# Vermont H.96: An act relating to increasing the monetary thresholds for certificates of need Vermont H.96, An act relating to increasing the monetary thresholds for certificates of need, is a 2025-2026 Session House bill sponsored by Rep. Mari Cordes; status signed, last action 2025-05-14 (House message: Governor approved bill on May 13, 2025); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-H96-2026 - 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.96 - State: Vermont - Session: 2025-2026 Session - Title: An act relating to increasing the monetary thresholds for certificates of need - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-28 - Last action: 2025-05-14, House message: Governor approved bill on May 13, 2025 - Sponsor: Rep. Mari Cordes - Cosponsors: 13 - Touches household money: yes - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Fewer health facility purchases need review: benefit, low. Beginning May 13, 2025, Vermont raises the certificate-of-need threshold for health facility capital projects from $1.5 million to $10 million. The threshold covers building, buying, renovating, and other capital spending; review applies when costs exceed it. The equipment threshold rises from $1 m… - Ground ambulance providers skip project review: benefit, low. Beginning May 13, 2025, emergency and nonemergency ground ambulance services are excluded from Vermont's certificate-of-need review system. The exclusion also covers affiliated agencies and equipment and supplies used by emergency medical personnel. - Higher review threshold for new healthcare: benefit, low. Beginning May 13, 2025, fewer new health services and technologies need a certificate of need. Review applies when annual operating costs exceed $3 million in either of the next two budgeted fiscal years. This rule covers services or technology the facility has not offered in the previous three fis… - Routine hospital replacements skip project review: benefit, low. Beginning May 13, 2025, routine replacement of fully depreciated medical equipment is excluded from certificate-of-need review. This means the equipment's cost has been fully written off in accounting records. Routine replacement of nonmedical equipment and fixtures, such as boilers and heating sys… - Surgery centers lose automatic review requirement: benefit, low. Beginning May 13, 2025, setting up an outpatient surgery center no longer automatically requires a certificate of need. This change covers building, developing, buying, leasing, or otherwise establishing a center. Other review rules, including the capital spending threshold, still apply. - Large health projects face staged approval: mixed, low. Beginning May 13, 2025, projects already requiring a certificate of need face two approval stages when expected spending exceeds $50 million. Applicants need conceptual approval before project planning and final approval before offering or further developing the project. Preparatory spending before… - State health projects exempt with notice: mixed, low. Beginning May 13, 2025, state-owned or state-run health services and facility projects are excluded from certificate-of-need review. Projects funded wholly or substantially by a Vermont state contract or grant also qualify. The sponsoring or awarding state agency must notify the Green Mountain Care… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Rep. Mari Cordes - Cosponsor: Alyssa Black (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Angela Arsenault (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Brian J Cina (Democrat/Progressive), House - Cosponsor: Daisy Berbeco (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Ela Chapin (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Rep. Francis McFaun - Cosponsor: Herb Olson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Rep. James Harrison - Cosponsor: Kate Logan (Democrat/Progressive), House - Cosponsor: Leslie Goldman (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Michael J Marcotte (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Monique Priestley (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Woodman H Page (Republican), House ## Actions (38) - 2025-05-14: House message: Governor approved bill on May 13, 2025 (House) - 2025-05-13: Signed by Governor on May 13, 2025 (House) - 2025-05-07: Delivered to Governor on May 7, 2025 (House) - 2025-05-06: House message: House concurred in Senate proposal of amendment (House) - 2025-05-02: Senate proposal of amendment concurred in (House) - 2025-05-02: Action Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment (House) - 2025-05-01: Notice Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment (House) - 2025-04-30: Senate Message: Passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment (Senate) - 2025-04-29: Read 3rd time & passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment (Senate) - 2025-04-29: New Business/Third Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-25: 3rd reading ordered (Senate) - 2025-04-25: Proposal of amendment by Committee on Health and Welfare agreed to (Senate) - 2025-04-25: Reported favorably by Senator Gulick for Committee on Finance (Senate) - 2025-04-25: Read 2nd time, reported favorably with proposal of amendment by Senator Douglass for Committee on Health and Welfare (Senate) - 2025-04-25: Favorable report by Committee on Finance (Senate) - 2025-04-25: New Business/Second Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-25: Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Health and Welfare (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Favorable report by Committee on Finance (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Health and Welfare (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Second Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Entered on Notice Calendar (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Referred to Committee on Finance per Senate Rule 31 (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Health and Welfare (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Second Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Entered on Notice Calendar (Senate) - 2025-03-14: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Health and Welfare (Senate) - 2025-03-12: Read third time and passed (House) - 2025-03-12: Action Calendar: Third Reading (House) - 2025-03-11: Third Reading ordered (House) - 2025-03-11: Report of Committee on Health Care agreed to (House) - 2025-03-11: Rep. Branagan of Georgia recommended for the Committee on Ways and Means (House) - 2025-03-11: Rep. Cordes of Bristol reported for the Committee on Health Care (House) - 2025-03-11: Read second time (House) - 2025-03-11: Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment (House) - 2025-02-28: Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment (House) - 2025-02-26: Referred to Committee on Ways and Means per Rule 35(a) (House) - 2025-02-26: Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment (House) - 2025-01-28: Read first time and referred to the Committee on Health Care (House) ## Bill text - As Enacted (ACT 15)Opens in a new window, 2025-05-20: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT015/ACT015%20As%20Enacted.pdf) - As Passed by Both Chambers, 2025-05-05: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As Passed by Both House and Senate Official.pdf) - As Passed by Both Chambers (Unofficial), 2025-05-05: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As Passed by Both House and Senate Unofficial.pdf) - Senate Proposal of Amendment, 2025-05-01: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 Senate proposal of amendment Official.pdf) - Senate Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial), 2025-05-01: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 Senate Proposal of Amendment Unofficial.pdf) - As Passed by the House, 2025-03-19: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As passed by the House Official.pdf) - As Passed by the House (Unofficial), 2025-03-19: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As Passed by the House Unofficial.pdf) - As Introduced, 2025-01-27: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As Introduced.pdf) ## Related bills - S.328: An act relating to housing and common interest communities (signed) - S.327: An act relating to economic development (signed) - S.313: An act relating to transforming Vermont’s career technical education system (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.298: An act relating to voter protections (signed) ## Sources - [As Enacted (ACT 15)Opens in a new window (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT015/ACT015%20As%20Enacted.pdf) - [As Passed by Both Chambers (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 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-0096/H-0096 As Passed by Both House and Senate Unofficial.pdf) - [Senate Proposal of Amendment (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 Senate proposal of amendment Official.pdf) - [Senate Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial) (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 Senate Proposal of Amendment Unofficial.pdf) - [As Passed by the House (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As passed by the House Official.pdf) - [As Passed by the House (Unofficial) (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As Passed by the House Unofficial.pdf) - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0096/H-0096 As Introduced.pdf) ## Related - [S.328: An act relating to housing and common interest communities](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S328-2026) - [S.327: An act relating to economic development](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S327-2026) - [S.313: An act relating to transforming Vermont’s career technical education system](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VT-S313-2026) - [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.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-H96-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).