---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to limiting criminal defenses based on victim identity"
description: "An act relating to limiting criminal defenses based on victim identity"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2021-2022"
identifier: "H 128"
citation: "Vermont H 128 (2021-2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Mari Cordes", "Taylor Small"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 26
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2021-01-26"
last_action: "2021-05-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/81f8cc3a-ff00-4fc6-833a-212eac84ac9c"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2022/483"
source_hash: "231c33f1c83ae2b1e30333b3dc492aa84e21cc340adc802f11d570cfffb9ba86"
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 H 128 (2021-2022) — An act relating to limiting criminal defenses based on victim identity

## 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/2022/Docs/BILLS/H-0128/H-0128%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/ACTS/ACT018/ACT018%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/ACTS/ACT018/ACT018%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **Official** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/BILLS/H-0128/H-0128%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20House%20Official.pdf)
5. **Unofficial** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/BILLS/H-0128/H-0128%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20House%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Votes

- 3rd reading ordered on roll call, requested by Senator Sears, Passed -- Needed 15 of 29 to Pass -- Yeas = 29, Nays = 0 — **29–0** (pass) · upper
- Roll Call Results Passed -- Needed 73 of 145 to Pass -- Yeas = 144, Nays = 1 — **144–1** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Mari Cordes — primary (person)
- Taylor Small — primary (person)
- Brian Cina — cosponsor (person)
- Elizabeth Burrows — cosponsor (person)
- Emma Mulvaney-Stanak — cosponsor (person)
- Gabrielle Stebbins — cosponsor (person)
- George Till — cosponsor (person)
- Heather Surprenant — cosponsor (person)
- James Masland — cosponsor (person)
- John Killacky — cosponsor (person)
- Katherine Donnally — cosponsor (person)
- Kathleen James — cosponsor (person)
- Kirk White — cosponsor (person)
- Kristi Morris — cosponsor (person)
- Laura Sibilia — cosponsor (person)
- Michael Mrowicki — cosponsor (person)
- Robin Scheu — cosponsor (person)
- Sara Coffey — cosponsor (person)
- Sarah "Sarita" Austin — cosponsor (person)
- Selene Colburn — cosponsor (person)
- Seth Chase — cosponsor (person)
- Tanya Vyhovsky — cosponsor (person)
- Tiffany Bluemle — cosponsor (person)
- Timothy Briglin — cosponsor (person)
- Tristan Toleno — cosponsor (person)
- William Lippert — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-01-26** Read First Time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2021-03-10** Read Second time `reading-2`
- **2021-03-10** Rep. Colburn of Burlington reported for the Committee on Judiciary
- **2021-03-10** Division results Y- 120, N-3
- **2021-03-10** Report of Committee on Judiciary agreed to
- **2021-03-10** Third Reading ordered `reading-3`
- **2021-03-11** Read Third time `reading-3`
- **2021-03-11** Rep. Cordes of Lincoln demanded yeas and nays
- **2021-03-11** Roll Call Results Passed -- Needed 73 of 145 to Pass -- Yeas = 144, Nays = 1
- **2021-03-11** Passed `passage`
- **2021-03-12** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2021-04-20** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2021-04-20** Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-04-21** New Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2021-04-21** Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-04-21** Read 2nd time, reported favorably with proposal of amendment by Senator Sears for Committee on Judiciary `amendment-introduction, committee-passage-favorable, reading-2`
- **2021-04-21** Proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary agreed to `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-04-21** 3rd reading ordered on roll call, requested by Senator Sears, Passed -- Needed 15 of 29 to Pass -- Yeas = 29, Nays = 0
- **2021-04-22** New Business/Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2021-04-22** Read 3rd time & passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction, reading-3`
- **2021-04-23** Senate Message, passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-04-27** Senate proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-04-28** House message: House concurred in Senate proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-04-29** Delivered to the Governor on April 29, 2021 `passage`
- **2021-05-05** Signed by Governor on May 5, 2021 `executive-signature`
- **2021-05-06** House message: Governor approved bill on May 5, 2021

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/81f8cc3a-ff00-4fc6-833a-212eac84ac9c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).