Press Release: Jewish Voice for Peace Vermont-New Hampshire Files Ethics Complaint Against Five Vermont Legislators

By: Jewish Voice for Peace Vermont-New Hampshire Legislative Work Group

Contact Information: 

Liz Blum 802-649-2030 elizblum@gmail.com

Fran Miller 802-234-3180 franmillervt@gmail.com

Released: January 5, 2026

The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace filed ethics complaints against fiveVermont legislators on December 30 and December 31 with the Vermont Ethics Commission. Respectfully, we call on the Commission to recommend to the House Ethics Panel of the Vermont Houseof Representatives that it conduct a thorough investigation of the complaints and take appropriate disciplinary actions should it find the legislators violated the state’s Code of Ethics.

The complaints allege that Rep. Sarah Austin (Chittenden-19), Rep. James Gregoire (Franklin-6), Rep. MattBirong (Addison-3), Rep. Will Greer (Bennington-2) and Rep. Gina Galfetti (Washington-Orange) violated Vermont’s Governmental Code of Ethics when, as members of the House of Representatives, they accepted prohibited gifts from the State of Israel to attend “50 States, One Israel,” an event held from September 15 through 18, 2025. The complaints, as filed with the ethics commission, are at tinyurl.com/JVP-complaints. 

According to Fran Miller, a spokesperson for Jewish Voice for Peace Vermont-New Hampshire, “The representatives accepted gifts of travel to, from, and within Israel, including chartered flights, accommodations in luxury, five-star hotels, meals, and guided tours in Jerusalem, all paid for by the Israeli government.”