---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to execution of wills during an emergency"
description: "An act relating to execution of wills during an emergency"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2019-2020"
identifier: "S 316"
citation: "Vermont S 316 (2019-2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Rebecca Balint"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 23
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2020-01-17"
last_action: "2020-04-29"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/15017486-ff46-445d-86ad-7f3e68fb4783"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2020/1996"
source_hash: "809570cdb5c46f893f9dee0a487940373e75c812c09887fceb26338642653e39"
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 316 (2019-2020) — An act relating to execution of wills during an emergency

## 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-0316/S-0316%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/ACTS/ACT096/ACT096%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/ACTS/ACT096/ACT096%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **Official** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/BILLS/S-0316/S-0316%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Official.pdf)
5. **Unofficial** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2020/Docs/BILLS/S-0316/S-0316%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Rebecca Balint — primary (person)
- Cheryl Hooker — cosponsor (person)
- Deborah Ingram — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-01-17** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2020-03-13** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2020-03-13** Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary
- **2020-03-24** New Business/Second Reading
- **2020-03-24** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary
- **2020-03-24** Read second time, reported favorably with recommendation of amendment by Senator Sears for Committee on Judiciary
- **2020-03-24** Recommendation of amendment agreed to
- **2020-03-24** 3rd reading ordered
- **2020-03-24** Rules suspended & bill placed on all remaining stages of passage, on motion of Senator Ashe
- **2020-03-24** Read 3rd time & passed `passage`
- **2020-03-24** Rules suspended & messaged to House forthwith, on motion of Senator Ashe
- **2020-03-25** Referred to the Committee on Judiciary
- **2020-04-23** Read Second Time
- **2020-04-23** Rep. Grad of Moretown reported for the committee on Judiciary
- **2020-04-23** Third Reading Ordered
- **2020-04-23** Rules suspended and bill placed in all remaining stages of passage as moved by Rep. McCoy of Poultney
- **2020-04-23** Read Third time
- **2020-04-23** Passed in concurrence `passage`
- **2020-04-23** Rules suspended and bill messaged forthwith to the Senate as moved by Rep. McCoy of Poultney
- **2020-04-24** House message House passed bill in concurrence
- **2020-04-24** As passed by Senate and House `passage`
- **2020-04-27** Delivered to Governor on April 27, 2020
- **2020-04-29** Signed by Governor on April 28, 2020 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/15017486-ff46-445d-86ad-7f3e68fb4783`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).