Legislative Update 4.2.25
This Legislative Crossover Update provides a comprehensive overview of current bills that are relevant to the agricultural community (our legislative team monitored 38 bills this year!). Check out the Table of Contents to learn about the bills that are of most interest to you. There are two sections in this legislative update: bills that made the “crossover” deadline and remain active this legislative session, and bills that did not make the deadline to complete the legislative process in this year. There are a number of House bills related to agriculture that were introduced late this session that could move next year. Because of the two year legislative biennium, bills that didn’t move this year still have a chance to pass in the 2026 session. Have questions, concerns, or want to raise your voice about particular legislation? Contact caroline@ruralvermont.org.
Table of Contents
Bills that Continue to Move Through the Legislative Process
H.401- An act relating to exemptions for food manufacturing establishments
S.60 - An act relating to establishing the Farm Security Special Fund to provide grants for farm losses due to weather conditions
H.493- An act relating to fiscal year 2025 budget adjustments
H.321- An act relating to miscellaneous cannabis amendments
H.167- An act relating to establishing the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters Grant at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
H.484 - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects
S.45 - An act relating to protection from nuisance suits for agricultural activities
H.238 - An act relating to the phaseout of consumer products containing added perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances
S.44 - An act relating to authorization to enter into certain immigration agreements
H.106 - An act relating to selling real property within a FEMA-mapped flood hazard area
H.319 - ACTION ALERT! An act relating to miscellaneous environmental subjects
H.481 - An act relating to stormwater management
Bills that did not make the 2025 Crossover Deadline (these bills are not “dead,” but will not be able to complete the legislative process this year)
Water Quality Oversight Bills
Current Use Bills
H.291 - An act relating to enrollment of posted land in the Use Value Appraisal Program
H.70 - An act relating to the inclusion of use value appraisal land in the conserved land inventory
Conservation Bills
Misc Bills
H.94 - An act relating to events at accessory on-farm businesses
H.4 - An act relating to standards for the care of egg-laying hens
H.371- An act relating to the use of dynamic pricing by retail establishments
H.408 - An act relating to State purchasing of local food
H.326 - ACTION ALERT! An act relating to the regulation of the use of rodenticides
H.62 - An act to repealing the Global Warming Solutions Act
H.161 - ACTION ALERT! An act relating to the Vermont Fair Repair Act
Bills relevant to Farmworkers
PFAS Bills
H.303 - An act relating to the use of septage, sludge, and biosolids
H.292 - An act relating to the land application and sale of biosolids containing PFAS
H.328 - An act relating to compliance with the environmental justice State policy
H.67 - An act relating to legislative operations and government accountability
Bills that Continue to Move Through the Legislative Process
H.401- An act relating to exemptions for food manufacturing establishments
Description: This bill proposes to exempt food manufacturing businesses and those who produce baked goods in their home kitchens (cottage foods) with gross annual receipts of less than $30,000 from licensing with the Department of Health. Rural Vermont endorsed this bill in testimony and Rural Vermont member, The Baker Beth, provided testimony in favor of the bill during Small Farm Action Day on March 26.
Status: H.401 passed the House on 3/20/25.
S.60- An act relating to establishing the Farm Security Special Fund to provide grants for farm losses due to weather conditions
Description: This bill seeks to establish an emergency fund for farmers who have experienced losses due to extreme weather events. The grants awarded would reimburse a farm for up to 50% of uninsured or uncovered losses due to eligible weather conditions, which would be capped at $150,000 total per year per qualified applicant farm. Applications would be reviewed by a Review Board established for this program, and the Board would have 10 days after receiving the application to vote and make a recommendation to the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets on whether the grant should be awarded. If recommended, the Secretary would then have to issue the award within 2 weeks of the Board’s recommendation.
Status: S.60 passed the Senate on 3/20/25. Before passing the Senate, some changes were made to the bill: extending the timeframe from 10 days to 15 for the Board to review an application, and for the appropriation for the program, which started as a request of $20 million, reduced to $7.5 million. Rural Vermont provided testimony in support of S.60 to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry on 4/1/2025 (watch the recording here).
