Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0067 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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6	6	H.67 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Boyden of Cambridge, Waters Evans of 2
8	8	Charlotte, and Garofano of Essex 3
9	9	Referred to Committee on 4
10	10	Date: 5
11	11	Subject: Legislative operations; government accountability 6
12	12	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to create the 7
13	13	Joint Government Oversight and Accountability Committee. It proposes to 8
14	14	change the default submission date for periodic reports to the General 9
15	15	Assembly and to update the legislative reports database. 10
16	16	An act relating to legislative operations and government accountability 11
17	17	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 12
18	18	* * * Purpose and Findings * * * 13
19	19	Sec. 1. PURPOSE 14
20	20	(a) The purpose of this act is to actuate the principle of government 15
21	21	accountability by focusing on how evidence is used to inform policy, how our 16
22	22	State laws are carried out, and how legislation can best be formed to achieve its 17
23	23	intended outcomes. This act strives to systematize government accountability 18
24	24	efforts as much as possible with simple, clear, independent, objective, and fact-19 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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29	29	based processes rather than to rely upon individual legislators or individual 1
30	30	committees to be effective. 2
31	31	(b) Government accountability means the principle of demanding that 3
32	32	legislation succeeds in achieving its stated policy goals through the provision 4
33	33	of means by which to measure whether the policy goals have been met. The 5
34	34	metrics for determining whether success has been achieved are as important as 6
35	35	the goals themselves. 7
36	36	(c) Government oversight means the mechanisms put into place to ensure 8
37	37	that the bodies of government tasked with executing legislative intent are 9
38	38	properly doing so. Oversight by the General Assembly is the examination of 10
39	39	the processes followed and the information produced by government officials 11
40	40	executing the law to determine whether those officials are properly and 12
41	41	adequately achieving the policy goals established by the General Assembly. 13
42	42	* * * Creation of the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability 14
43	43	Committee * * * 15
44	44	Sec. 2. 2 V.S.A. chapter 28 is added to read: 16
45	45	CHAPTER 28. JOINT GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT AND 17
46	46	ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE 18
47	47	§ 971. CREATION OF COMMITTEE 19
48	48	(a) There is created the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability 20
49	49	Committee, whose membership shall be appointed each biennial session of the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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54	54	General Assembly. The Committee shall work independently and with other 1
55	55	legislative committees to assist with matters related to government oversight 2
56	56	and issues of significant public concern. 3
57	57	(b) The Committee shall be composed of eight members: four members of 4
58	58	the House of Representatives, not more than two of whom shall be from the 5
59	59	same party, appointed by the Speaker of the House; and four members of the 6
60	60	Senate, not more than two of whom shall be from the same party, appointed by 7
61	61	the Committee on Committees. In addition to two members-at-large appointed 8
62	62	from each chamber, one appointment shall be made from each of the House 9
63	63	Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs, the Senate 10
64	64	Committee on Government Operations, and the House and Senate Committees 11
65	65	on Appropriations. 12
66	66	(c) The Committee shall elect a chair, vice chair, and clerk from among its 13
67	67	members and shall adopt rules of procedure. The position of chair shall rotate 14
68	68	biennially between the House and the Senate members. The Committee shall 15
69	69	keep minutes of its meetings and maintain a file thereof. A quorum shall 16
70	70	consist of five members. 17
71	71	(d) The Committee shall meet as necessary for the prompt discharge of its 18
72	72	duties. 19
73	73	(e) For attendance at a meeting when the General Assembly is not in 20
74	74	session, members of the Committee shall be entitled to compensation for 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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79	79	services and reimbursement of expenses as provided under subsection 23(a) of 1
80	80	this title. 2
81	81	(f) The professional and clerical services of the Joint Fiscal Office, the 3
82	82	Office of Legislative Operations, and the Office of Legislative Counsel shall 4
83	83	be available to the Committee. 5
84	84	§ 972. DUTIES AND POWERS 6
85	85	(a) Duties. The Committee shall have duties as described in this section 7
86	86	and elsewhere in law. 8
87	87	(1)(A) The Committee shall exercise government oversight by 9
88	88	examining and investigating matters of significant public concern relating to 10
89	89	State government performance. The Committee shall examine the possible 11
90	90	reasons for any failure of government oversight and provide findings and 12
91	91	tangible recommendations to standing committees of jurisdiction to prevent 13
92	92	future failures. 14
93	93	(B) The Committee will select issues of significant public concern to 15
94	94	examine and investigate by a majority of the current Committee members who 16
95	95	have not recused themselves from the matter. The Committee shall consider 17
96	96	issues of significant public concern referred to the Committee pursuant to a 18
97	97	resolution adopted by either chamber of the General Assembly. 19
98	98	(C) As used in this section, an “issue of significant public concern” 20
99	99	means any issue that: 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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104	104	(i) affects the State as a whole; 1
105	105	(ii) affects a vulnerable population; 2
106	106	(iii) costs the State more than $100,000,000.00; 3
107	107	(iv) implicates a serious failure of State government oversight or 4
108	108	accountability; 5
109	109	(v) arises from previously enacted legislation; or 6
110	110	(vi) constitutes a failure to adequately respond to State or federal 7
111	111	audits. 8
112	112	(2) The Committee shall, with coordination from the Legislative 9
113	113	Committee on Administrative Rules, evaluate executive entities directed to 10
