Over the past few years, hospital emergency rooms in Vermont and beyond have seen an increasingly unsettling state. “The Violence Epidemic,” Liz Koot, emergency department nurse and chair of the Vermont Emergency Nurse Association’s Government Issues Committee, is “The Violence Epidemic.” Please say it on Wednesday.
All over the United States, medical staff have been shot, beaten, stabbed and verbally abused. According to 2021 and 2022 US Bureau of Labor StatisticsVermont lost the most expensive job for healthcare workers due to interstate violence in the US.
Between July 2023 and December 2024, Vermont Hospitals and Health Systems Association recording 89 Cases of violence and threatening behavior at hospitals. More than half of these incidents involved attacks on healthcare workers. However, such incidents have been significantly underreported, Couto said.
“Violence occurs every day in our hospitals,” she told lawmakers on the House Committee on Healthcare on Wednesday morning.
In 2023, lawmakers tried to deal with the epidemic Article 24increasing penalties for threatening healthcare workers and making it easier for law enforcement to arrest people who assault healthcare workers.
But now, members of the House Healthcare Committee are back on this issue. The committee is currently working on H. 259a bill that requires hospitals to draft security plans to “prevent workplace violence and manage proactive behavior” and collect data on incidents taking place in hospitals. As part of these plans, some hospital employees will be trained in practices such as “defensive tactics,” emission removal, and crisis intervention.
In effect, the bill is trying to set standardized guidelines for Vermont hospitals. This differs from safety policies and procedures, Couto said.
On Wednesday, R-Enosburgh MP Allen Demar asked if it would go well enough.
“Is this enough?” he asked Koot. “If it’s trending, what else should you do for your safety and for all others?”
The bill “a great start,” she replied.
On the move
The lawmaker gave the final stamp of approval Songs on a six-month budget Wednesday afternoon. But a few hours ago, Gov. Phil Scott told reporters he planned to reject the bill once he arrived at his desk, and first rejected the 2025 legislative meeting.
An important conflict over the annual budget adjustment bill is the fate of Vermont’s motel voucher program for residents.
Lawmakers have signed an extension of the loose winter rules for the program through spring until June 30th. The move promoted by the Democrats is an attempt to move away from the wave of evictions from the program, which is scheduled to begin on April 1. The policy shift comes with a price tag of approximately $1.8 million.
For more information about the ongoing discussion, please see here.
– Carly Berlin
The Senate on Wednesday granted preliminary approval to S.69, a bill that seeks to protect minors from addictive and harmful functions of social media platforms.
The bill, known by supporters as the “Kids Code,” will set up guardrails on platforms such as Tiktok and Facebook, requiring tech companies to adjust algorithms and default privacy settings for users under the age of 18.
It is unclear if the bill passes through the House and reaches Gov. Phil Scott. Last year, Scott rejected a drastic data privacy bill, including an earlier version of Kids Code, but he cited other provisions in the bill when explaining his veto.
The bill passed a reserve vote to amend the law by a 25-5 vote on Wednesday, suggesting that if Scott rejects the bill, children’s code supporters could have numbers that would invalidate him this time.
– Habibsabet
The house was approved in advance H.2 On Wednesday, the bill delaying Vermont’s full implementation raises the age initiative for another two years.
A few months ago, Democrats appeared to have been driven to move forward with the Juvenile Justice initiative after years of delays. But after calling from Gov. Phil Scott and his top public safety officials to resolve the final stage of ageing, lawmakers appear to be seeking central position.
“This delay is a compromise,” said Rep. Martin Lalonde of D-South Burlington on the floor of the house.
The Republican-backed amendment sought to abolish the final stage of ageing. This expands the jurisdiction of the juvenile to include 19-year-old children charged with misdemeanors and low-level felony. The attempt was rejected.
H.2 also proposes increasing the age at which children can be charged with juvenile offences from 10 to 12.
– Ethan Weinstein
Crossing current
The House Environment Committee voted in favor of moving forward on Tuesday. H.238a bill to phase out the sale and production of consumer products, including additional PFA, a class of thousands of durable chemicals related to many cancer and health issues in humans.
The bill extends state’s existing restrictions on consumer products, including PFAS, and includes a ban on the manufacture and sale of cleaning products, dental floss, and containers lined with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl materials.
For more information about the bill, please see here.
The Senate Natural Resources Committee also moved the Road Salt bill first this morning, with all members other than R-Rutland’s Senator Terry Williams voting in favor of the amendment bill. bill, S.29in the hopes of lowering costs and improving the health of waterways damaged by salt spills, we create a certification program for commercial salt applicators that will help ensure road and sidewalk safety while reducing road and sidewalk safety.
– Olivia Giger
Check out our 2025 Building Tracker for the latest updates on the major legislation we follow.