H. 493 - Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget: An act relating to making appropriations for the support of the government
Description: The State FY26 Budget includes many things; including a $300,000 appropriation from the General Fund to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets which will be granted to NOFA-VT for the Crop Cash program (page 102). This program matches SNAP/3SquaresVT funds, providing the participant with extra money to purchase fruit, vegetables, herbs, seeds and plant starts at farmers markets. Crop Cash supports both participants and farmers, enhancing food access and farm viability within the state.
The Governor’s proposed FY26 Budget included language to repeal the Universal School Meals law (starting on page 39 here), which passed as Act 64 (2023) without the Governor's signature. However, advocates received strong support from the legislature in keeping the Universal School Meals Program, and the Governor’s suggested repeal language did not pass the House.
You can find the budget of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets starting on page 35, including their administrative, food safety inspection and agricultural development budget, and more. Here’s a summary of grant funds appropriated to VAAFM for FY2026:
$2,810,000 Food Safety and Consumer Protection Grants
$15,633,200 Agricultural Development Grants
$359,000 Agricultural Resource Management and Environmental Stewardship Grants
$11,375,000 Clean Water Grants
Status Update: The FY26 Budget, or H.493 passed the House on 3/25/2025. The passage of the budget determines the variable length of the legislative session in Vermont.
H.321- An act relating to miscellaneous cannabis amendments
Description: To paraphrase a recent conversation with a member of the Cannabis Control Board (CCB), H.321, “has nothing terribly important to the industry in it”. It contains a series of largely technical updates to the law, such as updates to background check policy, changing the definition of “hemp”, addressing a receivership policy for cannabis establishments and establishment holders, labeling requirements, and a trim and harvest license.
It’s important to note what H.321 does NOT contain. This bill evidences ambivalence and disregard towards the Cannabis Equity Coalition’s recommendations and testimony, the recommendations of the CCB in recent legislatively mandated reports, the recommendations of the Land Access and Opportunity Board, the community of people affected by these laws based on the testimony they have provided this session and over time, and it defunds the Cannabis Business Development Fund at a time when the CCB and nearly all other advocates are calling for it to be expanded and base funded. All of this as small farms and businesses in this sector struggle, some deciding to close, and the communities disproportionately harmed by the criminalization of cannabis are put under further duress by actions of the federal administration.
Status: This bill passed the House on March 25, 2025. After our last update, the bill was voted out of the House Committee on Government Operations. Our coalition asked and was denied the opportunity to testify in both House Ways and Means and House Appropriations prior to passage onto the House Floor, and the bill eventually moved to the Senate.
Outlook: Despite the actions and limitations of the House, we are hopeful moving into the Senate as the Senate Committee on Economic Development is more willing to hear the concerns of the stakeholders affected, and it is willing to delegate subjects based on Committee expertise (for example, the Senate Committee on Agriculture will most likely deal with land use, outdoor siting, ag status, etc.). At Rural Vermont’s March 26th Small Farm Action Day, Ethan Kramer of Tilia Hills and Chris Lillie from Green Mountain Sativa (two licensed outdoor cannabis cultivators) testified in both the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture - speaking in particular to the need for direct sales for small cultivators. We are currently working with members of the House and Senate to advance direct sales language into H.321, which was developed by a stakeholder working group. The direct sales proposal contains two options, both of which we’d like to see become law: 1) A Supplemental Direct Retail Sales License, and 2) A Limited Direct Sales Temporary Event Permit (Farmers’ Market).
H.167- An act relating to establishing the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters Grant at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets
Description: This bill would allocate an annual $2 million appropriation to the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets to administer the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters Grant Program. This program would provide grants to the Vermont Foodbank to purchase local food directly from farms to distribute through their distribution channels. It would also allow the Vermont Foodbank to offer subgrants to their community partners such as food shelves and food pantries to directly purchase food from local farms.
Status: H. 167 passed the House on 3/27/25. Before passing, the House Committee on Appropriations stripped the $2 million appropriation from the bill and reworded it so that the implementation of the program is contingent on an appropriation in FY26 budget. This is a usual process, but the appropriation added to the FY26 budget was reduced to $500,000.
