| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED S.148 |
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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 #381603 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | S.148 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Senators Vyhovsky, Gulick and White 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Referred to Committee on 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Date: 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Subject: Internal security and public safety; Vermont Criminal Justice Council; 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | immigration 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | Vermont law enforcement agencies, officers, and persons acting on the behalf 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | of a Vermont law enforcement agency to expend any resources to assist federal 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | immigration authorities with civil or criminal immigration investigations or 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | proceedings. This bill further proposes that the noncooperation requirements 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | extend to situations covered by 12 V.S.A. § 7306 and 18 V.S.A. § 4254. 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | However, the bill proposes to carve out an exception in which assistance can 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | be provided pursuant to a warrant or an independent investigation. 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | An act relating to expanding good samaritan protections concerning 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | immigration 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | Sec. 1. 20 V.S.A. § 2372 is added to read: 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | § 2372. NONCOOPERATION WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION 19 |
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| 25 | 25 | | AUTHORITIES 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.148 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 2025 Page 2 of 3 |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | VT LEG #381603 v.1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (a) As used in this section, “federal immigration authorities” means federal 1 |
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| 31 | 31 | | agencies, departments, or employees or contractors of those agencies or 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | departments tasked with the enforcement of federal immigration law and 3 |
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| 33 | 33 | | border entry, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. 4 |
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| 34 | 34 | | Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border 5 |
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| 35 | 35 | | Protection. 6 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) No law enforcement agency, officer, or any other person acting on 7 |
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| 37 | 37 | | behalf of a law enforcement agency may knowingly provide any information 8 |
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| 38 | 38 | | or expend or use time, money, facilities, property, equipment, personnel, or 9 |
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| 39 | 39 | | other resources in furtherance of any civil or criminal federal immigration 10 |
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| 40 | 40 | | investigation or proceeding. 11 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) The noncooperation requirements contained in this section shall apply 12 |
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| 42 | 42 | | to law enforcement agencies, officers, or any other person acting on behalf of a 13 |
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| 43 | 43 | | law enforcement agency who are involved in any situation covered by 12 14 |
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| 44 | 44 | | V.S.A. § 7306 (noncooperation with interstate investigations of legally 15 |
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| 45 | 45 | | protected health care activity) and 18 V.S.A. § 4254 (reporting a drug 16 |
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| 46 | 46 | | overdose; immunity from liability). 17 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (d) This section shall not apply to any law enforcement agency, officer, or 18 |
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| 48 | 48 | | any other person acting on behalf of a law enforcement agency who, in the 19 |
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| 49 | 49 | | course of normal business, is responding to: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.148 |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2025 Page 3 of 3 |
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| 52 | 52 | | |
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| 53 | 53 | | VT LEG #381603 v.1 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) a judicial warrant on the good faith belief that the warrant is valid in 1 |
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| 55 | 55 | | this State; or 2 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (2) an investigation of a criminal offense unrelated to the enforcement of 3 |
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| 57 | 57 | | federal immigration law. 4 |
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| 58 | 58 | | Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE 5 |
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| 59 | 59 | | This act shall take effect on passage. 6 |
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