S 291

     BILL AS INTRODUCED AND PASSED BY SENATE  S.291
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 1  S.291
 2   Introduced by Senators Vyhovsky, Clarkson, Gulick, Hardy, Perchlik and
 3  White
 4   Referred to Committee on Government Operations
 5   Date: January 22, 2026
 6   Subject: Executive; governmental ethics; disclosures; travel disclosures
 7   Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require
 8   legislators and elected statewide executive officers and their deputies to file
 9   disclosures detailing costs and associated information for any travel made in
10   the course of the individual’s official capacity or because of the individual’s
11   status that is paid for by any source other than the State or by that person
12   themselves.
13      An act relating to travel disclosures for legislators and certain executive
14      officers
15   It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
16   Sec. 1. 3 V.S.A. § 1214 is added to read:
17   § 1214. TRAVEL DISCLOSURES
18      (a) Applicability.
19  (1) A member of the General Assembly or an executive officer shall file
20   with the State Ethics Commission, or as otherwise directed by law, a disclosure
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 1   detailing costs and associated information for any travel made in the course of
 2   the member’s or executive officer’s official capacity or that would not have
 3   likely occurred but for the member’s or executive officer’s status of occupying
 4   the member’s or executive officer’s office.
 5  (2) Notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this subsection, a member of the
 6   General Assembly or an executive officer shall not file a disclosure if the
 7   travel is fully paid by the member or executive officer, this State, another state,
 8   or the federal government.
 9      (b) Contents and design of disclosure.
10  (1) A member of the General Assembly or an executive officer shall
11   disclose, in writing:
12  (A) the purpose of the travel;
13  (B) whether the travel was purely in the member’s or executive
14   officer’s official capacity or made for another purpose;
15  (C) the itinerary of travel, including dates of travel and any stopover
16   or intentional visit to another location prior to the destination of travel;
17  (D) with reasonable particularity, any expense payment or
18   reimbursement received for all costs associated with transportation to and from
19   any destination, and food, refreshments, tickets and admissions, entertainment,
20   lodging, and anything else of value, whether for cost or in kind, associated
21   with the travel;
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 1  (E) the date of any expense payment or reimbursement; and
 2  (F) which elements of associated travel costs were orchestrated or
 3   paid for or provided by:
 4  (i) the State;
 5  (ii) the member’s or executive officer’s own person; or
 6  (iii) any other sources, including associations, lobbyists, political
 7   committees and parties, and individuals.
 8  (2) A member of the General Assembly or an executive officer shall
 9   attest to the veracity and completeness of the disclosed information and sign
10   and date the disclosure.
11  (3) Disclosure forms shall, where appropriate, be designed by the State
12   Ethics Commission.
13      (c) Filing date. A member of the General Assembly or an executive officer
14   shall file the disclosure within 30 calendar days following the date on which
15   any costs associated with the travel are incurred.
16      (d) Supplemental disclosure. A member of the General Assembly or an
17   executive officer shall file with the State Ethics Commission, or as otherwise
18   directed by law, a supplemental disclosure in accordance with section 1203 of
19   this title if a particular matter involving the payer or orchestrator of any
20   expense or reimbursement detailed in subdivision (b)(1)(D) of this section
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1   comes before the member or executive officer during the six months following
2   such acceptance or reimbursement.
3   Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE
4      This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
                             * * * Travel Disclosures * * *
    Sec. 1. 3 V.S.A. § 1201 is amended to read:
    § 1201. DEFINITIONS
       As used in this chapter:
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           (10) “Immediate family” means an individual’s spouse, domestic
    partner, or civil union partner; child or foster child; sibling; parent; or such
    relations by marriage or by civil union or domestic partnership; or an
    individual claimed as a dependent for federal income tax purposes.
                                          ***
           (16) “Staff” means any individual who supports a member of the
    General Assembly or an executive officer in the member’s or executive
    officer’s official capacity and acts at the direction of the member or executive
    officer, whether paid or unpaid or receiving academic credit.
         (17) “State officer” means the Governor, Lieutenant Governor,
    Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor of Accounts, or Attorney General.
          (17)(18) “Unethical conduct” means any conduct of a public servant in
    violation of the Code of Ethics, as provided for in this chapter.
    Sec. 2. 3 V.S.A. § 1214 is added to read:
    § 1214. TRAVEL DISCLOSURES; IN GENERAL
       (a) Applicability.
           (1) A member of the General Assembly or an executive officer shall file
    with the State Ethics Commission, or as otherwise directed by law, a disclosure
    detailing costs and associated information for any travel made in the course of
    the member’s or executive officer’s official capacity or that would not have
    likely occurred but for the member’s or executive officer’s status of occupying
    the member’s or executive officer’s office.
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     (2) Notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this subsection, a member or an
executive officer is not required to file a disclosure if the travel is:
         (A) fully paid by the member or executive officer, this State, or the
federal government; or
         (B) of de minimis value, meaning having a value of $50.00 or less
per source per occasion, provided that the aggregate market value of the
individual item received from any one source shall not exceed $150.00 in a
calendar year.
   (b) Contents and design of disclosure.
      (1) A member of the General Assembly or an executive officer shall
disclose, in writing:
         (A) the purpose of the travel;
          (B) whether the travel was purely in the member’s or executive
officer’s official capacity or made for another purpose;
          (C) the itinerary of travel, including dates of travel and any stopover
or intentional visit to another location prior to the destination of travel;
         (D)(i)    with reasonable particularity, any expense made or
reimbursement received for all costs associated with transportation to and
from any destination, and food, refreshments, tickets and admissions,
entertainment, lodging, and anything else of value, whether for cost or in kind,
associated with the travel; and
            (ii) notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (i) of this
subdivision (D), a member or an executive officer is not required to disclose
any expenses or reimbursements for any travel fully paid by the member or
executive officer, this State, or the federal government;
         (E) the date of any expense or reimbursement; and
          (F) if certain costs associated with the travel were in part paid for or
reimbursed by any other source than the member or executive officer or this
State, indicate what amount was paid for or reimbursed by:
            (i) the State;
            (ii) the member’s or executive officer’s own person; or
           (iii) any other sources, including associations, lobbyists, political
committees and parties, individuals, other countries, states, and territories.