H.484 - An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects
Description: This bill would amend the existing statute in 6 V.S.A. chapter 28 regarding Fertilizer, Lime, Plant Amendments, Plant Biostimulants, and Soil Amendments. It seeks to integrate the term“beneficial substances” in its title and provisions in place of the terms plant amendments, plant biostimulants, and soil amendments in order to align with national efforts to create consistency for the labeling and regulation of these substances. In addition to refining the terminology, this bill would adjust labeling requirements to include an expiration date for microorganisms within products as well as directions for use. It would also replace guaranteed analysis with a statement of composition.
Status: H.484 passed the House on 3/25/25.
S.45 - An act relating to protection from nuisance suits for agricultural activities
Description: The bill proposes to amend the protection of farms against nuisance lawsuits related to agricultural activities under the Vermont “right-to-farm” law by providing that an agricultural activity shall not be a nuisance or trespass when the activity complies with the required agricultural practices rule. This protection would not apply when a nuisance or trespass violation results from negligent operation of an agricultural activity or from violation of water quality requirements. An agricultural activity would not lose this protection due to change of ownership or cessation of operation of not more than 5 years; a change of crops produced; or change of farming method or conversion to another agricultural activity on a farm. The bill also provides that no court action shall be brought forward unless the parties attempt to resolve the nuisance or trespass issue through mediation at least once. In contrast to the current right-to-farm law, this bill would shift the burden of proof from farmers to those who bring a nuisance or trespass claim.
Rural Vermont has expressed concerns about expanding these laws in the past, and we are in the process of hearing from members about this bill. We have not taken a position on it yet. Please reach out to caroline@ruralvermont.org if you have thoughts to share.
Status: This bill passed the Senate on 3/19/25. It was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary in the House on 3/21/25.
H.238- An act relating to the phaseout of consumer products containing added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Description: H.238 refines Act 131 (2024) with a goal to phase out a series of consumer products containing PFAS. In contrast to Act 131, H. 238 excludes pesticides that contain PFAS from its purview, effectively removing the mandate to phase out PFAS from pesticides. Advocates from the Vermont Pesticides and Poisons Action Network and from the VT PFAS/ Military Poisons Coalition have flagged this shortfall with a goal to keep pesticides included in the objective.
Status: H. 238 passed through the House on 3/14/25. It was read on the Senate floor on 3/19/25 and referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare. The version that passed the House did not include a phase out from PFAS in pesticides; advocates will focus on the Senate to get pesticides back into the bill.
S.44 - An act relating to authorization to enter into certain immigration agreements
Description: S. 44 as introduced was identical to its companion bill, H. 81, which didn’t make the crossover deadline. It would require the Governor to have the approval of the General Assembly before entering into certain immigration agreements. S.44 as passed by the Senate, now proposes to amend 20 V.S.A. § 4652 to provide that the Governor, instead of the General Assembly, would enter certain immigration agreements arising out of a State or national emergency with the U.S. Attorney General. These agreements would govern the performance of immigration officer functions or State officers for purposes related to the investigation, apprehension, or detention of non-citizens.
It seems relevant to compare S.44 to Act 5 of 2017 which finds that Vermont residents have a reasonable expectation that their government will not create a registry based on personal characteristics, including immigration status. However, Act 5 of 2017 also enables the Governor, in consultation with the Vermont Attorney General, to enter or modify agreements to assist federal authorities in carrying out certain immigration functions. Insofar, S.44 is a clarification to Act 5 (2017).
Status: S. 44 passed the Senate on 3/14/2025. It was read on the House floor on 3/19/25 and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary where the bill was introduced the following day.
H.106 - An act relating to selling real property within a FEMA mapped flood hazard area
Description: This bill proposes to repeal the requirement that a seller of property needs to notify the purchaser whether the property is located in a Federal Emergency Management Agency mapped flood hazard area. This required disclosure is current law under 27 V.S.A. § 380(a)(1) and (2). (1) applies to mapped special flood hazard areas, and (2) applies to mapped moderate flood hazard areas.
