Vermont 2025 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0373 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/25/2025

                    BILL AS INTRODUCED 	H.373 
2025 	Page 1 of 2 
 
 
VT LEG #379134 v.1 
H.373 1 
SHORT FORM 2 
Introduced by Representatives Cina of Burlington, Logan of Burlington, 3 
McGill of Bridport, and Satcowitz of Randolph 4 
Referred to Committee on  5 
Date:  6 
Subject: Expanding democracy pilot projects 7 
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced:  This bill proposes to launch a 8 
variety of pilot projects expanding democratic practices in State and local 9 
government, including expanding the use of participatory decision-making in 10 
existing neighborhood planning assemblies; creating neighborhood planning 11 
assemblies in other towns, cities, and villages; creating regional planning 12 
assemblies; exploring different processes to increase engagement in Town 13 
Meeting Day; exploring the use of sortition (the selection of officials at 14 
random from a group) and charrettes (dividing a group into subgroups to 15 
deliberate and then present the subgroup’s idea back to the larger group for 16 
further consideration) in public bodies and meetings; requiring paid time off to 17 
increase participation in elections; exploring ways to increase democratic 18 
engagement as a positive social determinant of health; incentivizing 19 
engagement by providing goods that improve social determinants of health; 20 
providing grants to public schools to use assemblies to make decisions about 21  BILL AS INTRODUCED 	H.373 
2025 	Page 2 of 2 
 
 
VT LEG #379134 v.1 
policies and practices within schools; and educating the public on skills for 1 
advocacy and community organizing. 2 
An act relating to pilot projects expanding democratic practices in State and 3 
local government 4 
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:  5 
(TEXT OMITTED IN SHORT-FORM BILLS) 6