The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed legislation creating a panel to monitor issues of racial disparity in Vermont’s criminal and juvenile justice systems.
The bill creates a 13-member panel, which includes five members from communities of color in addition to representatives from the attorney general’s office, the Department for Children and Families and others.
The justice panel will review aspects of the justice system in Vermont and provide recommendations for how to address systemic racial disparities.
The Senate Judiciary Committee attached the language to H.308, a bill that reorganizes criminal statutes in Vermont.
A bill, H.492, creating a similar panel passed the House last week. However, the House bill advanced late in the session, causing a logistical challenge for the Senate to take it up. The Senate committee has been working concurrently on the issue in recent weeks.
The House version of the bill created a 15-member panel that would focus more broadly on systemic racism across Vermont — including in areas like education and housing.
Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, said in a statement that the board will keep Vermont in the forefront in terms of promoting racial justice.
“Importantly, the panel’s work will give more Vermonters a voice at the table to combat racial injustice,” he said.
The legislation will go to the Senate Appropriations Committee before coming up for a vote on the Senate floor.
