Bill > H0550

This bill aims to promote gender equity within Vermont's correctional facilities by recognizing that gender identity is a personal experience and that transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals face higher risks of abuse and discrimination while incarcerated. Key provisions include requiring correctional facilities to address individuals according to their gender identity and pronoun, asking for their gender identity and preferred staff gender for searches during intake, and providing gender-responsive training for staff. The bill also prohibits discrimination in search, classification, and housing placement decisions based on anatomy, physical characteristics, or gender expression, and mandates that such decisions for transgender, gender-diverse, or intersex individuals be made by multidisciplinary panels considering the individual's health, safety, and security. Furthermore, the bill requires the Department of Corrections to adopt and comply with national standards for preventing prison rape, including specific protocols for vulnerable individuals, and mandates annual reporting on data related to these standards, with a requirement for policy adoption by January 2027. The bill also includes provisions for reviewing search policies and reporting on changes to prison rape elimination standards, with an effective date of July 1, 2026.