Vermont H 885: An act relating to funding positions at the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges to teach emerging technologies and to a new grant program for use by the University of Vermont to establish a quantum computing program

Bill Text

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VT LEG #386303 v.2
H.885 1
Introduced by Representatives McGill of Bridport, Casey of Montpelier, Cina 2
of Burlington, and Headrick of Burlington 3
Referred to Committee on 4
Date: 5
Subject: Public property and supplies; public lands; use of public lands for 6
life-sustaining activities; public accommodations; labor and 7
employment; fair employment practices; human services; Department 8
for Children and Families; policy; assistance and benefits 9
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit the 10
municipal and county governments from regulating the use of municipal or 11
county property for life-sustaining activities, except in specific instances in 12
which a municipality has otherwise made public land within designated 13
downtowns or growth centers available for these activities. This act also 14
proposes amendments to statutes in Titles 9, 10, 21, and 33 to add “housing 15
status” to the lists of suspect classifications for purposes of those statutes. 16
An act relating to use of public lands by individuals for life-sustaining 17
activities 18

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VT LEG #386303 v.2
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 1
Sec. 1. FINDINGS 2
The General Assembly finds: 3
(1) Vermont has a severe deficit of affordable housing, and as a result, 4
72 percent of renter households are severely cost burdened and at risk of 5
homelessness. 6
(2) Homelessness in Vermont has increased by over 300 percent since 7
the pandemic in 2020, resulting in at least 4,588 Vermonters, including more 8
than 1,041 children, experiencing homelessness as of June 2025. 9
(3) Vermont has insufficient beds in community-based shelters to meet 10
the volume of need, leaving thousands of Vermonters experiencing 11
homelessness with nowhere to go. 12
(4) Significant cuts to Vermont’s General Assistance emergency 13
housing system and strict requirements on program eligibility have contributed 14
to a rise in unsheltered homelessness by approximately 62 percent from the 15
2024 to the 2025 point-in-time count. 16
(5) People experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered struggle for 17
daily survival, including finding relief from the elements, securing food, and 18
keeping their personal possessions safe. 19
(6) State and local governments, after failing to develop adequate 20
affordable housing and shelter response systems, must not put people in even 21

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VT LEG #386303 v.2
greater jeopardy by affording neighbors who are unsheltered the ability to 1
secure themselves in makeshift homes in stable and safe public spaces. 2
(7) Punishing individuals who have nowhere to go undermines public 3
safety and does not stop homelessness from occurring; the criminalization of 4
individuals experiencing homelessness forces people to lose employment, 5
homes, student loans, and financial assistance, and makes access to housing, 6
gainful employment, education, and public assistance extraordinarily difficult 7
for individuals reentering the community from the criminal and juvenile justice 8
systems or with criminal records, thereby contributing to higher recidivism 9
rates and exacerbating the homelessness crisis. 10
Sec. 2. 24 V.S.A. § 2295a is added to read: 11
§ 2295a. AUTHORITY OF MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS 12
TO REGULATE THE USE OF MUNICIPAL OR COUNTY 13
PROPERTY FOR LIFE-SUSTAINING ACTIVITIES 14
(a) For purposes of this section: 15
(1) “Adequate alternative indoor space” means a space that is legally 16
and physically accessible to an individual, and which does not require the 17
individual to sacrifice any other personal right afforded to the individual under 18
federal, State, or local law. 19
(2) “Alternative indoor space” means permanent housing, transitional 20
housing, community-based shelter, or other temporary emergency shelter that 21

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is accessible to the household and located in their community of choice and 1
allows an individual’s household to remain intact. “Alternative indoor space” 2
does not include indoor space in a neighboring jurisdiction, unless the 3
individual has requested placement in a neighboring jurisdiction. “Alternative 4
indoor space” may include tiny homes or similar structures, provided the tiny 5
home has locking doors, adequate heating systems, and includes either both 6
sanitary and cooking facilities or access to common facilities that are sufficient 7
for the community’s population. 8
(3) “Life-sustaining activities” includes moving, resting, sitting, 9
standing, lying down, sleeping, protecting oneself from the elements, eating, 10
drinking, engaging in self-regulating and other adaptive behaviors, and storing 11
such personal property as needed to safely shelter oneself. 12
(b) Except as otherwise provided by law, no municipality or county shall 13
regulate or p