---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to confirmatory adoptions and standby guardianships"
description: "An act relating to confirmatory adoptions and standby guardianships"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "H 98"
citation: "Vermont H 98 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Barbara Rachelson"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 40
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-01-28"
last_action: "2025-05-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6fbd6149-ea9f-4437-a355-9780d1cb72fe"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2026/126"
source_hash: "ae8a63535a9eedff6f93087b1be4a87401438e012b8216eeaae11d09cd8772bd"
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 98 (2025-2026) — An act relating to confirmatory adoptions and standby guardianships

## 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/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT031/ACT031%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT031/ACT031%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **As Passed By the House (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20House%20Official.pdf)
5. **As Passed By the House (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20House%20Unofficial.pdf)
6. **As Passed by Both House and Senate (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Official.pdf)
7. **As Passed by Both House and Senate (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)
8. **Senate Proposal of Amendment (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098%20Senate%20proposal%20of%20amendment%20Official.pdf)
9. **Senate Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098%20Senate%20Proposal%20of%20Amendment%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Barbara Rachelson — primary (person)
- Angela Arsenault — cosponsor (person)
- Ian Goodnow — cosponsor (person)
- Kevin Christie — cosponsor (person)
- Martin LaLonde — cosponsor (person)
- Troy Headrick — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-28** Read first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2025-02-12** Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- **2025-02-13** Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- **2025-02-13** Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 2/18/2025, which was agreed to
- **2025-02-14** Action Calendar: Action postponed until 2/18/2025
- **2025-02-18** Action Calendar: Action postponed until 2/18/2025
- **2025-02-18** Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 2/19/2025, which was agreed to
- **2025-02-19** Action Calendar: Action postponed until 2/19/2025
- **2025-02-19** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-19** Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington reported for the Committee on Judiciary
- **2025-02-19** Report of Committee on Judiciary agreed to
- **2025-02-19** Third Reading ordered `reading-3`
- **2025-02-20** Action Calendar: Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-02-20** Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to amend the bill, which was agreed to
- **2025-02-20** Read third time and passed `reading-3`
- **2025-02-25** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2025-04-30** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2025-04-30** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-04-30** Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-01** New Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-05-01** Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-02** Unfinished Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-05-02** Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-02** Read 2nd time, reported favorably with proposal of amendment by Senator Hashim for Committee on Judiciary `amendment-introduction, committee-passage-favorable, reading-2`
- **2025-05-02** Proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary agreed to `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-02** 3rd reading ordered
- **2025-05-06** New Business/Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-05-06** Read 3rd time & passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction, reading-3`
- **2025-05-07** Senate Message: Passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-08** Notice Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-09** Action Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-09** Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 5/13/2025, which was agreed to
- **2025-05-12** Action Calendar: Action postponed until May 13, 2025
- **2025-05-13** Action Calendar: Action postponed until 5/13/2025
- **2025-05-13** Senate proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-13** Title revised via Rule 41
- **2025-05-14** House message: House concurred in Senate proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-16** Delivered to the Governor on May 16, 2025 `passage`
- **2025-05-22** Signed by Governor on May 22, 2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-22** House message: Governor approved bill on May 22, 2025

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6fbd6149-ea9f-4437-a355-9780d1cb72fe`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).