House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development

 

AGENDA

 

Room 35 and Zoom

February 3, 2026 - February 6, 2026

Last Updated 2/6/2026 2:36 PM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-commerce-and-economic-development.

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

9:30 AM                   H. 650 - An act relating to educational technology products

Walk-through

Rik Sehgal, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

10:00 AM                   House Floor and Caucuses

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   H. 674 - An act relating to the creation of the Vermont Sister State Program

Testimony and Mark-up

Rik Sehgal, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Tim Tierney, Director of Recruitment and International Trade, Agency of Commerce and Community Development

Debra Bloom , Project Manager, Agency of Education - Zoom

Susan Evans McClure, Executive Director, Vermont Arts Council

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Enriquez, National Guard State Partnership Program Director

Brigadier General Hank Harder, Deputy Adjutant General, Office of the Adjutant General

Lise Veronneau, Sister City Committee Burlington - Honfleur France - Zoom

Rep. Conor Casey, House Committee on Institutions and Corrections

 

1:55 PM                   Break

 

2:05 PM                   H. 674 - An act relating to the creation of the Vermont Sister State Program

Committee Discussion and Vote

Major General Gregory C. Knight, Adjutant General, Vermont National Guard

Tim Tierney, Director of Recruitment and International Trade, Agency of Commerce and Community Development

Rik Sehgal, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

2:45 PM                   Break

 

3:00 PM                   H. 512 - An act relating to the regulation of the event ticketing market

Testimony

Brando Rich, CEO and Co-Founder, CashorTrade - Zoom

Susan Evans McClure, Executive Director, Vermont Arts Council

 

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

9:00 AM                   An Educational Hearing on the Core Pillars of Privacy

Joint Hearing with the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs held in Room 10 of the State House from 9:00 - 10:15am. This will be livestreamed from here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUQtWLIiQcA8Xh0xWMvRMmw/featured

Neil Richards, Koch Distinguished Professor in Law, Washington University School of Law

Jordan Francis, Senior Policy Counsel for U.S. Legislation, Future of Privacy Forum

Woodrow Hartzog, Andrew R. Randall Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law

Bob Hedges, Former Chief Data Officer, Visa

Bob Sullivan, Independent Journalist

 

10:30 AM                   An Educational Hearing on the Core Pillars of Privacy

Continued Testimony in Room 10 of the State House. This portion of the meeting will be livestreamed via House Commerce, here: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-commerce-and-economic-development.

Arielle Garcia, Chief Operating Officer, Check My Ads

Iesha White, Director of Intelligence, Check My Ads

Rowdie Erwin, Former Media Director

Debbie Reynolds, Data Privacy and Emerging Technology Expert, Founder, Debbie Reynolds Consulting LLC

Daniel Solove, Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor of Intellectual Property and Technology Law, George Washington University Law School

Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   H. 639 - An act relating to genetic data privacy

Testimony

Ritchie Engelhardt, Head of Government Affairs, Ancestry.com

Todd Daloz, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Attorney General's Office

 

1:30 PM                   H. 205 - An act relating to agreements not to compete

Sophie Zdatny, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

 

2:00 PM                   Break

 

2:30 PM                   University of Vermont President

Introduction and Discussion

Dr. Marlene Tromp, President, University of Vermont

Wendy Koenig, Executive Director of Government Relations, University of Vermont

 

3:30 PM                   House Floor

 

Thursday, February 5, 2026

9:00 AM                   H. 639 - An act relating to genetic data privacy

Committee Discussion, Mark-up, and Possible Vote

Rik Sehgal, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Thomas Weiss, Civil Engineer

Todd Daloz, Assistant Attorney General, Attorney General's Office

 

10:45 AM                   Break

 

11:00 AM                   Outdoor Recreation

Joint Hearing with the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs in Room 270 of the Pavilion. This will be livestreamed here: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/senate-economic-development-housing-and-general-affairs.

 

Nick Bennette, Executive Director of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, Vermont Trails and Greenways Council

Kelly Ault, Executive Director, Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance

Jackie Dagger, Program Manager, Vermont Outdoor Recreation Collaborative

Lindsay DesLauriers, President, Bolton Valley Resort

Bob Kogut, President, Mad River Valley Recreation District

Jeff Alexander, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports

Drew Pollack-Bruce, Owner and Founder, CRO Planning and Design

Alex Racicot, The Boot Pro Ski and Bike

Nick Mahood, Woodstock Inn and Resort Nordic Center

Jessica Brodie, Executive  Director, Vermont Recreation and Parks Association

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   3 Squares Awareness Day

Testimony

Ivy Enoch, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Hunger Free Vermont

Mark Bouchett, Chair, Vermont Retail & Grocers Association

Mary Mullally, General Manager, Hunger Mountain Co-Op - Zoom

Jamie Sky Bianco, Owner, Ramble Bramble Farm

 

1:30 PM                   Local Motion

Richard Amore, Program Director, Local Motion

 

2:05 PM                   Break

 

2:10 PM                   H. 385 - An act relating to remedies and protections for victims of coerced debt

Testimony and Mark-up. Strike-all Amendment Incorporating Suspicious Transaction Holds.

Christopher Curtis, Director, Consumer Assistance Program, Vermont Attorney General's Office

Maria Royle, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Chris D'Elia, President, Vermont Bankers' Association

Colin Hilliard, Associate State Director - Advocacy and Outreach, AARP VT

Katie Mackenzie, Person with Lived Experience

 

3:30 PM                   House Floor

 

Friday, February 6, 2026

9:05 AM                   Legislative Interns Report

Hearing Reports from the Committee Legislative Interns.

Bailey Davis, Norwich Legislative Intern

Cabot Sayles, UVM Legislative Intern

 

9:30 AM                   House Floor

 

10:15 AM                   H. 733 - An act relating to the regulation of franchise agreements

David Hall, Director of Business Services, Secretary of State's Office

 

10:40 AM                   H. 512 - An act relating to the regulation of the event ticketing market

David Garriepy, Federal Government Relations, StubHub

 

12:00 PM                   Lunch

 

1:00 PM                   H. 650 - An act relating to educational technology products

Walk-through and Testimony

Rik Sehgal, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Lauren Hibbert, Deputy Secretary of State, Secretary of State's Office

Todd Daloz, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Attorney General's Office

Jill Anderson, Mindful Tech Lessons (1:15 PM) - Zoom

Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, Author "The Digital Delusion" - Zoom

Faith Boninger, National Education Policy Center - Zoom

Lisa LeVasseur, Internet Safety Labs - Zoom

Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant - Zoom

Jeff Wallis, IT Director, Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District

 

ATTENTION WITNESSES

 

Please email handouts to the committee assistant at least 24 hours before your scheduled meeting time. With few exceptions, any documents you send to a committee assistant are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s web page.

 

Should you require accessibility services, please click here and note that requests should be made 48 hours in advance of testimony.

 

 

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact

 Megan Cannella at Megan.Cannella@vtleg.gov