Proponents of this bill, like the Vermont Association of Realtors, testified that the current flood hazard maps are old (sometimes photographic) and that it would be difficult to determine where properties lie exactly and that it's hard to see if a parcel is in the mapped areas or not. The challenging compliance would complicate effective buyer protection.
The bill proposes to keep the requirement under 27 V.S.A. §380 for sellers to disclose whether the property was subject to flooding or flood damage during the seller's possession, and whether the seller used flood insurance.
Status: H. 106 passed the House on 3/28/25.
H.319- An act relating to miscellaneous environmental subjects
Description: This bill proposes to amend multiple environmental subjects.
ACTION ALERT! Rural Vermont has been advocating with support from the Land Access and Opportunity Board for the Vermont General Assembly to mandate Regional Planning Commissions (RPC) to issue Future Agricultural Land Use maps. RPCs are revising the Land Use sections of their Regional Plans in 2025 to implement the Act 250 reform law Act 181 (2024). Unfortunately, those maps do not include agricultural land on their Future Land Use maps nor does Act 181 (2024) include a mandate to show where agricultural land is at risk for conversion or available for future agricultural use. H. 319 may be a vehicle to include an ask for Future Agricultural Land Use Maps in the Senate.
Now is the time to get in touch with your legislators and your Regional Planning Commission and request they recommend the protection of farmland when they rewrite regional “Future Land Use Maps” which currently don’t consistently delineate where food can be produced in the long-term vision of future land use.
Here's the links to testimonials submitted regarding the need for Future Agricultural Land Use Maps to both agriculture committees by the LAOB on March 26, 2025 (here the recording SAG; HAG) and by Rural Vermont to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry on March 12, 2025.
Status: H. 319 passed the House on 3/25/25 and is now in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.
H.481- An act relating to stormwater management
Description: This bill seeks to adjust requirements regarding the permitting of stormwater systems. It would extend the permitting deadline for landowners that are subject to the 3 Acre Rule, which requires landowners with property that contains 3 or more acres of impervious surface to obtain a permit and implement stormwater management techniques. Secondly, it would allow municipalities to assume full legal responsibility for a stormwater system to assess municipal impact fees on users of the stormwater system. The bill would also repeal the sunset of the clean water surcharge on the property transfer tax. Lastly, it would create the Study Committee on the Creation of Regional Stormwater Utility Districts. This committee would investigate the feasibility and benefits of creating regional stormwater utility districts to provide assistance and ensure compliance with the State’s water quality laws.
To date, it does not seem that this bill includes specific implications for farms in Vermont, but please reach out to caroline@ruralvermont.org if you think otherwise.
Status: H.481 passed the House on 3/26/25.
Bills That Did Not Make the 2025 Crossover Deadline
Water Quality Oversight Bills
S.100 - An act relating to administration of the concentrated animal feeding operation water quality permit
Description: This bill is the counter proposal to H.146 to address the lack of water quality oversight and permitting of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR). This bill was supported by ANR as well as the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and also received support from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, which adopted much of the bill in their miscellaneous agricultural bill (S.124), which they voted on in favor. The bill seeks to achieve clarity as directed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency where ANR has jurisdiction to oversee discharges into waters of the state from farms.
We recommend farmers review the side-by-side of S.100 and H.146 (recording of walk through here).
For Rural Vermont and advocates from the Farm Bureau and the Vermont Dairy Producers alliance, S.100 is more favorable than H.146 because it doesn’t change the jurisdiction of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) to define and regulate farming with the Required Agricultural Practices Rule.
Status: Last meeting on 3/27/25. This bill did not make the crossover deadline but could be incorporated into the miscellaneous environmental subjects bill, H.319.
H.146 - An act relating to THE administration and enforcement of agricultural water quality requirements in the State
Description: This bill is being proposed by lawyers from the Conservation Law Foundation and the Vermont Natural Resources Council suggesting to move VAAFM jurisdiction on water quality oversight, rules and programming to ANR. This bill goes beyond what both agencies propose in their Corrective Action Plan and also exceeds what EPA requests of Vermont to address ANRs current lack of issuing CAFO permits.
