Bill > H0105

This bill expands the Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program by lowering the age of applicability from 16 to 12 years old and introducing new provisions for youth substance-related offenses. The bill comprehensively addresses youth violations involving alcohol, cannabis, and impaired driving, establishing a diversion program approach for first-time offenders under 21. For alcohol and cannabis possession, youth will be referred to the Court Diversion Program and required to complete substance abuse screening, and potentially assessment or counseling. For impaired driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.02 or more, the bill introduces graduated penalties including license suspension (90-180 days for first offenses, up to one year for subsequent offenses), mandatory participation in the Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program, and the option to obtain an ignition interlock restricted driver's license. The bill also mandates annual reporting on program outcomes, proposes developing outcome measures to assess the program's effectiveness, repeals several existing statutes related to youth substance offenses, and includes provisions to maintain confidentiality of records. The new regulations aim to provide a rehabilitative approach to youth substance-related infractions while implementing meaningful consequences to promote safety and reduce future offenses.

Justice

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.105