Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0201 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
2	2	2025 Page 1 of 8
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5	5	VT LEG #378639 v.2
6	6	H.201 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Rachelson of Burlington, Christie of Hartford, 2
8	8	and Headrick of Burlington 3
9	9	Referred to Committee on 4
10	10	Date: 5
11	11	Subject: Labor; fair employment practices; commerce and trade; 6
12	12	discrimination; rental and sale of real estate; criminal history 7
13	13	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit 8
14	14	discrimination based on an individual’s criminal history in employment and 9
15	15	the rental or sale of housing. 10
16	16	An act relating to prohibiting discrimination based on an individual’s 11
17	17	criminal history 12
18	18	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 13
19	19	Sec. 1. 21 V.S.A. § 495 is amended to read: 14
20	20	§ 495. UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE 15
21	21	(a) It shall be unlawful employment practice, except where a bona fide 16
22	22	occupational qualification requires persons individuals of a particular race, 17
23	23	color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, 18
24	24	ancestry, place of birth, age, crime victim status, criminal history, or physical 19
25	25	or mental condition: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
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29	29	VT LEG #378639 v.2
30	30	(1) For any employer, employment agency, or labor organization to 1
31	31	harass or discriminate against any individual because of race, color, religion, 2
32	32	ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, place of birth, 3
33	33	crime victim status, criminal history, or age or against a qualified individual 4
34	34	with a disability. 5
35	35	(2) For any person individual seeking employees or for any employment 6
36	36	agency or labor organization to cause to be printed, published, or circulated 7
37	37	any notice or advertisement relating to employment or membership indicating 8
38	38	any preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination based upon race, 9
39	39	color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender 10
40	40	identity, place of birth, crime victim status, criminal history, age, or disability. 11
41	41	(3) For any employment agency to fail or refuse to classify properly or 12
42	42	refer for employment or to otherwise harass or discriminate against any 13
43	43	individual because of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual 14
44	44	orientation, gender identity, place of birth, crime victim status, criminal 15
45	45	history, or age or against a qualified individual with a disability. 16
46	46	(4) For any labor organization to limit, segregate, or qualify its 17
47	47	membership with respect to any individual because of race, color, religion, 18
48	48	ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, place of birth, 19
49	49	crime victim status, criminal history, or age or against a qualified individual 20
50	50	with a disability. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
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55	55	* * * 1
56	56	(l) The provisions of this section prohibiting discrimination on the basis of 2
57	57	criminal history shall not be construed to prohibit or prevent an employer from 3
58	58	discharging or refusing to hire an individual for a position: 4
59	59	(1) for which any federal or State law or regulation creates a mandatory 5
60	60	or presumptive disqualification based on one or more types of criminal 6
61	61	offenses for which the individual has been convicted or is subject to a pending 7
62	62	criminal charge; 8
63	63	(2) if the employer or an affiliate of the employer is subject to an 9
64	64	obligation imposed by any federal or State law or regulation not to employ in 10
65	65	that position any individual who has been convicted of one or more types of 11
66	66	criminal offenses for which the individual has been convicted or is subject to a 12
67	67	pending criminal charge; or 13
68	68	(3) that bears a substantial relationship to one or more types of criminal 14
69	69	offenses for which the individual has been convicted or is subject to a pending 15
70	70	criminal charge. 16
71	71	Sec. 2. 21 V.S.A. § 495d is amended to read: 17
72	72	§ 495d. DEFINITIONS 18
73	73	As used in this subchapter: 19
74	74	* * * 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
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78	78	VT LEG #378639 v.2
79	79	(18) “Criminal history” means all information related to an individual’s 1
80	80	contact with the criminal justice system, including data regarding 2
81	81	identification, arrest or citation, arraignment, judicial disposition, custody, and 3
82	82	supervision. 4
83	83	Sec. 3. 9 V.S.A. § 4501 is amended to read: 5
84	84	§ 4501. DEFINITIONS 6
85	85	As used in this chapter: 7
86	86	* * * 8
87	87	(14) “Criminal history” means all information related to an individual’s 9
88	88	contact with the criminal justice system, including data regarding 10
89	89	identification, arrest or citation, arraignment, judicial disposition, custody, and 11
90	90	supervision. 12
91	91	Sec. 4. 9 V.S.A. § 4502 is amended to read: 13
92	92	§ 4502. PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS 14
93	93	(a) An owner or operator of a place of public accommodation or an agent 15
94	94	or employee of such owner or operator shall not, because of the race, creed, 16
95	95	color, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, 17
96	96	or criminal history of any person, refuse, withhold from, or deny to that person 18
97	97	any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of the place 19
