Vermont

Final Reading: Vermont Senate passes pared-down data privacy bill – VTDigger

Published

11 months ago

March 27, 2025

Final Reading: Vermont Senate passes pared-down data privacy bill – VTDigger

Sen. Rob Plunkett, D-Bennington, center, speaks with Sen. Seth Bongartz, D-Bennington, on the floor of the Senate at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, January 9, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

State lawmakers are once again taking a swing at passing a comprehensive data privacy law for Vermonters.

On Thursday, the Senate unanimously gave approval to an amended version of S.71, a bill that would put guardrails on tech companies that collect and sell data while providing baseline data privacy rights for users in Vermont.

Prior to the amendment, the Senate’s version of the bill mirrored the one that was introduced in the House. The new version strips a controversial provision that led to a similar bill’s failure last year.

Sen. Robert Plunkett, D-Bennington, explained the change on Wednesday on the Senate floor before a preliminary vote. “This amendment contains the central consumer protections of really any data privacy law,” he said.

Those protections include the right for users to opt out of targeted advertising and limitations on what kind of personal data can be collected, among other provisions.

What the bill no longer contains, however, is a private right of action for consumers, which would give users the legal right to sue companies for violating the state’s data laws, opening the door for Vermonters to launch weighty class action lawsuits against big tech companies.

A fierce debate surrounding that right of action dogged the sweeping data privacy bill passed by both chambers last year, with some lawmakers contending that the provision would place an undue burden on some Vermont businesses.

And when, after a months-long game of tug of war between the chambers over the provision, the legislation made it to Gov. Phil Scott’s desk, the governor vetoed the bill, pointing to the inclusion of the private right of action as a dealbreaker. Last year’s effort came to an end in the Senate, which lacked the votes for an override.

By removing that sticking point, Senate lawmakers appear to be playing ball with the governor, offering up a more palatable version of the data privacy law that could finally elude his veto.

“In the governor’s veto letter, the governor indicated expressly the preference that Vermont adopt Connecticut’s data privacy law,” Plunkett told fellow lawmakers, referencing Connecticut’s exclusion of a private right of action provision. “That is what this amendment proposes.”

It’s unclear, however, whether the House will be equally agreeable.

— Habib Sabet

In the know

Top officials at the Department for Children and Families have acknowledged the existence of an internal calendar used to monitor Vermonters’ pregnancies, confirming an allegation made in a striking lawsuit filed by the Vermont ACLU in January.

The document, Family Services Division Deputy Commissioner Aryka Radke said in a meeting of Vermont’s Legislative Women’s Caucus Thursday, is a Microsoft Outlook calendar that includes the initials, an identifying number and the expected due date of certain pregnant women.

The admission sheds light on a secretive and little-known function of the Department for Children and Families, one that top officials have said helps protect newborns from potential abuse or danger.

Read more about how the calendar is used here.

— Peter D’Auria

State officials plan to extend two shelters for families experiencing homelessness in Williston and Waterbury that had been slated to close down next week, on April 1.

Chris Winters, the commissioner of the Department for Children and Families, said in a Wednesday interview that state officials want to avoid disrupting the school year for children.

“We don’t know for sure if folks have other options, but even if they do, you know, that might require them to move,” Winters said. “The concern there is that kids not be uprooted and potentially not stay in school through the end of the year.”

Read more the future plans for the two shelters here.

— Carly Berlin

On the move

The House advanced the Legislature’s annual property tax bill, known as the yield bill, which helps set property tax rates statewide.

Lawmakers chose to adopt Gov. Scott’s proposal to use $77 million in one-time General Fund dollars to buy down the tax rate this year. That decision is expected to reduce the average property tax increase from roughly 6% to 1%. Actual tax rates will vary from district to district, and the fate of the few outstanding school budgets that voters are yet to approve will also impact rates.

The bill provides “property tax relief,” said Rep. Charlie Kimbell, D-Woodstock, who reported the bill for the House Ways and Means Committee. That is crucial, he said, after last year’s double-digit property tax increases.

—Ethan Weinstein

Visit our 2025 bill tracker for the latest updates on major legislation we are following.

A thousand cuts

The federal government announced Wednesday that it would cut $11 billion in Covid-19-related grants to local health agencies, including $6.9 million to two departments in the Vermont Agency of Human Services.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Kyle Casteel, provided a statement on behalf of the agency Thursday that called the cuts a “sudden termination” that would “negatively impact public health in our state.”

Most of the funds, about $5 million, were allocated for vaccination programs at the health department. The statement said the grants began during the pandemic but have continued to support the department’s work beyond the pandemic.

Vermont

Harvey leads Bryant against Vermont after 28-point game

Published

6 hours ago

February 13, 2026

Press Room

Harvey leads Bryant against Vermont after 28-point game

Bryant Bulldogs (8-17, 4-7 America East) at Vermont Catamounts (16-10, 8-3 America East)

Burlington, Vermont; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Bryant plays Vermont after Keegan Harvey scored 28 points in Bryant’s 88-69 loss to the UMass-Lowell River Hawks.

The Catamounts have gone 8-3 in home games. Vermont has a 1-2 record in one-possession games.

The Bulldogs have gone 4-7 against America East opponents. Bryant allows 71.6 points to opponents while being outscored by 7.1 points per game.

