Rep. Wood: 2026 legislative highlights, part 1

October 14, 2026

To the Community:

As we are leading up to the 2027 legislative session, I thought I'd provide some updates by topic area on actions taken in the 2026 legislative session. All of the bills listed below are now law. I'll start off with agriculture, food resiliency, and forestry.

H.536 — This bill requires manufacturers of baby food and infant formula to test their products for lead, mercury and other toxic heavy metals. The results of the testing need to be accessible to consumers. This bill is now law.

H.739 — This bill deals with the use of Paraquat, a very toxic herbicide that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. This herbicide is banned in 70 countries; Vermont is the first state to ban it in the U.S. This bill is now law.

S.45 — This bill strengthens Vermont's “Right to Farm” law by providing protections against nuisance lawsuits. This bill is now law.

S.60 — This bill creates an emergency fund specifically for farmers and streamlines the application process for farmers who have been impacted by severe storms, drought or other climate-related disasters. This bill is now law.

H.167 — This bill establishes in law the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program. It builds on an existing program run by the Vermont Foodbank. Approximately 300 farmers provide produce, meat and eggs to local community food pantries. This helps Vermont farmers and Vermonters who are food insecure. This bill is now law.

Rep. Theresa Wood

Waterbury 

State Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, chairs the House Human Services Committee and represents the communities of Bolton, Buel's Gore, Huntington and Waterbury. twood@leg.state.vt.us