Burlington legislator proposes airspace safety coordination as state-level UAP reporting gains momentum

Vermont has become the latest state to advance unidentified anomalous phenomena legislation, with Rep. Troy Headrick (I-Burlington) introducing 

 this week to establish the Vermont Airspace Safety and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force. Americans for Safe Aerospace has pledged support for the bill and connected with constituent advocate Maggie Lenz, who requested the legislation.

The introduction follows New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signing 

 into law on January 12, establishing a $2.5 million UAP research center and a $1 million air traffic controller loan program. Vermont's proposal signals growing recognition among state legislators that UAP reporting infrastructure serves critical aviation safety functions.

H.654 would create a 10-member task force within the Department of Public Safety to evaluate UAP reports, assess airspace and public safety risks, and coordinate responses with federal, academic, and private sector partners. The task force would include representatives from Vermont's Department of Public Safety, Agency of Transportation, National Guard, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, airport systems, and technical experts in aerospace science and radar systems.

The task force would be required to hold at least one public meeting annually, maintain a public web page with meeting notices and nonconfidential materials, and submit annual reports to the Governor and legislative committees by December 15 each year.

The bill designates the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) as the principal scientific analyst for incident data, formalizing the role of independent technical expertise in state-level UAP investigation. SCU would analyze reports using scientific methodologies and provide detailed findings to the task force, which retains ultimate authority over policy recommendations and public communications.

"Vermont's approach recognizes that coordinated airspace safety requires technical expertise, multi-agency collaboration, and transparent reporting mechanisms," said Ryan Graves, founder and executive director of Americans for Safe Aerospace. "This is exactly the kind of infrastructure states need to support both civilian and military aviation safety. We want Vermont officials to know they have a partner in this work. ASA stands ready to support legislators and state officials however we can as they advance airspace safety infrastructure."

ASA has pledged to provide technical expertise, report data, and legislative support to Lenz and Vermont legislators throughout the legislative process.

The bill will be considered by the Vermont House Government Operations Committee on Friday, January 16.

Vermont's bill reflects the federal framework established through the 2023 Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act, which standardized federal UAP investigations and established requirements for transparency, centralized records management, and coordinated reporting. The state legislation specifically cites recent Vermont sightings that required law enforcement response, including low-altitude drone-like objects and aircraft safety concerns.

Maggie Lenz, owner of Atlas Government Affairs and the constituent who requested the legislation, cited the 2024 surge in reported objects over New Jersey as a catalyst for pursuing state-level reporting infrastructure. "I'm certainly not saying that it's aliens," Lenz told Seven Days VT. "But I do think just having the conversation here in Vermont will begin to allow for it to be taken a little bit more seriously."

Vermont and New Jersey's legislation reflects a broader shift toward state-level UAP reporting infrastructure that addresses gaps in federal action. While Congressional hearings and UAP disclosure provisions have created momentum, actual research funding and systematic data collection remain limited at the federal level. State-level action fills that gap.

When multiple states invest in UAP research and reporting infrastructure, they create distributed data collection networks that can inform federal policy and potentially pressure federal agencies to take airspace safety concerns more seriously. New Jersey's approach focused on research funding and workforce development for air traffic controllers, while Vermont emphasizes coordination mechanisms and scientific analysis frameworks. Together, these complementary state efforts build the empirical foundation that federal policy has yet to establish.

Both states cite aviation safety concerns rather than speculative extraterrestrial hypotheses as the primary justification for UAP reporting systems. This framing aligns with the military and commercial pilot reports ASA has documented since its founding, which consistently describe objects exhibiting flight characteristics that pose potential safety risks to conventional aircraft.

"We're seeing states recognize that UAP reports aren't fringe topics but legitimate airspace safety data that requires systematic collection and analysis," Graves said. "Vermont's legislation would create exactly the kind of transparent, science-based reporting infrastructure that supports both public safety and pilot reporting."

ASA's support for state-level legislation runs parallel to its federal advocacy efforts. The organization has helped craft the 

, legislation designed to attach to the next National Defense Authorization Act. The federal bill would establish comprehensive reporting protections for pilots and data collection mechanisms across all domains of U.S. airspace.

New Jersey's legislative success and Vermont's proposed legislation demonstrate growing bipartisan recognition that UAP reporting serves aviation safety functions. Vermont's bill notes that the 2023 UAP Disclosure Act was a bipartisan effort led by Senators Charles Schumer, Mike Rounds, Marco Rubio, and Kirsten Gillibrand.

H.654 is scheduled for introduction in the House Government Operations Committee on Friday. If enacted, the task force would begin operations on July 1, 2026.

Committee Chair Rep. Matt Birong (D-Vergennes) told Seven Days VT he wants to better understand the bill's goals before advancing it, but acknowledged legitimate public concerns about unidentified flying objects, particularly drones operating near residential properties.

"There have been lots of news stories about objects that are not necessarily extraterrestrial, but are still unknown," Birong said.

Americans for Safe Aerospace encourages Vermont residents and ASA members to contact their state representatives in support of H.654. Constituent voices are critical as the House Government Operations Committee considers the bill.

Vermont residents can find their state representative and contact information at 

. When reaching out, constituents should:

Emphasize airspace safety and the need for coordinated UAP reporting infrastructure

Share any personal experiences with unidentified objects in Vermont airspace

Request support for the bill's passage through committee

Americans for Safe Aerospace will continue monitoring H.654's progress and providing support and report data to Vermont legislators as the bill moves through committee consideration.

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