Rural Vermont reported on and opposed this bill in our previous Legislative Update and via Action Alert earlier this session.
Status: This bill did not pass the House in time to make the crossover deadline.
Current Use Bills
H.134 - An act relating to calculating land use change tax and creating new land use change tax exemption for developing affordable housing
Description: This bill proposes to create a new land use change tax (LUCT) exemption for land withdrawn from use value appraisal (UVA or Current Use) to develop affordable housing. It also proposes a new LUCT calculation used when a portion of a parcel is removed from Current Use so that the calculation uses proration based on acreage instead of valuing the removed portion as a separate parcel.
UVA is a well established program that aims to make farmland more affordable to farmers and to preserve an unfragmented, working landscape. Rural Vermont questioned H.134 in testimony on March 12, underscoring that the bill would lead to the development of farmland in absence of any legislative proposals that would better protect farmland from development or that would make farmland more affordable to farmers. The Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) testimony on the core purposes of the program urged thoughtful consideration of scenarios and impacts. On 3/13/25, the Tax Department testified echoing the FPR concerns around transparency, predictability, and implementation, questioning whether changing the LUCT actually incentivizes affordable housing.
Status: The House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry reached a consensus not to vote on the bill this year on 3/14/25.
H.273 - An act relating to the Use Value Appraisal Program
Description: This bill would make three distinct changes to the Current Use program. Firstly, it would change the land use change tax from 10% to 6% of the full fair market value of the changed land, making it easier to remove land from the program for development. The second change would expand the definition of farmer from someone who makes half of their income farming, to 25% of their income farming. The third change would expand the definition of farmer further to include people who manage equines.
Status: Similar to the other Current Use bills in the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry, this bill has received attention but little movement this session. The committee has heard testimony regarding H.273, but did not vote on this bill to meet the crossover deadline.
H.291 - An act relating to enrollment of posted land in the Use Value Appraisal Program
Description: This bill aims to raise the tax rate for posted lands that are enrolled in the Use Value Appraisal Program so that it is higher than the rate for enrolled agricultural and managed forest land. The bill directs the Current Use Advisory Board to recommend the rate for posted land be equal to 25% of the difference between a parcel’s use value and the grand list value.
Status: The House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry have met a handful of times and received testimony on this bill. The committee has not voted on this bill to meet the crossover deadline.
H.70 - An act relating to the inclusion of use value appraisal land in the conserved land inventory
Description: This bill suggested to “count” land enrolled in the Current Use program towards the goals of Act 59 of 2023 (the law that enacted Vermont’s Vermont Conservation Strategy Initiative, or 30x30 and 50x50 initiatives). Currently, land enrolled in the Use Value Appraisal Program is not in the purview of Vermont’s conservation inventory because legally, the Current Use program is not “C” conservation (read more about what “C” Conservation means here). Based on specific eligibility criteria, farm or forestland can be enrolled in UVA and also withdrawn from the program against a penalty. Even though that penalty accounts for a significant chunk of the fair market value, the fact that land may be disenrolled means it is likely not permanently conserved.
Rural Vermont had testified to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry that “counting” land alone doesn’t have any substantial meaning to the efficacy of protecting farmland to development or the affordability of farmland for farmers and that we need more policy discourses and ideas for how to change this trajectory.
Status: There was no movement on this bill.
Even though these bills may not be active again until 2026, Rural Vermont wants to hear from you about how changes in land use regulation would affect your farm and family. Please be in touch with caroline@ruralvermont.org to ensure any future changes to Current Use and other land use policies are in line with the needs of the wide diversity of agrarians who depend on this program.
Conservation Bills
H.343 - An act relating to making State lands available for farming by citizens of State-recognized Native American Indian tribes
Description: This bill would allow State lands that are owned or controlled by the Agency of Natural Resources to be leased for farming to citizens of State-recognized Native American Indian tribes. The bill outlines a framework for identifying suitable lands, and the application and leasing process.
Status: No movement since introduction.
