The bill, S.79, won preliminary approval by a vote of 110 to 24.
The legislation is the “right thing for us as Vermonters to do,” said Rep. Chip Conquest, D-Wells River, said as he introduced it on the floor.
The bill, the same version the Senate passed unanimously last month, would bar Vermont agencies from sharing information about individuals’ religion, national origin, sexual orientation or other categories for the purpose of creating a registry.
The measure is a response to a proposal floated during President Donald Trump’s campaign to create a national registry of Muslims.
The bill also would require the approval of the governor before any law enforcement agency in the state entered into specific types of agreements with the federal government under which local and state police can be deputized to enforce civil immigration law.
The measure has broad support from state officials, including Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic Attorney General TJ Donovan, and tripartisan backing in the Legislature.
Rep. Rob Hubert, R-Milton, extensively questioned Conquest on the floor about the bill.
“I find this whole exercise just wrong,” Hubert said.
Hubert raised the potential for the legislation to affect the cooperation between local law enforcement and the Border Patrol in communities in northern Vermont, where federal agents often provide support for routine law enforcement.
The measure could also have an impact on funding the state receives from the federal government, he said. Scott has said the bill does not create a “sanctuary state.”
Hubert asked multiple questions about the “unnamed” registry the legislation addresses.
“This bill is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?” Hubert asked.
“In a manner of speaking, yes. It’s being sort of proactive,” Conquest said in response. The legislation is based on knowledge of national history, he said, citing the internment of Japanese-Americans, as well as awareness that some leaders have considered creating a religious registry.
Rep. Job Tate, R-Mendon, also said he could not support a bill that does not clearly define what a registry is.
“What is this database? Is it an Excel spreadsheet? Is it a log book kept in the Oval Office?” Tate said.
“I think we’re really kind of overstepping here,” he said.
Rep. Barbara Rachelson, D-Burlington, stood to support the bill as well. She said there seemed to be confusion about what is and is not in the legislation.
“Immigration enforcement is a federal function. It’s always been a federal function, and nothing in this bill would prevent this federal government from doing its job,” she said.
Others who endorsed the bill said they would support further action. Rep. Janet Ancel, D-Calais, said several towns in her district recently voted to take on “sanctuary” status. She said she would like to see the state take bigger steps.
“S.79 isn’t perfect. I wish it did more,” she said. “But it is a serious and concrete step in the right direction.”
The attorney general, whose office helped draw up the language with members of Scott’s administration, thanked House leaders for their work on the bill after the vote. Donovan also has lent his support to efforts on the national level to challenge Trump on immigration.
Scott spokesperson Rebecca Kelley said in a statement that the administration is “pleased” to see the bill advance.
The legislation “is important to ensuring we defend individual rights and protect the constitutional rights of citizens and the state, while keeping the state of Vermont in full compliance with federal law,” she said.
The final vote in the House is expected later this week.