practices Act definition of crime victim and align documentation standards with unpaid safe leave; the Committee on General and Housing recommended the amendment and the House ordered third reading.
Representative Krasno (member from South Burlington) presented H.887 and the Committee on General and Housing's recommendation to amend the Fair Employment Practices Act to define survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking as crime victims for anti-discrimination purposes. The change harmonizes documentation standards with those already used to access unpaid safe leave under Act 32, the member said, preventing survivors who take job-protected safe leave from later facing discrimination because of differing documentation requirements.
Representative Krasno described the amendment as a "modest but important fix" that ensures statutes work together; the committee reported its recommendation with an 8-1-2 vote. The House amended H.887 as recommended by voice vote and then ordered third reading the same day.
Section 1 of the amendment adds survivors to the FEPA definition of crime victim and adds the same sources of supporting documentation as in the Parental and Family Leave Act, while section 2 sets an effective date of July 1, 2026. Witnesses reported to the committee included a director from the Attorney General's Civil Rights Unit and staff from Legislative Council. Members were asked to support the amendment and the House recorded the voice vote outcome as "the eyes do have it."
