Vermont SR 10: Senate resolution condemning anti-Asian and anti-Pacific Islander hate in the United States and recognizing May 2021 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Vermont

Bill Text

VTLEG#381518 v.1
State of Vermont
Senate Chamber
Montpelier, Vermont
Senate Resolution
Offered by Committee on Government Operations,
S.R. 10. Senate resolution relating to the disapproval of Executive Order 01-25.
Whereas, on January 15, 2025, the Governor signed Executive Order 01-25 providing for the creation of an
Agency of Public Safety by reorganizing the Department of Public Safety as the Agency of Public Safety, and
Whereas, according to the Executive Order, effective April 16, 2025, “the expansion of responsibilities accruing to
the Department of Public Safety in service to the Governor’s Constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws and
the public health and safety needs of Vermonters statewide, necessitate the elevation of the Department of Public
Safety to a cabinet-level agency,” and
Whereas, in Executive Order 01-25, the Governor lists the expanding scope of responsibilities assigned to the
Department, including “law enforcement provided by the Vermont State Police”; “special teams from both the
Vermont State Police and the Division of Fire Safety”; the dual responsibilities of the Division of Emergency
Management (VEM), for both disaster relief and the management of the State Emergency Operations Center, and that
VEM’s “responsibilities will only increase as Vermont faces the dynamic impacts of climate change”; the “[b]road
responsibilities of the Division of Fire Safety”; the “[n]umerous support services including Radio Technology and
Crime Information, as well as management of Vermont’s only accredited forensic lab”; and “[a]nimal welfare,” and
Whereas, the Senate Committee on Government Operations has carefully reviewed and discussed this Executive
Order, and
Whereas, the Senate recognizes that the Department of Public Safety’s responsibilities are increasing, that they are
of enormous importance for all Vermonters, and should be delivered in the most effective possible manner, and
Whereas, the Senate also wishes to ensure that the Governor’s reorganization achieves this goal without leading to
unintended consequences, and
Whereas, the best mechanism to explore a possible reorganization of the Department of Public Safety into a new
Agency of Public Safety is to use the standing committee process, with the resulting opportunity for enhanced
research, analysis, and public participation, and
Whereas, as part of this process, the Senate Committee on Government Operations looks forward to reviewing and
taking testimony on all the details of this proposed reorganization of the Department of Public Safety into the Agency
of Public Safety, and
Whereas, the Senate is fully committed to working cooperatively and promptly with the Administration to develop
the best possible governmental organizational arrangement for the delivery of the essential services now under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Public Safety, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate of the State of Vermont, pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 2002, disapproves of Executive Order 01-25, and
be it further
Resolved: That the Senate of the State of Vermont commits to bring forward draft legislation to maximize the
delivery of public safety services to all Vermonters, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of Senate be directed to send a copy of this resolution to Governor Philip B. Scott.