H.276 - An act relating to the designation of State wildlands
Description: This bill has been proposed by Standing Trees and would allow for ~nine percent of Vermont’s forest to become old growth forests through a newly created designation of “State wildlands” on State lands. These areas would be permanently protected from conversion per statute and allow only for minimal human interference. The bill does not allow for timber harvesting, pruning, cutting, herbicide application, the removal of diseased or infected trees, or the alteration of surface or groundwater on State wildlands. It would also by default include any future acquisitions of State lands as wildlands unless the Agency of Natural Resources justifies another determination.
It is not clear to us at this time if and how H. 276 and H. 343 would intersect.
Status: There has not been any movement on this bill to date.
H.229 - An act relating to establishing the Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund to provide grants for losses to farms and forestry operations due to weather conditions
Description: This bill is almost identical to S.60, as it also seeks to create an emergency relief fund for extreme weather related losses. Yet instead of the fund being just for farmers, this fund is designed for both farms and forestry operations. This is the most distinctive difference between the two bills, and the structure and administration of the fund would be very similar.
Status: There have been no hearings on H.229 since it was introduced in the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Resiliency on February 19th, 2025.
H.94 - An act relating to events at accessory on-farm businesses
Description: This bill would determine that farms that pursue improvements for their accessory on-farm business related to farm events or farm stays would not have to go through Act 250 permitting “if the farm is located in a municipality that has adopted performance standards and site plan review.”
Rural Vermont held two stakeholder group meetings on this issue and members determined that H.94 would not solve the Act 250 issues for farm events and farm stays raised by Act 181 (2024). We continue working with impacted farmers to develop a more comprehensive revisal of the AOFC statute over the summer. Contact caroline@ruralvermont.org to get involved in this work.
In the meantime, we support Fable Farm and the Feast and Field Farmer Collaborative in their efforts to clarify in statute that multi use farm structures are exempt from Act 250 permitting - as they are from local zoning. Christopher Piana from Fable Farm provided compelling testimony during our March 26 Small Farm Action Day, inspiring a number of supporters to demand inclusion of the relevant language into a bill that will move this session. Watch Christopher testify to HAG here and to SAG here.
Status: No movement.
H.4 - An act relating to standards for the care of egg-laying hens
Description: H. 4 would prohibit a person from confining an egg-laying hen in a space that prevents the hen from fully spreading both wings without touching a wall or another bird. It would also define how much floor space laying hens should have access to, as indicated in the Guidelines for Cage-Free Egg Production.
Status: No movement since introduction.
H.371 - An act relating to the use of dynamic pricing by retail establishments
Description: This bill proposes to establish a moratorium on the use of electronic shelf labels or dynamic pricing by retailers selling consumer commodities in the State. “Dynamic pricing” is defined as the use of artificial intelligence to adjust the prices of the electronic shelf labels of consumer commodities at any given moment.
Status: There have not been any hearings on this bill since its committee introduction and walk-through on 3/21/25.
H.408 - An act relating to State purchasing of local food
Description: This bill would create a state policy regarding institutional purchasing and local procurement to encourage local food purchasing by all state institutions, including universities and colleges, to increase the viability of Vermont farm and food businesses. The policy would mandate that institutions give preference to buy local when costs are comparable to foods not grown or produced in the state. More specifically, a price would be not comparable if local food would be more than 10% more expensive than out of state foods.
Previously passed legislation (Act 67 of 2022) states a goal of 20% local food procurement in schools by 2023. Recently, the federal government canceled the Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) program that included $1,222,076 in LFSCC funding for Vermont schools (learn more about this here).
The policy proposed in H.408 would go further than Act 67 (2022) but does not include a needed appropriation to fill the void of the LFSCC.
Status: Introduction and walk-through on 3/18/25. This bill could gain more traction in the 2026 session.
H.372 - ACTION ALERT! An act relating to application of neonicotinoid pesticides to nursery starts and herbaceous plants
Description: This bill proposes to prohibit the application of neonicotinoid pesticides to nursery starts and herbaceous plants.
Surrounding states, provinces and even some superstores are phasing out neonics because they are water soluble and attack the nervous system of many non-target insects. This bill is modest in scope by addressing only the application of neonics to nursery starts and potted plants within the State.
