2026 Legislative Priorities: Grounded in Accountability, Equity, and Dignity

As I enter the 2026 legislative session, I do so with a clear understanding of what is possible, a pragmatic recognition of the political landscape currently in place, and what is most at risk in Vermont policymaking.

Over the past year, I have watched well-intended reforms falter due to rushed process, executive obstruction, and a growing willingness to sacrifice transparency in the name of expediency. I have also seen what is possible when legislators, advocates, frontline workers, and community members work together deliberately and in good faith. That contrast now shapes how I will approach the session ahead.

The priorities I outline below will remain alongside my existing labor agenda. I continue to prioritize policies that strengthen the ability of workers to bargain, organize, and withhold labor when necessary. I remain focused on pursuing a viable path forward for the higher education right-to-strike legislation we introduced, because Vermont’s higher education institutions rely on skilled professionals who deserve the same fundamental leverage that workers have long fought for in other sectors. This commitment will remain a core measure I use when assessing broader “affordability” conversations that too often ignore wages and working conditions.

I continue to serve as an Independent legislator committed to a progressive policy platform. My focus remains on results, accountability, and protecting people with the least power from systems that too often work against them. What follows outlines the policy areas I will prioritize in 2026, the principles that guide that work, and the legislative efforts already underway.

Education:
Equity, Democratic Process, and Honest Reform

Education funding and redistricting

Vermont’s education funding challenges are well documented and absolutely real. So is the risk that we respond to them poorly.

As conversations around redistricting and funding reform continue, I am deeply grateful for the leadership of our own Senator Martine Larocque Gulick and the seriousness she has brought to this work through her leadership on the School District Redistricting Task Force. I am also well aligned with the analysis and cautions raised by Public Assets Institute, particularly around protecting equity, local voice, and fiscal transparency.

My commitment here is fairly simply stated at the moment. I am not on any of the committees of jurisdiction that will spend a large portion of the session finalizing any proposed legislation. Accordingly, I will take my cues from the people doing the hardest, most grounded work on the ground. That includes our amazing local school board members, our Superintendent, and Senator Larocque Gulick. And just as importantly, I will insist that any final proposal be debated openly and voted on through a process that allows legislators to speak, question, and be held accountable for the decisions we make.

Procedure matters. When it fails, outcomes and credibility suffer.

Protecting political speech and civil rights in education

I will introduce legislation clarifying the distinction between protected political speech and unlawful harassment in Vermont schools. This work is grounded in two principles that must coexist: antisemitism is real and must be confronted, and political speech must not be chilled by vague or overbroad definitions.

This bill affirms that criticism of the Israeli government, Zionism as a political ideology, or advocacy for Palestinian human rights does not constitute antisemitism unless it targets Jewish individuals or communities with bias, hostility, or harassment. It also directs the Agency of Education to provide guidance and training so schools can make these distinctions carefully and constitutionally, while strengthening First Amendment literacy for students.

This legislation was drafted in cooperation with Jewish Voices for Peace and Vermonters for Justice in Palestine. It is not about weakening protections against antisemitism. It is about protecting civil rights, academic freedom, and viewpoint neutrality while ensuring schools remain safe and respectful environments for all students.

Indigenous history curricula and the obligation to consult

I will also introduce legislation requiring that any Indigenous history and culture curricula used in Vermont schools or educational institutions be developed in consultation with, and endorsed by, the Abenaki First Nations at Odanak and Wôlinak.

This is a continuation of advocacy I have pursued consistently: correcting harm caused by the systematic exclusion of these First Nations from decision-making processes that directly affect their identity, history, and sovereignty. Historical and archaeological scholarship does not support the narrative that there are separate “Canadian” and “Vermont” Abenaki peoples. That framing is not only inaccurate, it is a dangerous rewriting of Indigenous history.

Under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, states have an obligation to consult Indigenous peoples and obtain free, prior, and informed consent when policies affect them, including in education. This bill seeks to bring Vermont’s practices into alignment with those obligations and to ensure that Indigenous curricula are accurate, fact-based, and developed with those whose history is being taught. Recently presented curricula by the Vermont groups are not.

Health Care: Protecting Gender-Affirming Care in an Uncertain Federal Landscape

I am working with colleagues on the Appropriations and Health Care Committees to ensure that access to gender-affirming care remains protected in Vermont, even as federal policy threatens to withdraw Medicaid and Medicare funding.

We are actively developing a state-based funding mechanism that mirrors Vermont’s response to past federal threats to abortion care. While I want to be appropriately careful about details at this stage, I can say this: we have viable paths forward, strong collaboration with advocates and agencies, and reason for cautious optimism.

Our goal is again simply stated. Vermonters should not lose access to medically necessary care because of ideological interference from Washington.

Department of Corrections: Dignity, Transparency, and Resistance to Backsliding

Corrections reform remains one of my central focuses. While the decision to halt development of a modern women’s facility represents a serious setback, I remain hopeful that meaningful improvements are still possible through a miscellaneous corrections bill and targeted statutory reforms.

I continue to be deeply concerned about the consequences of that decision. We are already sending more Vermonters to for-profit prisons in Mississippi, and women remain incarcerated in facilities that fail basic standards of safety and dignity. These are not abstractions. They are predictable outcomes of policy choices.

Reducing profit and increasing accountability

I will continue efforts to reduce Vermont’s reliance on private equity firms that profit from incarceration. That includes scrutinizing contracts related to commissary pricing, telecommunications, and incarcerated labor.

I am also introducing legislation to guarantee incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Vermonters clear, enforceable access to records about themselves. Access to one’s own records is essential for correcting errors, securing housing and employment, and addressing racial disparities in the criminal legal system. Transparency here is not optional. It is foundational.

Supporting reentry and eliminating punitive fees

Two additional priorities focus on successful reentry:

• Expanding Vermont’s policy of providing free state-issued identification upon release to include pretrial detainees, who face many of the same barriers as sentenced individuals.

• Eliminating supervision fees for Vermonters on probation or parole. These fees create debt, destabilize reentry, and serve no public safety purpose. They should be ended, outstanding balances forgiven, and enforcement halted.

These changes are modest, practical, and grounded in evidence. They matter.

I enter the 2026 session clear-eyed about the challenges ahead and committed to doing this work carefully, collaboratively, and honestly. I will continue to listen to those closest to the impacts of our decisions, to question concentrations of power, and to insist that process and outcomes align with our stated values.

If any of these issues matter to you, or if I’ve overlooked important policy areas, I encourage you to reach out. These conversations are essential  and they are always welcome.

Respectfully,
Troy Headrick
Representative, Chittenden-15