---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to competency to stand trial and insanity as a defense"
description: "An act relating to competency to stand trial and insanity as a defense"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "S 91"
citation: "Vermont S 91 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Richard Sears Jr.", "Virginia Lyons"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 40
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2023-02-17"
last_action: "2023-05-12"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4f7d9ead-adaf-434a-83c1-0f9df9eaf809"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2024/664"
source_hash: "7907a174625e4be2a371c0eb2fc9ebbe3bc7d87e97ae7aa476a05c1be33b8624"
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 91 (2023-2024) — An act relating to competency to stand trial and insanity as a defense

## 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/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0091/S-0091%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/ACTS/ACT028/ACT028%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/ACTS/ACT028/ACT028%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **As Passed By the Senate (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0091/S-0091%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Official.pdf)
5. **As Passed By the Senate (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0091/S-0091%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)
6. **As Passed by Both House and Senate (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0091/S-0091%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/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0091/S-0091%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)
8. **House Proposal of Amendment (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0091/S-0091%20House%20proposal%20of%20amendment%20Official.pdf)
9. **House Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0091/S-0091%20House%20Proposal%20of%20Amendment%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Richard Sears Jr. — primary (person)
- Virginia Lyons — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-17** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2023-03-23** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2023-03-23** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-03-23** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-24** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-03-24** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-28** Unfinished Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-03-29** Unfinished Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-03-29** Read 2nd time, reported favorably with recommendation of amendment by Senator Sears for Committee on Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable, reading-2`
- **2023-03-29** Recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary agreed to
- **2023-03-29** Recommendation of amendment by Senator(s) Lyons, Gulick, Hardy, Weeks, and Williams, text
- **2023-03-29** Recommendation of amendment agreed to
- **2023-03-29** 3rd reading ordered
- **2023-03-30** New Business/Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2023-03-30** Read 3rd time & passed `reading-3`
- **2023-04-04** Read first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2023-04-26** Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- **2023-04-27** Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- **2023-04-27** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2023-04-27** Rep. Arsenault of Williston reported for the Committee on Judiciary
- **2023-04-27** Rep. Sammis of Castleton moved that the bill be committed to the Committee on Health Care, which was not agreed to
- **2023-04-27** Report of Committee on Judiciary agreed to
- **2023-04-27** Third Reading ordered `reading-3`
- **2023-04-28** Action Calendar: Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2023-04-28** Rep. Wood of Waterbury moved to amend the House proposal of amendment, which was agreed to `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-04-28** Read third time and passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction, reading-3`
- **2023-05-02** House message: House passed bill in concurrence with proposal(s) of amendment
- **2023-05-03** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2023-05-03** House proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-05-04** House proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-05-05** Unfinished Business/House Proposal of Amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-05-08** Unfinished Business/House Proposal of Amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-05-08** House proposal of amendment; text `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-05-08** House proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-05-08** As passed by Senate and House `passage`
- **2023-05-08** Rules suspended & messaged to House forthwith, on motion of Senator Baruth `passage`
- **2023-05-08** Senate Message: House proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-05-12** Delivered to Governor on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 `executive-receipt`
- **2023-05-12** Signed by Governor on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-12** Senate Message: Signed by Governor May 30, 2023 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4f7d9ead-adaf-434a-83c1-0f9df9eaf809`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).