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House Judiciary hears split public testimony on Proposal 4 equal‑protection amendment
Summary
The House Judiciary Committee heard more than a dozen public witnesses April 21 on Proposal 4, a proposed constitutional amendment to add an explicit equal‑protection clause for categories including disability, sexual orientation and gender identity; testimony ranged from faith‑based objections to disability and transgender advocates urging voter approval.
Representative Martin Malone, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, opened a public hearing April 21 on Proposal 4, a proposed amendment to the Vermont Constitution that would bar government from denying equal treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or national origin.
The committee set ground rules at the start: each witness had three minutes to testify, remote witnesses would be asked to unmute or turn on video when called, and a visible timer would signal 30 seconds and then zero. Malone said the committee would listen but not ask questions during the public hearing.
Speakers who supported the amendment emphasized gaps in current protections and the real‑world harms they said those gaps cause. Susan Areronov, who identified herself as policy staff for the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, told the committee that disability discrimination is the most frequently cited category of…
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