114	114	adopt rules to ensure consistency and accountability in the rulemaking process. 11
115	115	(3) The Committee shall, on an annual basis, issue a report that includes: 12
116	116	(A) which issues of significant public concern the Committee has 13
117	117	examined and investigated, including relevant information and data; 14
118	118	(B) the Committee’s current objectives for review of issues of 15
119	119	significant public concern and which objectives, to date, have and have not 16
120	120	been met; 17
121	121	(C) the Committee’s objectives for review of issues of significant 18
122	122	public concern for the upcoming two years; and 19
123	123	(D) any additional resources required by the Committee to 20
124	124	adequately conduct its work. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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129	129	(b) Powers. The Committee shall have powers as described in this section 1
130	130	and elsewhere in law. The Committee may take or cause depositions to be 2
131	131	taken as needed in any investigation or hearing. 3
132	132	Sec. 3. FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE JOINT GOVERNMENT 4
133	133	OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE 5
134	134	The Joint Government Oversight and Accountability Committee shall 6
135	135	include in its first annual report required by 2 V.S.A. § 972(a)(3) an analysis of 7
136	136	whether the General Assembly should empower the Committee to issue 8
137	137	subpoenas and administer oaths in connection with its examination and 9
138	138	investigation of matters of government oversight and accountability related to 10
139	139	issues of significant public concern. The Committee shall also include in its 11
140	140	report a recommendation for whether the General Assembly should add a staff 12
141	141	member dedicated to supporting the Committee in its work. 13
142	142	* * * Chief Performance Officer Annual Report * * * 14
143	143	Sec. 4. 3 V.S.A. § 2311 is amended to read: 15
144	144	§ 2311. CHIEF PERFORMANCE OFFICER; ANNUAL STATE 16
145	145	OUTCOMES REPORT 17
146	146	* * * 18
147	147	(c) Approving population-level indicators. 19
148	148	(1) Annually, on or before March 1, a standing committee of the 20
149	149	General Assembly having jurisdiction over a population-level quality of life 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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154	154	outcome set forth in subsection (b) of this section or the Chief Performance 1
155	155	Officer may submit to the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability 2
156	156	Committee a request that any population-level indicator related to that outcome 3
157	157	be revised. 4
158	158	(2) If that request is approved by the Joint Government Oversight and 5
159	159	Accountability Committee, the Chief Performance Officer shall revise and 6
160	160	report on the population-level indicator in accordance with that approval and 7
161	161	this section. 8
162	162	(d) The report set forth in this section shall not be subject to the limitation 9
163	163	on the duration of agency reports set forth in 2 V.S.A. § 20(d). 10
164	164	* * * Auditor of Accounts Duties * * * 11
165	165	Sec. 5. 32 V.S.A. § 163 is amended to read: 12
166	166	§ 163. DUTIES OF THE AUDITOR OF ACCOUNTS 13
167	167	In addition to any other duties prescribed by law, the Auditor of Accounts 14
168	168	shall: 15
169	169	* * * 16
170	170	(6)(A) Provide the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability 17
171	171	Committee with a written summary of all audits completed by the Office of the 18
172	172	Auditor of Accounts. 19
173	173	(B) Upon the request of the Joint Government Oversight and 20
174	174	Accountability Committee, provide, at the mutual convenience of the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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179	179	Committee and Auditor, a presentation to the Committee of any completed 1
180	180	audit. 2
181	181	* * * 3
182	182	Sec. 6. ANNUAL AUDIT OF AGENCY PROGRAMS; PILOT 4
183	183	On or before November 15, in the years 2026, 2028, and 2030, the Auditor 5
184	184	of Accounts shall submit a written report to the Joint Government Oversight 6
185	185	and Accountability Committee concerning the periodic audit of administrative 7
186	186	programs operated by State agencies. The Auditor of Accounts shall select not 8
187	187	more than five programs to study during a given two-year reporting period and 9
188	188	shall examine the efficiency and outcomes of the selected programs, including 10
189	189	an analysis of the performance measures for each program and whether the 11
190	190	outcomes align with program objectives and goals. 12
191	191	* * * Periodic Reports * * * 13
192	192	Sec. 7. 2 V.S.A. § 20 is amended to read: 14
193	193	§ 20. LIMITATION ON DISTRIBUTION AND DURATION OF AGENCY 15
194	194	REPORTS 16
195	195	(a) Unless otherwise provided by law, whenever it is required by statute, 17
196	196	rule, or otherwise that an agency, department, or other entity submit an annual, 18
197	197	biennial, or other periodic report to the General Assembly, that requirement 19
198	198	shall be met by submission by January November 15 of copies of the report for 20
199	199	activities in the preceding fiscal year to the Clerk of the House, the Secretary 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.67
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204	204	of the Senate, the Office of Legislative Counsel Operations, chairs of 1
205	205	legislative standing committees of jurisdiction, and such individual members 2
206	206	of the General Assembly or committees that specifically request a copy of the 3
207	207	report. To the extent practicable, reports Reports shall also be placed 4
208	208	published on the agency’s Internet website. No general distribution or mailing 5
209	209	of such reports shall be made to members of the General Assembly. 6
210	210	* * * 7
211	211	(e) If it becomes apparent to any agency, department, or other entity 8
212	212	directed by the General Assembly to report on a matter that the agency, 9
213	213	department, or entity will be unable to do so within the required time, the 10
214	214	reporting agency, department, or entity shall inform, if applicable, the relevant 11
215	215	legislative committee’s current chair, the committee assistant, and the Office of 12
216	216	Legislative Operations of which report will be late, why, and when it will be 13
217	217	delivered. 14
218	218	* * * Effective Date * * * 15
219	219	Sec. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE 16
220	220	This act shall take effect on passage. 17