The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee combined the Senate’s housing bill with the House’s Act 250 modernization bill, creating a 171-page omnibus bill. While much of the legislation incorporates a historic compromise on Act 250, a substantial poison pill remains. Appeals of Act 250 permits would move from the environmental courts to a newly established professional board. The Vermont Chamber is advocating against this transition. A legal appeal of a complicated development process requires a legal review in a court, not an informal review by a politically appointed quasi-judicial board that does not have legal expertise.

The Vermont Chamber has supported a compromise of establishing a working group to dig into underlying issues that result in Act 250 appeals leading to timely and expensive disputes and ultimately development delays and how best to address them. The Senate Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs Committee has done a walk-through of the bill and is looking at opportunities to bolster parts of the bill that will address Vermont’s housing crisis. With only weeks remaining in the session, the bill still has several more hoops to jump through before reaching the Governor’s desk. As it currently stands, it is poised for a veto.