BILL AS INTRODUCED H.738
2024 Page 1 of 2
1 H.738
2 Introduced by Representatives Canfield of Fair Haven, Branagan of Georgia,
3 Clifford of Rutland City, Morgan of Milton, Sammis of
4 Castleton, Taylor of Milton, and Williams of Granby
5 Referred to Committee on
6 Date:
7 Subject: Education; labor relations for teachers; noninterference with the right
8 to testify
9 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit
10 interference with a school district or supervisory union employee’s right to
11 testify before a school board or supervisory union board by amending
12 16 V.S.A. § 1986 to include such venues.
13 An act relating to the rights of school district and supervisory union
14 employees to testify before a school board or supervisory union board
15 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
16 Sec. 1. 16 V.S.A. § 1986 is amended to read:
17 § 1986. NONINTERFERENCE WITH RIGHT TO TESTIFY
18 (a) Subject to subsection (b) of this section, no teacher, administrator, or
19 any other employee of a school district or supervisory union shall be subject to
20 discipline by the school district or supervisory union for testifying before the VT LEG #372915 v.2
 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.738
2024 Page 2 of 2
1 General Assembly or, a committee of the General Assembly or before, the
2 State Board of Education, a school district board, or a supervisory union board.
3 (b) A teacher, administrator, or any other employee of a school district or
4 supervisory union who testifies before the General Assembly or, a committee
5 of the General Assembly or before, the State Board of Education, a school
6 district board, or a supervisory union board shall not divulge information that
7 is confidential to the school district or supervisory union or to its students or
8 staff and may be disciplined by the individual’s employer for divulging such
9 confidential information.
10 (c) A teacher, administrator, or any other employee of a school district or
11 supervisory union who testifies before the General Assembly or, a committee
12 of the General Assembly or before, the State Board of Education, a school
13 district board, or a supervisory union board shall, unless authorized by the
14 individual’s employer to testify on the employer’s behalf, state for the record
15 that the individual is not testifying on behalf of the individual’s employer.
16 Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE
17 This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
VT LEG #372915 v.2


Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 16-1986