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House Education hears plan to sustain intercollegiate sexual‑violence council; lawmakers debate expansion and funding
Summary
On May 14 the House Education Committee heard testimony on Section 5 of H.931 to sustain an intercollegiate council on prevention of sexual violence; Wendy Kane of the University of Vermont said institutions will keep the council running without state dollars while members debated expanding membership and paused final action pending related PCB-testing funding concerns.
The House Education Committee on May 14 heard testimony on Section 5 of H.931, which concerns an intercollegiate advisory council aimed at preventing sexual violence on college campuses. Wendy Kane of the University of Vermont told the committee that higher‑education institutions plan to continue the council’s work without state appropriations by rotating hosting and providing administrative support.
"We think it's very important to continue the work of the council," Kane said, adding that the institutions "know that we can do that without state dollars." Kane said the council has shared national best practices among Title IX coordinators and that private colleges pushed to allow a representative from each school to participate so every higher‑education institution in the state can have a voice.
Committee members questioned whether a statutory change is necessary now. One committee member asked why the committee should act when existing commissions and the practice of inviting stakeholders to testify might achieve similar results without expanding the council. Another member responded that the current system "isn't working" and that the moment — with new leadership and engagement — is appropriate for broadening representation.
Members also raised a related procedural concern: a separate PCB bill could determine whether schools face a 2027 testing deadline for PCBs without clear funding to comply. One member said the committee could concur with H.931 but preferred to hold final action until the outcome of the PCB bill is known, warning that if that provision fails, schools could face the 2027 testing requirement without funding.
Lawmakers noted the appropriation tied to the council would be small. "At a maximum of $20,000," a member said, the amount would likely be less because many participants would attend as part of their existing duties. Several members said they were inclined to try the expanded structure while monitoring results and planned to bring the Agency of Education and the council back to the committee for review in the next legislative cycle.
No formal vote or motion on H.931 Section 5 was recorded during the hearing. The committee recessed until 11 a.m.; members said they would take a straw poll on chronic‑absenteeism language so Rob could present that item on the floor later the same day.
