# Vermont H.41: An act relating to abuse of the dead body of a person Vermont H.41, An act relating to abuse of the dead body of a person, is a 2025-2026 Session House bill sponsored by Thomas B Burditt (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-22 (House message: Governor approved bill on May 22, 2025) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-H41-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Vermont H.41 - State: Vermont - Session: 2025-2026 Session - Title: An act relating to abuse of the dead body of a person - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-17 - Last action: 2025-05-22, House message: Governor approved bill on May 22, 2025 - Sponsor: Thomas B Burditt (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Touches household money: no - Economic provisions PRIA read: 2 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - New criminal penalties for abusing dead bodies: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Vermont makes knowingly and intentionally burning, mutilating, disfiguring, dismembering, or destroying a dead body illegal without legal authorization. Penalties are up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both. Doing these acts to hide a crime or avoid arrest, prosec… - Burial permit violations become civil offenses: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Vermont replaces criminal penalties for burial-transit permit violations with a civil penalty capped at $1,000. This applies to burying, entombing, transporting, or removing a dead body without the required permit. It also applies when someone breaks the permit's rules for m… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Thomas B Burditt (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Allen "Penny" R Demar (Republican), House ## Actions (34) - 2025-05-22: House message: Governor approved bill on May 22, 2025 (House) - 2025-05-22: Signed by Governor on May 22, 2025 (House) - 2025-05-16: Delivered to Governor on May 16, 2025 (House) - 2025-05-16: House message: House concurred in Senate proposal of amendment (House) - 2025-05-14: Senate proposal of amendment concurred in (House) - 2025-05-14: Action Calendar: Action postponed until 5/14/2025 (House) - 2025-05-13: Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 5/14/2025, which was agreed to (House) - 2025-05-13: Action Calendar: Action postponed until 5/13/2025 (House) - 2025-05-12: Action Calendar: Action postponed until May 13, 2025 (House) - 2025-05-09: Rep. Burditt of West Rutland moved to postpone action until 5/13/25, which was agreed to (House) - 2025-05-09: Action Calendar: Action postponed until 5/9/2025 (House) - 2025-05-08: Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 5/9/2025, which was agreed to (House) - 2025-05-08: Action Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment (House) - 2025-05-07: Notice Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment (House) - 2025-05-06: Senate Message: Passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment (Senate) - 2025-05-02: Read 3rd time & passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment (Senate) - 2025-05-02: New Business/Third Reading (Senate) - 2025-05-01: 3rd reading ordered (Senate) - 2025-05-01: Proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary agreed to (Senate) - 2025-05-01: Read 2nd time, reported favorably with proposal of amendment by Senator Hashim for Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-05-01: Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-05-01: New Business/Second Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-30: Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-04-30: Entered on Notice Calendar (Senate) - 2025-02-14: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-02-13: Read third time and passed (House) - 2025-02-13: Action Calendar: Third Reading (House) - 2025-02-12: Third Reading ordered (House) - 2025-02-12: Report of Committee on Judiciary agreed to (House) - 2025-02-12: Rep. Burditt of West Rutland reported for the Committee on Judiciary (House) - 2025-02-12: Read second time (House) - 2025-02-12: Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment (House) - 2025-02-11: Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment (House) - 2025-01-17: Read first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary (House) ## Bill text - As Enacted (ACT 30)Opens in a new window, 2025-05-28: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT030/ACT030%20As%20Enacted.pdf) - As Passed by Both Chambers, 2025-05-16: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Passed by Both House and Senate Official.pdf) - As Passed by Both Chambers (Unofficial), 2025-05-16: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Passed by Both House and Senate Unofficial.pdf) - Senate Proposal of Amendment, 2025-05-06: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 Senate proposal of amendment Official.pdf) - Senate Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial), 2025-05-06: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 Senate Proposal of Amendment Unofficial.pdf) - As Passed by the House, 2025-02-14: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As passed by the House Official.pdf) - As Passed by the House (Unofficial), 2025-02-14: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Passed by the House Unofficial.pdf) - As Introduced, 2025-01-16: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Introduced.pdf) ## Related bills - S.327: An act relating to economic development (signed) - S.328: An act relating to housing and common interest communities (signed) - S.323: An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects (signed) - S.326: An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to laws relating to motor vehicles (signed) - S.313: An act relating to transforming Vermont’s career technical education system (signed) - S.298: An act relating to voter protections (signed) ## Sources - [As Enacted (ACT 30)Opens in a new window (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT030/ACT030%20As%20Enacted.pdf) - [As Passed by Both Chambers (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Passed by Both House and Senate Official.pdf) - [As Passed by Both Chambers (Unofficial) (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Passed by Both House and Senate Unofficial.pdf) - [Senate Proposal of Amendment (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 Senate proposal of amendment Official.pdf) - [Senate Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial) (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 Senate Proposal of Amendment Unofficial.pdf) - [As Passed by the House (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As passed by the House Official.pdf) - [As Passed by the House (Unofficial) (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Passed by the House Unofficial.pdf) - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0041/H-0041 As Introduced.pdf) ## Related - [S.327: An act relating to economic development](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S327-2026) - [S.328: An act relating to housing and common interest communities](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S328-2026) - [S.323: An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S323-2026) - [S.326: An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to laws relating to motor vehicles](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S326-2026) - [S.313: An act relating to transforming Vermont’s career technical education system](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S313-2026) - [S.298: An act relating to voter protections](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S298-2026) - [Vermont bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/vermont/bills) - [Vermont state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/vermont) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-H41-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).