House Human Services panel debates new transportation and restraint rules and phases in out‑of‑state contractor standards

The House Human Services Committee on Thursday advanced detailed changes to transport and restraint rules in H657, the omnibus Department for Children and Families bill, even as lawmakers debated age limits, documentation timelines and whether out‑of‑state providers should be held to Vermont standards.

The committee’s markup centered on a rewritten transportation section that clarifies when restraints can be used during secure transports, what must be documented, and who may carry certain high‑level restraints. The bill would require entities that use restraints to document why less‑restrictive interventions were unavailable or unsuccessful and to specify the exact restraint used and the reasons softer options were inadequate. The draft also allows documentation after transport when restraints were required unexpectedly during transit.

Chair (reading the committee’s notes) said she wanted clarity that post‑event documentation would be allowed for reactive uses during transport and said the…