Emergencys

The emergency rule implements the new Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum program (the Program) established by Act 143 (2026), an act relating to establishing the Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum. The Program replaces Vermont's current homelessness response system with a continuum of supports and services for households who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Program delivers services through a tiered system based on the household's level of need: (1) Level 1 - prevention and diversion; (2) Level 2 -shelter services; (3) Level 2 - specialized shelter services; (4) Level 4 - hotels and motels. The Program also incorporates permanent supportive housing services and other emergency housing services, such as extreme cold weather shelters and municipal supports, into the continuum of services offered under the Program. The Program requires individualized housing plans and case management for all emergency housing placements.

The Department is updating the requirements for annual motor vehicle inspections to remove failure reasons that are not directly related to motor vehicle safety. Items being removed include: all references to on-road testing; tire cuts, snags, or weather cracks; broken power steering belts; loss of shock absorber function; rust on brakes; headlamp aiming; ABS or airbag failure lights; horn, speedometer, and odometer malfunction; cracks or star breaks on windshield; power window malfunction; damaged windshield wiper blades; and modification to exhaust system causing an unreasonable sound level.

This rule shortens the allowed time between veterinary examination and physical importation into Vermont, reducing the risk of introducing the fly and the disease to Vermont. It extends the requirement to include dogs and cats, which are susceptible to screwworms and travel from the Southwest much more frequently than livestock. It also incorporates USDA playbook rules into Vermont state rules, thus allowing enforcement at the state level. It extends the range of movement restrictions to animals originating from or traveling through states containing infested zones, as wildlife and natural fly movement can cause independent and rapid spread. Finally, it requires treatment of animals within the infested zones, and of dogs and cats in affected states, before importation to further decrease the chance of becoming infected after inspection but before movement.

The purpose of the rule is to provide the requirements for the safe and sanitary manufacturing, packing, holding, and distributing of human food offered for sale in Vermont. This rulemaking does the following: 1) Defines cottage food operation, cottage food operator, and cottage food product; 2) Substitutes the more narrow bakery product exemption for a broader exemption categorized as the cottage food exemption and raises the exemption threshold of gross annual sales to $30,000; 3) Amends the existing exemption filing requirement frequency from prior to operation to an annual filing; 4) Creates a required annual training for license-exempt food manufacturers; and 5) Creates a process for cottage food operators to submit requests to the Department for determination whether the product they are making is a cottage food.

The purpose of the rule is to provide the requirements for the safe and sanitary manufacturing, packing, holding, and distributing of human food offered for sale in Vermont. This rulemaking does the following: 1) Defines cottage food operation, cottage food operator, and cottage food product; 2) Substitutes the more narrow bakery product exemption for a broader exemption categorized as the cottage food exemption and raises the exemption threshold of gross annual sales to $30,000; 3) Amends the existing exemption filing requirement frequency from prior to operation to an annual filing; 4) Creates a required annual training for license-exempt food manufacturers; and 5) Creates a process for cottage food operators to submit requests to the Department for determination whether the product they are making is a cottage food.