Vermont H 550: An act relating to unclaimed property

Bill Text

No. 117 Page 1 of 14
2026

VT LEG #390160 v.1
No. 117. An act relating to gender equity within Vermont’s correctional
facilities.
(H.550)
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
Sec. 1. INTENT
(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly to recognize that gender
transition is a deeply personal experience that may involve some combination
of social transition, legal transition, medical transition, or none of these. Some
transgender, nonbinary, or intersex persons experience gender dysphoria that
requires medical treatment, while others do not experience gender dysphoria.
(b) It is the further intent of the General Assembly to recognize that due to
safety concerns, inconsistent medical and mental health care, and insufficient
education and resources, among other factors, incarceration often serves as a
barrier to gender transition or recognition and that, regardless of the ways in
which a person chooses or is able to express the person’s gender or to take
medical, social, or legal transition steps, the person deserves respect, agency,
and dignity.
(c) It is the further intent of the General Assembly to recognize that,
although the Department of Corrections system was built within a traditional
gender framework that solely recognized the male and female genders, gender-
diverse, intersex, and transgender incarcerated individuals are at a higher risk
for abuse, harassment, and sexual violence.

No. 117 Page 2 of 14
2026

VT LEG #390160 v.1
Sec. 2. 28 V.S.A. § 3 is amended to read:
§ 3. GENERAL DEFINITIONS
As used in this title:
* * *
(5) “Gender-diverse” describes an individual with a gender identity or
gender expression that is different from social and cultural expectations
attributed to the person’s sex at birth. This includes an individual who
identifies as nonbinary, gender expansive, gender nonconforming, or other
culturally diverse identities.
(6) “Gender identity” has the same meaning as in 1 V.S.A. § 144.
(7) “Gender pronoun” means a third-person singular personal pronoun,
such as “he,” “she,” or “they.”
(8) “Honorific” means a form of respectful address typically combined
with an individual’s surname.
(9) “Inmate” means any person, not a child, committed to the custody of
the Commissioner pursuant to the law of the State and subsequently committed
to a correctional facility and any person confined at a correctional facility
during the pendency of a prosecution against him or her the person.
(10) “Intersex” describes an individual with a medical condition in
which the individual’s sexual or reproductive anatomy or chromosomal
patterns fall outside traditional markers of female and male.

No. 117 Page 3 of 14
2026

VT LEG #390160 v.1
(6)(11) “Law” includes the laws and ordinances of the State, its political
subdivisions, and municipalities.
(7)(12) “Law enforcement officer” means a State Police officer, a
sheriff, a deputy sheriff, a municipal police officer, a constable, the
Commissioner, or a member of the Department of Corrections when appointed
in writing by the Commissioner and when his or her the member’s
appointment is filed in the Office of the Secretary of State. The Commissioner
or such member shall have the same powers as a sheriff.
(8)(13) “Offender” means any person convicted of a crime or offense
under the laws of this State, and, for purposes of work crew, a person found in
civil contempt under 15 V.S.A. § 603.
(9)(14) “Supervising officer” means the highest administrative officer in
charge of any correctional facility.
(10)(15) “Correctional officer” means any person who is an employee of
the Department of Corrections whose official duties or job classification
includes the supervision or monitoring of a person on parole, on probation, or
serving any sentence of incarceration whether inside or outside a correctional
facility, and who has received training, as approved by the Commissioner of
Corrections, as provided in section 551a of this title.
(11)(16) “Restorative justice program” means a program developed and
implemented by the Commissioner, consistent with State policy and legislative
intent as provided by section 2a of this title.

No. 117 Page 4 of 14
2026

VT LEG #390160 v.1
(12)(17) Despite other names this concept has been given in the past or
may be given in the future, “segregation” means a form of separation from the
general population that may or may not include placement in a single-
occupancy cell and that is used for disciplinary, administrative, or other
reasons, but shall not mean confinement to an infirmary or a residential
treatment setting for purposes of evaluation, treatment, or provision of
services.
(18) “Transgender” describes an individual whose gender identity or
gender expression is not what is typically expected for the individual’s sex at
birth.
Sec. 3. 28 V.S.A. § 129 is added to read:
§ 129. GENDER IDENTIFICATION AND NONDISCRIMINATION
(a) Gender identification and address. The Department shall ensure that all
individuals are