ACTION ALERT! An opportunity to reach out to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry to strengthen this bill. Legislative counsel shared that a sales prohibition (of plants that had neonics applied to them outside of the state) could be added without violating the Constitution’s commerce clause. The Legislative Council stated that a sales prohibition would be easy to do, but it’s not in the bill as currently written.
Status: There have not been any hearings on this bill since its committee introduction and walk-through on 3/18/25. This bill could gain more traction in 2026.
H.326 - ACTION ALERT! An act relating to the regulation of the use of rodenticides
Description: This bill proposes to prohibit the use by any person of both first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides in the State, including use by commercial applicators. The bill also would ban the sale, including internet sales, of anticoagulants in the State. The bill provides an exemption when needed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife to control pests or when no other pest control method would be effective. The bill would also restrict the use of any other legal rodenticides near wildlife refuges, State parks, wildlife management areas, or other ecologically sensitive areas.
Background for this bill includes the recognized effects on non-target animals, such as pets and children. During the bills committee introduction the committee further acknowledged concerns of bio-accumulation up the food chain. The EPA seeks removal of rodenticides from consumer products. Related products are no longer available in stores.
ACTION ALERT! An opportunity to provide testimony, reach out to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry. The committee expressed interest in hearing from orchard growers who may or may not use such products.
Status: There have not been any hearings on this bill since its committee introduction and walk-through on 3/19/25. This bill could gain more traction in 2026.
H.62 - An act to repealing the Global Warming Solutions Act
Description: This bill proposes to change the State’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements to goals, and repeal the Vermont Climate Council. It would do so by adding “whenever practicable” language to the 10 V.S.A. § 578 requirement. In consequence, all State agencies would only consider any increase or decrease in GHG emissions in their decision-making procedures “whenever practicable” with respect to purchases, construction, maintenance, and personnel assignment; and the planning, design, and operation of programs, services, and infrastructure.
The bill would also repeal CVR 12-30-40 Vermont Low Emission and Zero Emission Vehicle Rules, effective August 29, 2024.
Status: H.62 received no consideration since its introduction on 1/23/25.
H.161 - ACTION ALERT! An act relating to the Vermont Fair Repair Act
Description: This bill proposes to require original equipment manufacturers of certain agricultural, electronic, and forestry equipment to make available the parts, tools, and documentation necessary to repair such equipment to independent repair providers and owners of the equipment. Learn more about this bill in our Legislative Update from February 20, 2025 here.
Status: This bill has not received a single hearing since its introduction and remains in the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development.
Action alert - if this bill matters to you, reach out to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resilience and Forestry with the request to make a motion to take possession of the bill and to work on it in 2026.
Bills Relevant to Farmworkers
H.169 - An act relating to amending the prohibitions against discrimination in public accommodations and housing
Description: This bill is a priority of farmworker advocacy champions Migrant Justice and was mentioned in testimony by the Land Access and Opportunity Board during Rural Vermont’s Small Farm Action Day (SFAD ) in March. Similarly, Rural Vermont farmworker member Earnest “Buster” Caswell provided compelling testimony for the need of farmworker housing to both agricultural committees during SFAD (watch the recording here). This bill would be significant for supporting needed housing for migrant farmworkers.
It proposes to prohibit a landlord from requesting a Social Security number (SSN) on a residential rental application and to accept all forms of government issued identification. It also proposes to prohibit charging a fee to apply for rental housing (by amendment to 9 V.S.A § 4456a). Furthermore, it proposes to add citizenship and immigration status to existing discrimination prohibitions in public accommodations and unfair housing practices (by amendment to 9 V.S.A. § 4501).
The Chair of the House Committee on General and Housing suggested that the bill draft may be amended to pivot from a ban on the use of applicant SSNs to an exception to landlords requiring an SSN.
