---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to addressing racial bias and excessive use of force by law enforcement"
description: "An act relating to addressing racial bias and excessive use of force by law enforcement"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2019-2020"
identifier: "S 219"
citation: "Vermont S 219 (2019-2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Philip Baruth"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 46
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2020-01-07"
last_action: "2020-06-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8df87aac-1147-48fc-9aac-321cf2bea976"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2020/1904"
source_hash: "9f1c6a71c31efe84dcaccad728fb17b4d9b78163e7478441d74c4f6634a5ceec"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-vt"]
---

# Vermont S 219 (2019-2020) — An act relating to addressing racial bias and excessive use of force by law enforcement

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **As Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/BILLS/S-0219/S-0219%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/ACTS/ACT147/ACT147%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/ACTS/ACT147/ACT147%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **Official** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/BILLS/S-0219/S-0219%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Official.pdf)
5. **Unofficial** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/BILLS/S-0219/S-0219%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Votes

- Roll Call Results Passed -- Needed 74 of 147 to Pass -- Yeas = 147, Nays = 0 — **147–0** (pass) · lower
- Read 3rd time & passed on roll call, requested by Senator Ashe, Passed -- Needed 15 of 29 to Pass -- Yeas = 29, Nays = 0 — **29–0** (pass) · upper
- House proposal of amendment concurred in on roll call requested by Senator Baruth, Passed -- Needed 14 of 27 to Pass -- Yeas = 27, Nays = 0 — **27–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd reading ordered on roll call, requested by Senator Baruth, Passed -- Needed 15 of 29 to Pass -- Yeas = 29, Nays = 0 — **29–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Philip Baruth — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-07** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Appropriations `introduction`
- **2020-06-08** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2020-06-08** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Appropriations
- **2020-06-09** New Business/Second Reading
- **2020-06-09** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Appropriations
- **2020-06-09** Rules suspended & taken up for immediate consideration, on motion of Senator Ashe
- **2020-06-09** Committed to Committee on Judiciary with report of Committee on Appropriations intact, under suspension of Senate Rule 49, on motion of Senator Ashe
- **2020-06-22** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2020-06-22** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Appropriations
- **2020-06-22** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary
- **2020-06-23** New Business/Second Reading
- **2020-06-23** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Appropriations
- **2020-06-23** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary
- **2020-06-23** Read second time, reported favorably with recommendation of amendment by Senator Sears for Committee on Appropriations
- **2020-06-23** Reported favorably by Senator Baruth for Committee on Judiciary with recommendation of amendment `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-06-23** Senator Sears requested & granted leave to withdraw Appropriation Committee recommendation of amendment
- **2020-06-23** Recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary agreed to
- **2020-06-23** Recommendation of amendment by Senator(s) Baruth, Benning, Nitka, Sears, and White, text
- **2020-06-23** Recommendation of amendment agreed to
- **2020-06-23** 3rd reading ordered on roll call, requested by Senator Baruth, Passed -- Needed 15 of 29 to Pass -- Yeas = 29, Nays = 0
- **2020-06-24** New Business/Third Reading
- **2020-06-24** Pending third reading, motion to amend to be offered by Senator(s) Ingram
- **2020-06-24** Read 3rd time & passed on roll call, requested by Senator Ashe, Passed -- Needed 15 of 29 to Pass -- Yeas = 29, Nays = 0 `passage`
- **2020-06-24** Rules suspended & messaged to House forthwith, on motion of Senator Ashe
- **2020-06-25** Read First Time and Referred to the Committee on Judiciary
- **2020-06-26** Rules Suspended and Taken up for Immediate Consideration as moved by Rep. McCoy of Poultney
- **2020-06-26** Read Second Time
- **2020-06-26** Rep. Hashim of Dummerston reported for the committee on Judiciary
- **2020-06-26** Rep. Hashim of Dummerston demanded yeas and nays
- **2020-06-26** Roll Call Results Passed -- Needed 74 of 147 to Pass -- Yeas = 147, Nays = 0
- **2020-06-26** Report of Committee on Judiciary agreed to.
- **2020-06-26** Third Reading Ordered
- **2020-06-26** Rules suspended and bill placed in all remaining stages of passage as moved by Rep. McCoy of Poultney
- **2020-06-26** Rep. Hashim of Dummerston moved to amend the bill which was agreed to
- **2020-06-26** Read Third time and Passed in Concurrence with Proposal of Amendment `passage`
- **2020-06-26** Rules suspended and bill messaged forthwith to the Senate as moved by Rep. McCoy of Poultney
- **2020-06-26** House message House passed bill in concurrence with proposal(s) of amendment
- **2020-06-26** Rules suspended & taken up for immediate consideration, on motion of Senator Ashe
- **2020-06-26** House proposal of amendment; text
- **2020-06-26** House proposal of amendment concurred in on roll call requested by Senator Baruth, Passed -- Needed 14 of 27 to Pass -- Yeas = 27, Nays = 0
- **2020-06-26** As passed by Senate and House `passage`
- **2020-06-26** Rules suspended & ordered delivered to Governor forthwith, on motion of Senator Ashe
- **2020-06-26** Senate Message, House proposal of amendment concurred in `passage`
- **2020-06-26** Delivered to Governor on July 7, 2020
- **2020-06-26** Signed by Governor on July 13, 2020 `executive-signature`
- **2020-06-26** Senate Message, Signed by Governor July 13, 2020 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8df87aac-1147-48fc-9aac-321cf2bea976`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).