---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to amendments to Vermont’s Open Meeting Law"
description: "An act relating to amendments to Vermont’s Open Meeting Law"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2025-2026"
identifier: "S 59"
citation: "Vermont S 59 (2025-2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ruth Hardy"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 36
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2025-02-11"
last_action: "2025-06-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/6dbeb7ed-1d29-435b-bd03-c859b05ac13a"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2026/24"
source_hash: "169d8004de08bf284e741cfa4a6be3c911820825fbba2ced282299379b35f81a"
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 59 (2025-2026) — An act relating to amendments to Vermont’s Open Meeting Law

## 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/S-0059/S-0059%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT051/ACT051%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT051/ACT051%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **As Passed By the Senate (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/S-0059/S-0059%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Official.pdf)
5. **As Passed By the Senate (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/S-0059/S-0059%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)
6. **As Passed by Both House and Senate (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/S-0059/S-0059%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/S-0059/S-0059%20As%20Passed%20by%20Both%20House%20and%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)
8. **House Proposal of Amendment (Official)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/S-0059/S-0059%20House%20proposal%20of%20amendment%20Official.pdf)
9. **House Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/S-0059/S-0059%20House%20Proposal%20of%20Amendment%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Sponsors

- Ruth Hardy — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-11** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Government Operations `introduction`
- **2025-03-14** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2025-03-14** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-14** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Government Operations `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-18** New Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-18** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Government Operations `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-19** Unfinished Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-19** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Government Operations `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-19** Read 2nd time, reported favorably with recommendation of amendment by Senator Hart for Committee on Government Operations `committee-passage-favorable, reading-2`
- **2025-03-19** Recommendation of amendment by Committee on Government Operations agreed to
- **2025-03-19** 3rd reading ordered
- **2025-03-20** New Business/Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-03-20** Pending third reading, bill amended as moved by Senator(s) Hart, Collamore, Vyhovsky, and White `reading-3`
- **2025-03-20** Read 3rd time & passed `reading-3`
- **2025-03-25** Read first time and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs `introduction`
- **2025-05-16** Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- **2025-05-19** Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
- **2025-05-20** Action Calendar: Unfinished Business
- **2025-05-20** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-05-20** Rep. Waters Evans of Charlotte reported for the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs
- **2025-05-20** Report of Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs agreed to
- **2025-05-20** Third Reading ordered `reading-3`
- **2025-05-21** Action Calendar: Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-05-21** Read third time and passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction, reading-3`
- **2025-05-22** House message: House passed bill in concurrence with proposal(s) of amendment
- **2025-05-23** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2025-05-23** House proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-27** New Business/House Proposal of Amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-27** House proposal of amendment; text `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-27** House proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-05-27** As passed by Senate and House `passage`
- **2025-05-27** Rules suspended & messaged to House forthwith, on motion of Senator Baruth `passage`
- **2025-05-28** Senate Message: House proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2025-06-03** Delivered to Governor on June 3, 2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-06-11** Signed by Governor on June 9, 2025 `executive-signature`
- **2025-06-13** Senate Message: Signed by Governor June 9, 2025 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/6dbeb7ed-1d29-435b-bd03-c859b05ac13a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).