Vermont legislation · 2025-2026 Session
Vermont S223: An act relating to water quality of the waters of Vermont
Status: Signed into law, May 13, 2026
What the bill says
An act relating to water quality of the waters of Vermont. (S.223) It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont.
From the chaptered text, June 18, 2026:
An act relating to water quality of the waters of Vermont. (S.223) It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: Sec. 1. WATER QUALITY, LAKE CLASSIFICATION, AND ANTIDEGRADATION STUDY GROUP; REPORT (a) Creation. There is created the Water Quality, Lake Classification, and Antidegradation Study Group, which shall conduct the evaluations set forth in subsection (c) of this section, including the review of existing classified waters of the State and candidate waters with water quality data supporting reclassification, assessment of antidegradation requirements, examination of the regulatory framework for Class A waters, and examination of the adequacy of the current water classification system for lakes and ponds. Based on these evaluations, the Study Group shall recommend to the General Assembly legislative or policy changes to strengthen environmental protection, provide regulatory certainty, and support public uses of State waters. (b) Membership. The Study Group shall be composed of the following members: (1) three current members of the House of Representatives, not all from the same political party, who shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House; (2) three current members of the Senate, not all from the same political party, who shall be appointed by the Committee on Committees; (3) the Secretary of Natural Resources or designee; VT LEG #390268 v.1 No. 175 Page 2 of 6 …
Sponsors
- Seth Bongartz (D, Bennington District) · primary sponsor
- Anne Watson (D, Washington District)
Latest actions
- : Senate Message: Signed by Governor [June 18, 2026]
- : Signed by Governor on [June 18, 2026]
- : Delivered to Governor on [June 12, 2026]
- : Rules suspended & messaged to House forthwith, on motion of Senator [Baruth]
- : As passed by Senate and House
- : Senate Message: Report of Committee of Conference adopted
- : Committee of Conference report adopted
- : Committee of Conference report submitted by Senator [Bongartz] for Committee, text
- : Committee of Conference report
- : Committee of Conference report
Common questions
- What is S223?
- S223 is a bill in the Vermont Legislature (2025-2026 Session): An act relating to water quality of the waters of Vermont.
- What does S223 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to water quality of the waters of Vermont. (S.223) It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont.
- What is the status of S223?
- Signed into law as of May 13, 2026. Latest action: Senate Message: Signed by Governor [June 18, 2026] (May 29, 2026).
- Who sponsored S223?
- Seth Bongartz (D, Bennington District), with 1 co-sponsor.
- Where is the official record for S223?
- On the Vermont Legislature website: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.223
Source: official Vermont record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.