Montpelier, Vt. - Governor Phil Scott announced action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly.
On March 22, Governor Scott signed bills of the following titles:
- H.367, An act relating to the management of perpetual care funds by cemetery associations
- H.654, An act relating to extending COVID-19 health care regulatory flexibility
When signing H.654, Governor Scott issued a joint statement with Secretary of State Jim Condos:
“This bill provides important ongoing flexibility for healthcare delivery and access to telehealth services for Vermonters. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth access was shown to be a valuable way to increase access to healthcare for Vermonters, which is a shared priority of the Governor’s office and the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), a division of the Secretary of State’s office. Moving forward, it can continue to play an important role for Vermonters and their health and wellbeing.
“The bill provides an extension for out of state providers to practice telehealth in our state without a Vermont license, so long as they are licensed to operate in another state. Now, H.654 requires them register with the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) or the Board of Medical Practice by March 31, 2022. Given the short timeframe for this to occur, OPR will allow for delayed enforcement of this provision, while encouraging compliance to ensure providers can follow through on the requirements without disrupting care for Vermonters.
“We thank the Legislature and the hardworking staff at OPR for their work on this initiative.”
To view a complete list of action on bills passed during the 2022 legislative session, click here.
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