Status: H.169 was read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on General and Housing 2/7/2025. There was testimony and committee discussion on 3/28/25: Chris Donnelly, Champlain Housing Trust said the bill commits the state to more inclusivity and asserted that landlords can get the credit information they need without a SSN. The Vermont Landlord Association did not support prohibiting use of applicant SSNs for purposes of running a credit check and a criminal background check. Further testimony is scheduled for this week. Want to get involved and take action on this important issue? Contact Migrant Justice.
H.333 - An act relating to collective bargaining for agricultural workers
Description: This bill proposes to provide collective bargaining rights to agricultural workers. Last year, The Vermont Pro Act was passed as Act 177 which made it easier for many employees to organize labor unions, but lawmakers scrapped farmworkers last minute from the bill.
H. 333 seeks to remedy this void by amending 21 V.S.A. § 1502 to repeal the inclusion of individuals employed as agricultural laborers from a list of other employment categories explicitly excluded from the relevant statutory definition of “employee.”
Status: There was no movement on H.333. It was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on General and Housing on 2/25/25.
PFAS Bills
H.303 - An act relating to the use of septage, sludge, and biosolids
Description: The bill proposes to ban the land application of biosolids on farmland and would also prohibit the sale of compost or other agricultural products that include the use of septage, sludge, or biosolids in their production, for example, fertilizer.
Like H.292, this bill doesn’t learn from similar legislation passed in Maine, which also includes a protection of farmers affected by the land application of sewage sludge and PFAS contamination, through the creation of a fund to compensate farms affected by providing financial resources for mitigation strategies, technical assistance, and ultimately, a comprehensive response that may include relocation (see the Maine law here). Massachusetts is currently considering legislation that would follow suit and proposes such liability protection for farmers (HD.3814). The Senate version of the farm bill, which is still in the making, included a Section 12514 on PFAS relief modeled after the Maine template as well (starting on page 1352-1362 here).
Status: No movement.
H.292 - An act relating to the land application and sale of biosolids containing PFAS
Description: The bill proposes to ban the land application of biosolids on farmland.
Rural Vermont previously reported that this bill falls short of comparable legislation because it doesn’t include any provisions that would help support farms affected by PFAS contamination (read more on our blog post here).
Status: No movement.
H.286 - An act relating to drinking water standards for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Description: This bill proposes to require the Agency of Natural Resources to amend their Water Supply Rule to establish a maximum contaminant level of “zero parts per trillion” for PFAS in the water supply.
Status: No movement.
H.328 - An act relating to compliance with the environmental justice State policy
Description: This bill proposes to add regional planning commissions to the entities required to comply with the environmental justice policy of the State. Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) already comply with Vermont’s Open Meeting Laws.
Read more about Rural Vermont’s recommendation to mandate RPCs to issue Future Agricultural Land Use Maps here and become active in reaching out to your RPC with this request.
Status: No movement
H.67 - An act relating to legislative operations and government accountability
Description: This bill proposes to create the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability Committee (JGOAC). This bill strives to increase government accountability by focusing on how evidence is used to inform policy, how State laws are carried out, and how legislation can best achieve legislative intent through a new independent, objective, and fact-based process.
Rural Vermont is interested in this legislation because our members affected legislation in the past that mandated Government action, like rule making processes, which were not carried out. Act 41 of 2021, for example, mandated the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets to issue a rulemaking process for the composting of food residuals on farms, but no rulemaking process was launched to date despite multiple iterations of advocates submitting proposed rules. The lack of these rules delays the diversification of the markets of food residuals management and the ability of farms to invest in this practice. Likewise, the Agency of Natural Resources is subject to a moratorium for the issuance of new Solid Waste Facility Certification for food depackaging facilities by Act 170 of 2022 until rules that govern them have been issued. In contrast to this moratorium, Casella Waste Systems has received a renewal of their permit without the issue of rules that would govern their facility. Act 170 of 2022 and Act 41 of 2021 go hand in hand and these rules are essential to enforce source separation of food scraps from contaminants and to define markets for composting.
Status: This bill did not make the crossover deadline. It was voted on by the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs on 3/11/25 as Favorable with Amendment, 10-0-1. The bill was then referred to the House Committee on Appropriations, which met for a walk-through of the bill on 3/18/25. It was recommitted to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs on 4/1/25.