Vermont scores 74.6 points per game, 3.0 more points than the 71.6 Bryant allows. Bryant’s 40.3% shooting percentage from the field this season is 3.2 percentage points lower than Vermont has given up to its opponents (43.5%).

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Gus Yalden is shooting 51.5% and averaging 15.9 points for the Catamounts. TJ Hurley is averaging 17.9 points over the last 10 games.

Timofei Rudovskii averages 2.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, scoring 13.2 points while shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc. Aaron Davis is averaging 13.2 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Catamounts: 7-3, averaging 69.8 points, 33.1 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 3.6 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.8 points per game.

Bulldogs: 3-7, averaging 65.2 points, 28.9 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 4.8 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 40.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.0 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Vermont

Vermont reports 1st measles case of 2026

Published

18 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Press Room

Vermont reports 1st measles case of 2026

Vermont health officials report a confirmed measles case in an adult in Washington County who became sick after recent international travel. This is the first measles case in the state in 2026.

Investigation and response are ongoing, and the case does not pose a current risk to the public.

Confirmation of the case follows the detection of measles virus in wastewater in Washington County through the department’s wastewater monitoring program last week. While officials cannot definitively link the case to the detection, Health Commissioner Rick Hildebrant, MD, said this shows how monitoring can help improve our public health efforts.

“The early warning allowed us to put local health care providers on alert, which can help identify cases more quickly,” Hildebrant said. “This rapid public health response is critical to preventing the spread of measles, especially as we see more cases in Vermont and around the country.”

There is no treatment for measles, but the disease is almost entirely vaccine-preventable. About 1 in 5 people in the U.S. who get measles without being vaccinated are hospitalized. Health officials urge all people in Vermont to make sure they and their families are vaccinated against measles – especially children, for whom the disease is especially dangerous.

“Measles is an incredibly contagious illness,” Hildebrant said. “Because most people choose to get vaccinated, the risk to most Vermonters is low. But we encourage anyone who is not vaccinated to talk to their health care provider about making sure they are protected, especially if they are planning to travel outside the U.S.”

Vermont reported two cases of measles in 2025 and two in 2024.

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Vermont

After the loss of a child, spreading love helped Liz Harris move forward

Published

1 day ago

February 12, 2026

Press Room

After the loss of a child, spreading love helped Liz Harris move forward

Liz Harris raised five children in the Mad River Valley. She loved all of them, deeply, with that distinct kind of love that a parent feels for their kids.

In 2016, Liz’s teenage daughter, Mary, was in a car accident with four of her friends. A wrong-way driver collided with them on I-89, and all five teenagers died. The accident made national news, profoundly affected the community and changed Liz’s life forever. What’s helped her move forward is to try and spread as much love in the world as she can.

As part of the series exploring love this week, Liz explains how her ideas about love changed after experiencing a profound loss.

Our show is made for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We’ve also provided a transcript, which has been edited for clarity and concision.

Liz Harris: I think there’s that love you have for your friends. There’s that love you have for your community. There’s that love you have for your partner, your spouse. And then there’s that love you have for your kids.

My name is Elizabeth Harris. I go by Liz. And I live in Moretown, Vermont.

We had seven different personalities in the house, and it was busy. I stayed home with five kids. Two of my sister’s kids I watched, and she has four. And a couple of neighbor kids. So I’d have 10 kids at my house on a regular basis. But I hiked with them, I skied with them, I swam with them.

I remember this one time my sister and I hiked up Mad River, and we had my five, her four, and Janie and Ollie Cozzi with us. And everybody was so happy. And it was a long hike! And you know, there was a little bit of complaining, but everybody was kind of in their groups.

And my sister and I got up there and we sat them all down and took a picture. And it’s that feeling of nothing could be better, you know?

And on our way down, we had — one of our kids was running so fast that they tripped right before one of the towers, and launched probably like eight feet and cleared the pad. And my sister and I both looked at each other and thought, “Goodness, what would we have done if we were out here with two adults and all these kids and something happened?”

In 2016, something did happen that changed our lives, changed the direction of all of our lives. It actually changed love, and what would be spread in love. What was left behind in love, and what was felt through love.

My daughter Mary was killed in a car accident when she was 16 with four of her friends. They were coming home from a concert in Burlington and they were on the interstate and a wrong-way driver hit and killed them all.

When you love something so much and that physical presence is ripped away from you, you realize how fortunate you are to love someone that much. And have somebody love you that much.

And I felt like she played a huge role in why or how I could move forward. And I think, honestly, that is love.

Anna Van Dine

Vermont Public

A t-shirt honoring Mary Harris.

Mary was a giver. By nature, she was a giver. She gave every part of herself while she was here. And the ripple effect of her love came out in all the people around me,.

She was empathetic towards others and she was kind. She gave every part of herself while she was here. And the ripple effect of her love came out in all the people around me.

For six months, people brought us dinner. And I probably wouldn’t be eating if people didn’t bring me food. I felt like it was a giant spider web, and Mary was the center of the spider web, and then we were the next ring. And then those rings just kept going out and out and out until people would start reaching out to me from as far away as Arkansas, and had lost their child and couldn’t get out of bed and would ask me, “How do you do it?”

And I’d say, “I’ve got other kids. I have a community I love. I have a lot of life that I love. And it’s a long road. It’s a long journey. It’s something that sits with us every day, but it’s part of the story. It’s part of life. It’s part of love,” you know.

And I honestly think Mary puts people in front of me all the time.

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