98	98	of public accommodation. 20
99	99	* * * 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
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103	103	VT LEG #378639 v.2
104	104	Sec. 5. 9 V.S.A. § 4503 is amended to read: 1
105	105	§ 4503. UNFAIR HOUSING PRACTICES 2
106	106	(a) It shall be unlawful for any person: 3
107	107	(1) To refuse to sell or rent, or refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental 4
108	108	of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling or other real estate to 5
109	109	any person because of the race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 6
110	110	marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, criminal history, or 7
111	111	disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a dwelling with 8
112	112	one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of public 9
113	113	assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 10
114	114	(2) To discriminate against, or to harass, any person in the terms, 11
115	115	conditions, privileges, and protections of the sale or rental of a dwelling or 12
116	116	other real estate, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with 13
117	117	a dwelling or other real estate, because of the race, sex, sexual orientation, 14
118	118	gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, 15
119	119	criminal history, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to 16
120	120	occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a 17
121	121	recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual 18
122	122	assault, or stalking. 19
123	123	(3) To make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or 20
124	124	published, any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
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128	128	VT LEG #378639 v.2
129	129	rental of a dwelling or other real estate that indicates any preference, 1
130	130	limitation, or discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender 2
131	131	identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, criminal 3
132	132	history, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a 4
133	133	dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of 5
134	134	public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 6
135	135	stalking. 7
136	136	(4) To represent to any person because of the race, sex, sexual 8
137	137	orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national 9
138	138	origin, criminal history, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to 10
139	139	occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a 11
140	140	recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual 12
141	141	assault, or stalking, that any dwelling or other real estate is not available for 13
142	142	inspection, sale, or rental when the dwelling or real estate is in fact so 14
143	143	available. 15
144	144	* * * 16
145	145	(6) To discriminate against any person in the making or purchasing of 17
146	146	loans or providing other financial assistance for real-estate-related transactions 18
147	147	or in the selling, brokering, or appraising of residential real property, because 19
148	148	of the race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, 20
149	149	religious creed, color, national origin, criminal history, or disability of a 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
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153	153	VT LEG #378639 v.2
154	154	person, or because a person intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more 1
155	155	minor children, or because a person is a recipient of public assistance, or 2
156	156	because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 3
157	157	(7) To engage in blockbusting practices, for profit, which may include 4
158	158	inducing or attempting to induce a person to sell or rent a dwelling by 5
159	159	representations regarding the entry into the neighborhood of a person or 6
160	160	persons of a particular race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 7
161	161	marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, criminal history, or 8
162	162	disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a dwelling with 9
163	163	one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of public 10
164	164	assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 11
165	165	(8) To deny any person access to or membership or participation in any 12
166	166	multiple listing service, real estate brokers’ organization, or other service, 13
167	167	organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings, 14
168	168	or to discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of such access, 15
169	169	membership, or participation, on account of race, sex, sexual orientation, 16
170	170	gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, 17
171	171	criminal history, or disability of a person, or because a person is a recipient of 18
172	172	public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 19
173	173	stalking. 20
174	174	* * * 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.201
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178	178	VT LEG #378639 v.2
179	179	(12) To discriminate in land use decisions or in the permitting of 1
180	180	housing because of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital 2
181	181	status, religious creed, color, national origin, criminal history, disability, the 3
182	182	presence of one or more minor children, income, or because of the receipt of 4
183	183	public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 5
184	184	stalking, except as otherwise provided by law. 6
185	185	* * * 7
186	186	Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE 8
187	187	This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 9