Vermont H 243: An act relating to fossil fuel subsidies

Bill Text

No. 10 Page 1 of 105
2025

VT LEG #383326 v.1
No. 10. An act relating to the regulation of business organizations.
(H.243)
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
* * * Updates to Title 3 language * * *
Sec. 1. 3 V.S.A. § 102a is amended to read:
§ 102a. FACSIMILE SIGNATURE OF SECRETARY OF STATE
A facsimile of the signature of the Secretary of State imprinted by or at his
or her the Secretary’s direction upon any certification issued under Title 11 or
11A pursuant to law, upon any attestation required of the Secretary by law, or
upon any certification of official documents or records of which the Secretary
is custodian, shall have the same validity as the Secretary of State’s written
signature.
Sec. 2. 3 V.S.A. § 133 is amended to read:
§ 133. BUSINESS REGISTRATION
When professional services are required by law to be performed in or by a
business entity registered with the Office, the business entity shall:
(1) register with the Corporations Business Services Division of the
Office of the Secretary of State, if required by law; and
* * *
* * * Updates to Title 11 language * * *
Sec. 3. 11 V.S.A. chapter 7 is amended to read:

No. 10 Page 2 of 105
2025

VT LEG #383326 v.1
CHAPTER 7. COOPERATIVES GENERAL COOPERATIVE
CORPORATIONS AND COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATIONS
Subchapter 1. Provisions Relating to Cooperatives Formed Under General
Corporation Law General Cooperative Corporations
§ 981. GENERAL COOPERATIVE CORPORATION; USE OF
“COOPERATIVE”
A corporation formed under Title 11A shall not have the word
“cooperative” or any abbreviation thereof as part of its name, unless the
corporation is a worker cooperative corporation organized under chapter 8 of
this title, a cooperative housing corporation organized under chapter 14 of this
title, or the a general cooperative corporation that includes in its articles of
incorporation contain all of the following provisions:
* * *
Subchapter 2. The Cooperative Marketing Act; Cooperative Associations
§ 991. DEFINITIONS
In As used in this subchapter, unless the context or subject matter otherwise
requires:
(1) “Agricultural products” includes horticultural, viticultural, forestry,
dairy, livestock, poultry, bee, and any farm products.
(2) “Association” means any corporation nonprofit cooperative
association organized under this chapter.

No. 10 Page 3 of 105
2025

VT LEG #383326 v.1
(3) “Associations” organized hereunder means nonprofit cooperative
associations.
(4) “Consumers’ cooperative” means a corporation an association
organized under this chapter for the acquisition and distribution for the benefit
of ultimate consumers of property, goods, commodities, or services.
(5) “Handcraft product” means any product fashioned primarily by hand
with the final form and its characteristics shaped by hand and produced in the
home or a small craft center by the artisan or craftsman in a skilled or artistic
process rather than in an assembly line technique.
(6) “Marketing cooperative” means a corporation an association
organized under this chapter for the marketing of agricultural or handcraft
products.
(7) “Member” includes actual members of associations without capital
stock and holders of common stock in associations organized with capital
stock.
(8) “Person” includes individuals, firms, partnerships, corporations and
associations.
(9) “Railroad cooperative” means any corporation association organized
under this chapter for the organization, acquisition, and operation of a general
transportation business by railroad, including truck, bus, air, and water
transportation subsidiaries of the railroad.
* * *

No. 10 Page 4 of 105
2025

VT LEG #383326 v.1
§ 994. POWERS
Each association incorporated under this subchapter shall have the
following powers:
(1) In the case of a marketing cooperative, the power to engage in any
activity in connection with the purchasing, marketing, selling, preserving,
harvesting, drying, processing, manufacturing, canning, packing, grading,
storing, handling, or utilization of any agricultural or handcraft products or the
manufacturing or marketing of the by-products byproducts thereof, any activity
in connection with the purchase, hiring, or use by its members of supplies,
machinery or equipment, and in financing any of the aforementioned activities.
However, a marketing association shall not handle agricultural or handcraft
products of nonmembers to an extent greater in value than the products of its
own members which that it handles. In the case of a consumers’ cooperative,
the power to engage in any one or more lawful mode or modes of acquiring,
producing, building, operating, manufacturing, furnishing, exchanging, or
distributing any type of property, commodities, goods, or services for the
primary and mutual benefit of the patrons of the association, or their patrons, if
any, as ultimate consumers. In the case of a railroad cooperative, to engage in
any activity in connection with the organization, acquisition, and operation of