Repeals of Act 181 portions zip through Legislature '...a lot of things went sideways ... but this solves the problem, for now'

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The Vermont Legislature sometimes gets the reputation for being ponderously slow but last week it showed it could move lightning fast when large numbers of people are up in arms about the effects of a law — and it’s an election year.

As regular readers will know, the law is Act 181 (a reform of  the state’s land use law, Act 250) and singularly unpopular are the portions that promised greater restrictions on rural areas while downtowns got exemptions.

Last Thursday, May 1, the House Environment Committee finished marking up a Senate bill (S.325) to turn it into the repeal of a number of the law’s sections including the Road Rule and Tier 3. On a vote of  11-0, the committee sent it to the House Floor, which automatically sent it to the Committee on Ways and Means. At 2:05 that  afternoon, members of the Ways and Means Committee heard brief descriptions of the bill from Legislative counsel Ellen Czajkowski and an analysis of the financial ramifications from Ted Barnett of the Joint Fiscal Office.

With little discussion, Vice Chair William Canfield of Rutland moved to find the bill “favorable” and send it on to the Appropriations Committee. But not before Rep. James Masland of Thetford Center had a say.

“In general terms, I know why we ended up where we are,” said Masland. “We passed 181 and a lot of things went sideways … This seems to me to be the practical result given how we work here … I wish the process had evolved differently and we could have spent more time working through the meritorious parts of Act 181 and come up with better solutions. But this solves the problem, for now.”

The committee then voted 10-0-1, with Masland in the majority, to send the bill to Appropriations.

On Friday morning, Appropriations got the same briefings and quickly voted in favor of the bill by the same 10-0-1 vote.

As of May 5, S.325 is on the House Notice Calendar, which means it will be getting a vote soon, perhaps Wednesday, May 6. Passage is about as certain as the sun coming up that day and once that happens, the bill will head back to the Senate for reconciliation.