| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED H.434 |
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| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 3 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #380510 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | H.434 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Representatives Greer of Bennington, Coffin of Cavendish, 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Galfetti of Barre Town, Higley of Lowell, Keyser of Rutland 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | City, Labor of Morgan, Lipsky of Stowe, Morgan, L. of Milton, 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Pritchard of Pawlet, and Tagliavia of Corinth 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Referred to Committee on 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Date: 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | Subject: Conservation and development; land; Vermont Housing and 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | Conservation Board; conserved land; covenants 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | conservation lands funded by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | have covenants that would allow hunting, trapping, and fishing and 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | recreational trails. 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | An act relating to requiring covenants on conservation lands funded by the 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Vermont Housing and Conservation Board 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. § 321 is amended to read: 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | § 321. GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | * * * 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.434 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 2025 Page 2 of 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | VT LEG #380510 v.1 |
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| 29 | 29 | | (e) The Board shall inform all grant applicants and recipients of funds 1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | derived from the annual capital appropriations and State bonding act of the 2 |
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| 31 | 31 | | following: “The Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund is funded by 3 |
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| 32 | 32 | | the taxpayers of the State of Vermont, at the direction of the General 4 |
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| 33 | 33 | | Assembly, through the annual Capital Appropriation and State Bonding Act.” 5 |
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| 34 | 34 | | An appropriate placard shall, if feasible, be displayed at the location of the 6 |
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| 35 | 35 | | proposed grant activity. 7 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (f) All recipients of grant funds and funds derived from the annual capital 8 |
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| 37 | 37 | | appropriations and State bonding act acknowledge that all conservation lands 9 |
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| 38 | 38 | | purchased with any grant funds from this program shall be encumbered with 10 |
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| 39 | 39 | | the following covenants: 11 |
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| 40 | 40 | | (1) that in furtherance of science-based management of the wildlife of 12 |
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| 41 | 41 | | the State of Vermont, hunting, including trapping and fishing, shall be allowed 13 |
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| 42 | 42 | | in accordance with State law and without additional restriction; 14 |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) that recreational trail systems shall be maintained at or above the 15 |
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| 44 | 44 | | levels of connectivity and trail length existing at the time these funds are used 16 |
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| 45 | 45 | | to purchase parcels; 17 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3) that should there be an ecological need to remove a trail section, it 18 |
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| 47 | 47 | | shall be replaced with at least an equivalent length of trail and any lost 19 |
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| 48 | 48 | | connectivity shall be reestablished; 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.434 |
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| 49 | 49 | | 2025 Page 3 of 3 |
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| 51 | 51 | | |
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| 52 | 52 | | VT LEG #380510 v.1 |
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| 53 | 53 | | (4) that in the absence of an ecological imperative to the contrary, other 1 |
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| 54 | 54 | | existing recreational infrastructure shall be maintained to, at a minimum, the 2 |
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| 55 | 55 | | levels existing at the time these funds are used to purchase parcels; and 3 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (5) that in the absence of an ecological imperative to the contrary, the 4 |
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| 57 | 57 | | lands shall be managed with timber harvest as an acceptable practice upon 5 |
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| 58 | 58 | | them. 6 |
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| 59 | 59 | | Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE 7 |
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| 60 | 60 | | This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 8 |
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