# Vermont H.98: An act relating to confirmatory adoptions and standby guardianships Vermont H.98, An act relating to confirmatory adoptions and standby guardianships, is a 2025-2026 Session House bill sponsored by Barbara Rachelson (Democratic); 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-H98-2026 - 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.98 - State: Vermont - Session: 2025-2026 Session - Title: An act relating to confirmatory adoptions and standby guardianships - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-28 - Last action: 2025-05-22, House message: Governor approved bill on May 22, 2025 - Sponsor: Barbara Rachelson (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 5 - Touches household money: no - Economic provisions PRIA read: 3 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Backup guardians for immigration-affected families: benefit, medium. Beginning May 22, 2025, families can arrange consensual guardianship when a covered immigration action makes a custodial parent unavailable. Covered actions include immigration arrest or detention, removal or departure orders, visa or permit denials or expirations, and parole or entry denials or de… - Easier adoption for assisted reproduction families: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, eligible parents can confirm parentage through adoption for children born through assisted reproduction. The nonbirth parent must qualify as a legal or presumed parent under Vermont law. All parents must sign the petition and include a declaration, certified birth certificat… - Parents gain safeguards during standby guardianship: benefit, medium. Beginning May 22, 2025, standby guardians must send status reports to the custodial parent's last known email and the parent's lawyer. These reports supplement the annual reporting duties for guardians. Standby guardianship is presumed to end when the parent is released and reunited with the child.… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Barbara Rachelson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Angela Arsenault (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Ian Goodnow (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Kevin "Coach" B Christie (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Martin J LaLonde (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Troy Headrick (Independent), House ## Actions (40) - 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) - 2025-05-14: House message: House concurred in Senate proposal of amendment (House) - 2025-05-13: Title revised via Rule 41 (House) - 2025-05-13: Senate proposal of amendment concurred in (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. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 5/13/2025, which was agreed to (House) - 2025-05-09: Action Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment (House) - 2025-05-08: Notice Calendar: Senate Proposal of Amendment (House) - 2025-05-07: Senate Message: Passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment (Senate) - 2025-05-06: Read 3rd time & passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment (Senate) - 2025-05-06: New Business/Third Reading (Senate) - 2025-05-02: 3rd reading ordered (Senate) - 2025-05-02: Proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary agreed to (Senate) - 2025-05-02: Read 2nd time, reported favorably with proposal of amendment by Senator Hashim for Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-05-02: Favorable report with proposal of amendment by Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-05-02: Unfinished Business/Second Reading (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: Second Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-30: Entered on Notice Calendar (Senate) - 2025-02-25: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-02-20: Read third time and passed (House) - 2025-02-20: Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to amend the bill, which was agreed to (House) - 2025-02-20: Action Calendar: Third Reading (House) - 2025-02-19: Third Reading ordered (House) - 2025-02-19: Report of Committee on Judiciary agreed to (House) - 2025-02-19: Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington reported for the Committee on Judiciary (House) - 2025-02-19: Read second time (House) - 2025-02-19: Action Calendar: Action postponed until 2/19/2025 (House) - 2025-02-18: Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 2/19/2025, which was agreed to (House) - 2025-02-18: Action Calendar: Action postponed until 2/18/2025 (House) - 2025-02-14: Action Calendar: Action postponed until 2/18/2025 (House) - 2025-02-13: Rep. LaLonde of South Burlington moved to postpone action until 2/18/2025, which was agreed to (House) - 2025-02-13: Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment (House) - 2025-02-12: Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment (House) - 2025-01-28: Read first time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary (House) ## Bill text - As Enacted (ACT 31)Opens in a new window, 2025-05-28: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT031/ACT031%20As%20Enacted.pdf) - As Passed by Both Chambers, 2025-05-14: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 As Passed by Both House and Senate Official.pdf) - As Passed by Both Chambers (Unofficial), 2025-05-14: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 As Passed by Both House and Senate Unofficial.pdf) - Senate Proposal of Amendment, 2025-05-07: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 Senate proposal of amendment Official.pdf) - Senate Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial), 2025-05-07: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 Senate Proposal of Amendment Unofficial.pdf) - As Passed by the House, 2025-02-21: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 As passed by the House Official.pdf) - As Passed by the House (Unofficial), 2025-02-21: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 As Passed by the House Unofficial.pdf) - As Introduced, 2025-01-27: [PDF](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 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 31)Opens in a new window (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/ACTS/ACT031/ACT031%20As%20Enacted.pdf) - [As Passed by Both Chambers (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 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-0098/H-0098 As Passed by Both House and Senate Unofficial.pdf) - [Senate Proposal of Amendment (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 Senate proposal of amendment Official.pdf) - [Senate Proposal of Amendment (Unofficial) (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 Senate Proposal of Amendment Unofficial.pdf) - [As Passed by the House (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 As passed by the House Official.pdf) - [As Passed by the House (Unofficial) (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 As Passed by the House Unofficial.pdf) - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/BILLS/H-0098/H-0098 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-H98-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).