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Opening technical checks and the chair called the Senate Committee on Government Operations to order and introduced the day's agenda and witnesses, noting the first witness would be from the Vermont Ethics Commission.
Members of the Vermont Senate Committee on Government Operations heard testimony Jan. 27, 2026, from the Vermont State Ethics Commission and outside experts urging the legislature to fund two additional staff positions so the commission can resume advising municipalities and prepare to implement enforcement powers from Act 171. Witnesses warned the commission has been forced to turn away municipal requests and described the current $250,000 core budget as insufficient; the commission has proposed a $601,000 budget to add staff.
