| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED H.29 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 4 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #379264 v.1 |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | H.29 1 |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Representative Berbeco of Winooski 2 |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | Referred to Committee on 3 |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | Date: 4 |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Subject: Health; mental health; crisis response; health equity; land access 5 |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to replace 6 |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | references in the Vermont Statutes Annotated to Vermont Psychiatric 7 |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Survivors with MadFreedom, Inc. 8 |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | An act relating to replacing statutory references to Vermont Psychiatric 9 |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | Survivors with MadFreedom, Inc. 10 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | * * * Vermont Land Access and Opportunity Board * * * 12 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. § 325u is amended to read: 13 |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | § 325u. VERMONT LAND ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY BOARD 14 |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (a) Creation. There is created the Vermont Land Access and Opportunity 15 |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | Board to promote improvements in access to woodlands, farmland, and land 16 |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | and home ownership for Vermonters from historically marginalized or 17 |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | disadvantaged communities who continue to face barriers to land and home 18 |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | ownership. The Board shall be attached to the Vermont Housing and 19 |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | Conservation Board for administrative purposes. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.29 |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | 2025 Page 2 of 4 |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | VT LEG #379264 v.1 |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (b) Organization of Board. The Board shall be composed of: 1 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | * * * 2 |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | (11) one member, appointed by Vermont Psychiatric Survivors 3 |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | MadFreedom, Inc. 4 |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | * * * 5 |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | * * * Health Equity Advisory Commission * * * 6 |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | Sec. 2. 18 V.S.A. § 252 is amended to read: 7 |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | § 252. HEALTH EQUITY ADVISORY COMMISSION 8 |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (a) Creation. There is created the Health Equity Advisory Commission to 9 |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | promote health equity and eradicate health disparities among Vermonters, 10 |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | including particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color; 11 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | individuals who are LGBTQ; and individuals with disabilities. The Advisory 12 |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | Commission shall amplify the voices of impacted communities regarding 13 |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | decisions made by the State that impact health equity, whether in the provision 14 |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | of health care services or as the result of social determinants of health. The 15 |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | Advisory Commission shall also provide strategic guidance on the 16 |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | development of the Office of Health Equity, including recommendations on the 17 |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | structure, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of such an office. 18 |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | (b) Membership. 19 |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | (1) The Advisory Commission shall be composed of the following 20 |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | members: 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.29 |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 2025 Page 3 of 4 |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | VT LEG #379264 v.1 |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | * * * 1 |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | (T) a member, appointed by Vermont Psychiatric Survivors 2 |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | MadFreedom, Inc.; 3 |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | * * * 4 |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | * * * Mental Health Crisis Response Commission * * * 5 |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | Sec. 3. 18 V.S.A. § 7257a is amended to read: 6 |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | § 7257a. MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE COMMISSION 7 |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | * * * 8 |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | (c)(1) The Commission shall comprise the following members: 9 |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | * * * 10 |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | (H) an individual who has a personal experience of living with a 11 |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | mental condition or psychiatric disability, appointed by Vermont Psychiatric 12 |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | Survivors MadFreedom, Inc.; 13 |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | * * * 14 |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | * * * Mental Health Response Service Guidelines * * * 15 |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | Sec. 4. 18 V.S.A. § 7260 is amended to read: 16 |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | § 7260. MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE SERVICE GUIDELINES 17 |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | (a) The Department shall develop guidelines for use by municipalities, 18 |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | including use by emergency medical technicians and public safety personnel, 19 |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | such as law enforcement officers as defined by 20 V.S.A. § 2351a and 20 |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | firefighters as defined in 20 V.S.A. § 3151, who are employed, volunteer, or 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.29 |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | 2025 Page 4 of 4 |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | |
|---|
| 78 | 78 | | |
|---|
| 79 | 79 | | VT LEG #379264 v.1 |
|---|
| 80 | 80 | | are under contract with a municipality. The guidelines shall recommend best 1 |
|---|
| 81 | 81 | | practices for de-escalation and for mental health response services, including 2 |
|---|
| 82 | 82 | | crisis response services. The Department shall make the guidelines available 3 |
|---|
| 83 | 83 | | to municipalities and publish the guidelines on the Department’s website. 4 |
|---|
| 84 | 84 | | (b) In developing the guidelines required pursuant to subsection (a) of this 5 |
|---|
| 85 | 85 | | section, the Department shall consult with the following entities: 6 |
|---|
| 86 | 86 | | * * * 7 |
|---|
| 87 | 87 | | (5) the Vermont Psychiatric Survivors MadFreedom, Inc.; 8 |
|---|
| 88 | 88 | | * * * 9 |
|---|
| 89 | 89 | | * * * Effective Date * * * 10 |
|---|
| 90 | 90 | | Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE 11 |
|---|
| 91 | 91 | | This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 12 |
|---|