Vermont S 301: An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects

Bill Text

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VT LEG #385908 v.1
S.301 1
Introduced by Senators Gulick, Major and Ram Hinsdale 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Prohibited acts; public accommodations; unfair housing practices; 5
discrimination; hate crimes; Executive Branch; civil rights 6
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to make 7
numerous miscellaneous amendments to the laws against discrimination and to 8
establish the Civil Rights Coordinating Council and the Civil Rights and Equal 9
Protection Special Fund. 10
An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the prohibitions on 11
discrimination 12
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 13
* * * Short Title, Purpose, and Findings * * * 14
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE 15
This act may be cited as “the Vermont Civil Rights Sovereignty and Equal 16
Protection Act of 2026.” 17
Sec. 2. PURPOSE 18
The purpose of this act is to: 19

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(1) modernize, unify, and expand Vermont’s civil rights protections to 1
ensure the equal enjoyment of liberty, dignity, and opportunity for all 2
individuals in the State of Vermont; 3
(2) integrate and strengthen civil rights protections across titles; 4
(3) establish a comprehensive, State-funded and State-controlled civil 5
rights enforcement system that is fully independent of federal funding or policy 6
shifts; and 7
(4) replace lost federal civil rights enforcement capacity and mitigate 8
federal rollbacks by establishing Vermont-specific standards, remedies, and 9
institutions. 10
Sec. 3. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS 11
The General Assembly finds: 12
(1) Federal rollbacks in civil rights enforcement, reductions in staffing, 13
and withdrawal of programmatic funding threaten the equal protection of 14
Vermonters. 15
(2) Vermont statutes currently contain fragmented and inconsistent 16
definitions, enforcement standards, and remedies, producing confusion and 17
uneven protection. 18
(3) Systemic discrimination, including discrimination that arises through 19
disparate impact, undermines democracy, the rule of law, and Vermont’s 20
constitutional commitment to equality. 21

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(4) Vermont must not depend on the federal government for the funding 1
or execution of its civil rights enforcement obligations and must build 2
independent, sustainable State capacity. 3
* * * Public Accommodations and Unfair Housing * * * 4
Sec. 4. 9 V.S.A. § 4500 is amended to read: 5
§ 4500. LEGISLATIVE INTENT 6
* * * 7
(d) It is the intent of the General Assembly that all State agencies, political 8
subdivisions, housing authorities, and recipients of State housing-related funds 9
take meaningful actions to combat discrimination, including actions that: 10
(1) overcome patterns of segregation; 11
(2) promote fair housing choice; and 12
(3) foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to 13
housing based on protected characteristics. 14
Sec. 5. 9 V.S.A. § 4501 is amended to read: 15
§ 4501. DEFINITIONS 16
As used in this chapter: 17
* * * 18
(12)(A) “Harass” means to engage in unwelcome conduct that detracts 19
from, undermines, or interferes with a person’s: 20

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(i) use of a place of public accommodation or any of the 1
accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, services, or privileges of a 2
place of public accommodation because of the person’s race, creed religion, 3
color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, marital status, sex, 4
sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, housing status, veteran 5
status, crime victim status, or disability; or 6
(ii) terms, conditions, privileges, or protections in the sale or rental 7
of a dwelling or other real estate, or in the provision of services or facilities in 8
connection with a dwelling or other real estate, because of the person’s race, 9
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed 10
religion, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, veteran status, 11
crime victim status, or disability, or because the person intends to occupy a 12
dwelling with one or more minor children, or because the person is a recipient 13
of public assistance, or because the person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, 14
or stalking. 15
(B) Notwithstanding any judicial precedent to the contrary, harassing 16
conduct need not be severe or pervasive to be unlawful pursuant to the 17
provisions of this chapter. In determining whether conduct constitutes 18
unlawful harassment: 19
* * * 20

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(iii) Conduct may constitute unlawful harassment, regardless of 1
whether: 2
* * * 3
(IV) despite the conduct, the complaining person was able to: 4
(aa) use the place of public accommodation or any of the 5
accommodations, advantages, facilit