      (2) A member or an executive officer shall also make the same
disclosures described in subdivision (1) of this subsection for any staff and
immediate family accompanying the member or executive officer on the travel.
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These disclosures shall include the name and title of any staff and only the
nature of the relationship for any immediate family.
     (3) A member or an executive officer shall attest to the veracity and
completeness of the disclosed information and sign and date the disclosure.
      (4) Disclosure forms shall, where appropriate, be designed by the State
Ethics Commission.
   (c) Filing date. A member of the General Assembly or an executive officer
shall file the disclosure within 30 calendar days following the conclusion of
travel.
   (d) Supplemental disclosure. A member of the General Assembly or an
executive officer shall file with the State Ethics Commission, or as otherwise
directed by law, a supplemental disclosure in accordance with section 1203 of
this title if a particular matter involving the payer or orchestrator of any
expense or reimbursement detailed in subsection (b) of this section comes
before the member or executive officer during the six months following such
acceptance or reimbursement.
Sec. 3. 3 V.S.A. § 1215 is added to read:
§ 1215. TRAVEL DISCLOSURES; EXECUTIVE OFFICERS UNDER
        GOVERNOR
   (a) Notwithstanding the requirements of subsection §1214(a) of this title,
an executive officer serving under the Governor is not required to disclose any
expenses or reimbursements for any travel if:
      (1) that executive officer’s travel is otherwise required to be approved,
reported, and disclosed pursuant to a rule or bulletin as adopted by the
Governor;
        (2) that rule or bulletin conforms to the requirements of section 1214 of
this title; and
      (3) copies of all disclosures made by the executive officers pursuant to
the rule or bulletin are posted on the Agency of Administration’s website.
   (b) The Agency of Administration may design its own disclosure forms for
executive officers serving under the Governor, provided these forms conform to
the requirements of subsection 1214(b) of this title.
                       * * * General Amendments * * *
Sec. 4. 3 V.S.A. § 1211 is amended to read:
§ 1211. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS; ANNUAL DISCLOSURE
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   (a) Annually, each Executive officer and county officer shall file with the
State Ethics Commission a disclosure form that contains the following
information in regard to the previous 12 months:
      (1) each source, but not amount, of personal income of the officer and of
the officer’s spouse or domestic partner, and of the officer together with the
officer’s spouse or domestic partner, that totals more than $5,000.00,
including:
         (A) the officer’s employer or business name and address; and
          (B) if self-employed, a description of the nature of the self-
employment, including the names of any clients whose principal business
activities are regulated by or that have a contract with any municipal or State
office, department, or agency, provided that this information is known to the
candidate officer or the candidate’s officer’s domestic partner and that the
disclosed information is not confidential information;
     (2) any board, commission, or other entity that is regulated by law on
which the officer served and the officer’s position on that entity;
                                     ***
     (6) a generalized description, but not amount, to the best of the
candidate’s officer’s knowledge, of the following investments held by a
candidate an officer or the candidate’s officer’s spouse or domestic partner:
        (A) individual stock holdings valued at $25,000.00 or more, which a
candidate an officer exercises control over or has the ability to buy or sell,
which shall be listed individually;
         (B) interests in investment funds valued at $25,000.00 or more that a
candidate an officer or the candidate’s officer’s spouse or domestic partner
has the ability to exercise control over the composition of assets within a fund,
which shall be listed individually;
                                     ***
        (F) the details of any loan valued at $10,000.00 or more, made to the
candidate officer or the candidate’s officer’s spouse that is not a commercially
reasonable loan made in the ordinary course of business; and
      (7) the full name of the candidate’s officer’s spouse or domestic partner.
                                     ***
Sec. 5. 3 V.S.A. § 1221 is amended to read:
§ 1221. STATE ETHICS COMMISSION
                                     ***
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  (b) Membership.
     (1) The Commission shall be composed of the following seven members:
         (A)   one member, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court;
        (B) one member, appointed by the League of Women Voters of
Vermont, who shall be a member of the League;
         (C) one member, appointed by the Board of Directors of the Vermont
Society of Certified Public Accountants, who shall be a member of the Society;
        (D) one member, appointed by the Board of Managers of the Vermont
Bar Association, who shall be a member of the Association Governor;
         (E) one member, appointed by the Board of Directors of the SHRM
(Society for Human Resource Management) Vermont State Council, who shall
be a member of the Council;
         (F) one member, who shall be a former municipal officer, appointed
by the Speaker of the House; and
         (G) one member, who shall be a former municipal officer, appointed
by the Senate Committee on Committees.
                                     ***
  (e) Meetings.
     (1) Meetings of the Commission:
        (1)(A) shall be held at least quarterly for the purpose of the
Executive Director updating the Commission on the Executive Director’s
work;
         (2)(B) may be called by the Chair and shall be called upon the
request of any other two Commission members; and
         (3)(C) shall be conducted in accordance with 1 V.S.A. § 310 et seq.
      (2) A majority of the currently appointed members of the Commission
shall constitute a quorum. Once a quorum has been established, the vote of a
majority of the members present at the time of the vote shall be an act of the
Commission.
                                     ***
                          * * * Effective Date * * *
Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE
  This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.