Rep. Wood: Two key human services bills advance by cross-over deadline
March 20, 2026 | By Rep. Theresa WoodThe last half of March finds a flurry of activity in the Legislature. Committees must have all of their bills voted out of committee in order to be considered this session. If they are not voted out of committee by the “crossover date,” they are considered dead for the session. That means there will be no action on them during this session, and in order to be considered, they would need to be introduced again next January.
In my committee, House Human Services, we voted out two major bills that the committee spent weeks developing. The first, H.657, addresses a number of issues related to youth who do not have present parents/guardians (i.e., unaccompanied youth) and issues related to seclusion and restraint in transporting youth in the custody of the Department for Children and Families, as well as in residential programs.
Unaccompanied youth aged 16-17 often have difficulty obtaining necessary documents like a driver’s permit or license or a birth certificate without the signature of a parent/guardian. This bill provides easier access to supports, services and documents for these youth nearing adulthood. The bill also prohibits the use of restraint and seclusion to very limited circumstances, and then only when done by appropriately trained personnel, when it is supervised and documented.
For over five years, the Legislature has worked to establish a defined system of supports for individuals and families who are homeless. To say it has been a rocky road might be the understatement of my legislative career to date. However, this session, we believe we have a compromise that establishes the Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum.
H.938 establishes a series of supports and services that reduces reliance on hotels/motels, and increases supportive services and case management to aid in transitioning to permanent housing. The bill also increases the development of shelter beds and emergency cold-weather shelters.
Lowering the number of homeless households will require persistent effort for a sustained period of time. The bill is not an end-all solution, but a tool and a framework that relies on community partners working together with the state and with individuals themselves to make progress in reducing the number of individuals and families who experience homelessness in Vermont.
Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, represents the Washington-Chittenden House district, covering Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buels Gore. She chairs the House Human Services Committee.