BILLASPASSEDBYTHEHOUSE H.27
2025 Page1of6
H.27
IntroducedbyRepresentativesLaLondeofSouthBurlingtonandNugentof
SouthBurlington
ReferredtoCommitteeon
Date:
Subject:Domesticrelations;DomesticViolenceFatalityReviewCommission
Statementofpurposeofbillasintroduced:Thisbillproposestoexpandthe
scopeoftheCommission’sreviewtoincludenear-fatalinstancesofdomestic
violence;addnewmemberstotheCommission;anddirectthepersonswho
haveappointingauthoritytoconsiderdiversitywhenappointingmembersto
theCommission.
AnactrelatingtotheDomesticViolenceFatalityReviewCommission
ItisherebyenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyoftheStateofVermont:
Sec.1.15V.S.A.§ 1140isamendedtoread:
§1140.DOMESTICVIOLENCEFATALITYREVIEWCOMMISSION
(a)TheDomesticViolenceFatalityReviewCommissionisestablished
withintheOfficeoftheAttorneyGeneral,inconsultationwiththeCouncilon
DomesticViolence,forthefollowingpurposes:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 BILLASPASSEDBYTHEHOUSE H.27
2025 Page2of6
(1)toexaminethetrendsandpatternsofdomesticviolence-related
fatalitiesandnear-fatalinstancesofdomesticviolenceinVermont;
(2)toidentifybarrierstosafety,thestrengthsandweaknessesin
communities,andsystemicresponsestodomesticviolence;
(3)toeducatethepublic,serviceproviders,andpolicymakersabout
domesticviolencefatalitiesandnear-fatalinstancesofdomesticviolenceand
strategiesforinterventionandprevention;and
(4)torecommendpolicies,practices,andservicesthatwillencourage
collaborationandreducefatalitiesandnear-fatalinstancesofdomestic
violenceduetodomesticviolence.
(b)TheCommissionisintendedtoreflectcommunitiesthroughout
Vermontandappointingauthoritiesshallstrivetoappointpersonsfrom
differentracialandethnicbackgrounds,personswithadisability,andpersons
whoidentifyasLGBTQ+.TheCommissionshallcomprise172223
members,consistingofthefollowing:
(1)theAttorneyGeneralordesignee;
(2)theCommissionerofHealthordesignee;
(3)theCommissionerforChildrenandFamiliesordesignee;
(4)theCommissionerofCorrectionsordesignee;
(5)theCommissionerofPublicSafetyordesignee;
(6)theChiefMedicalExaminerordesignee;
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16 BILLASPASSEDBYTHEHOUSE H.27
2025 Page3of6
(7)aState’sAttorneywithexperienceprosecutingdomesticviolence
cases,appointedbytheExecutiveDirectoroftheDepartmentofState’s
AttorneysandSheriffs;
(8)theDefenderGeneralordesignee;
(9)amemberoftheVermontCoalitionofBattererIntervention
Services;
(10)amemberoftheVermontNetworkAgainstDomesticandSexual
Violence;
(11)arepresentativeoftheVermontCouncilonDomesticViolence;
(12)arepresentativeoflocallawenforcement,appointedbythe
Governor;
(13)avictimorsurvivorofdomesticviolence,appointedbythe
VermontNetworkAgainstDomesticandSexualViolence;
(14)aphysician,appointedbytheGovernor;
(15)theExecutiveDirectoroftheVermontCriminalJusticeCouncilor
designee;
(16)theCommissionerofMentalHealthordesignee;and
(17)onejudge,appointedbytheChiefJusticeoftheVermontSupreme
Court;
(18)asheriffwithexperienceandinterestincombatingdomestic
violence,appointedbytheVermontSheriffs’Association;
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 BILLASPASSEDBYTHEHOUSE H.27
2025 Page4of6
(19)arestorativejusticepractitionerfromacommunityjusticecenter,
appointedbytheAttorneyGeneral;
(20)theDirectorofVictimServicesfortheVermontStatePoliceor
designee;
(21)astate’sattorneyvictimadvocate,appointedbytheVermont
CenterforCrimeVictimServices;and
(22)theDirectorofVictimServicesfortheDepartmentofCorrections
ordesignee.
(21)theExecutiveDirectoroftheVermontCenterforCrimeVictim
Servicesordesignee;
(22)aState’sAttorneyvictimadvocate,appointedbytheExecutive
DirectoroftheDepartmentofState’sAttorneysandSheriffs;and
(23)theDirectorofVictimServicesfortheDepartmentofCorrections
ordesignee.
(c)InanycasesubjecttoreviewbytheCommission,uponwrittenrequest
oftheCommission,apersonwhopossessesinformationorrecordsthatare
necessaryandrelevanttoadomesticviolencefatalityornear-fatalincident
reviewshall,assoonaspracticable,providetheCommissionwiththe
informationandrecords.Apersonwhoprovidesinformationorrecordsupon
requestoftheCommissionisnotcriminallyorcivillyliableforproviding
informationorrecordsincompliancewiththissection.TheCommissionshall
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 BILLASPASSEDBYTHEHOUSE H.27
2025 Page5of6
reviewfatalitieswhichandnear-fatalincidentsthatarenotunderinvestigation
andfatalitiesandnear-fatalincidentsincasesthatarepostadjudicationwhich
thathavereceivedafinaljudgment.
(d)TheproceedingsandrecordsoftheCommissionareconfidentialand
arenotsubjecttosubpoena,discovery,orintroductionintoevidenceinacivil
orcriminalaction.TheCommissionshalldiscloseconclusionsand
recommendationsuponrequest,butmaynotdiscloseinformation,records,or
datathatareotherwiseconfidential,suchasautopsyrecords.TheCommission
shallnotusetheinformation,records,ordataforpurposesotherthanthose
designatedbysubsections(a)and(g)ofthissection.
(e)TheCommissionisauthorizedtorequireanypersonappearingbeforeit
tosignaconfidentialityagreementcreatedbytheCommissioninorderto
maintaintheconfidentialityoftheproceedings.Inaddition,theCommission
mayenterintoagreementswithnonprofitorganizationsandprivateagenciesto
obtainotherwiseconfidentialinformation.
(f)Commissionmeetingsareconfidential,andshallbeexemptfrom
1 V.S.A.chapter5,subchapter2(openmeetingslaw).Commissionrecords
areconfidential,andshallbeexemptfrom1V.S.A.chapter5,subchapter3
(publicaccesstorecords).
(g)TheCommissionshallreportitsfindingsandrecommendationstothe
Governor,theGeneralAssembly,theChiefJusticeoftheVermontSupreme
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 BILLASPASSEDBYTHEHOUSE H.27
2025 Page6of6
Court,andtheVermontCouncilonDomesticViolencenotlaterthanthethird
TuesdayinJanuaryofthefirstyearofthebiennialsession.Thereportshallbe
availabletothepublicthroughtheOfficeoftheAttorneyGeneral.The
Commissionmayissuedataorotherinformationperiodically,inadditionto
thebiennialreport.Theprovisionsof2V.S.A.§20(d)(expirationofrequired
reports)shallnotapplytothereporttobemadeunderthissubsection.
Sec.2.EFFECTIVEDATE
Thisactshalltakeeffectonpassage.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8