Committee considers adding safe-harbor for helpers in Title 13 sheltering statute

The House Judiciary Committee also examined a narrower change tied to Title 13 that would exempt people providing assistance under 33 VSA 4908 from criminal liability for sheltering or aiding a runaway when they act in accordance with the law.

Representative McGill explained the Title 13 language clarifies that designated shelters and staff — and persons acting pursuant to 33 VSA 4908 — are exempt from the statute that otherwise makes "sheltering or aiding" a runaway a criminal offense. The sponsor said the intent is to protect organizations and staff who operate in good faith under state and federal program rules.

Committee members asked whether landlords or other private actors could still face aiding-and-abetting exposure; McGill said the statute's exemptions are designed for commission-designated shelters and the bill explicitly adds assistance under 33 VSA 4908 to that list. Members discussed that landlords who purposefully harbor a runaway as part of criminal conduct would remain subject to criminal law while service providers acting under the statute would be protected.

The committee did not vote on the Title 13 change and scheduled a witness (Candy) to return with technical detail about the amendment. The committee flagged the interplay between Title 13 exemptions and the proposed civil immunity for providers as an open issue to resolve.

Why it matters: The change seeks to ensure that organizations offering shelter or transitional housing services to unaccompanied youth are not criminally liable when operating pursuant to state-authorized programs, but legislators continue to probe where the boundary lies between lawful assistance and criminal facilitation.

What’s next: Additional testimony on Title 13 is scheduled at the committee’s next meeting.