VT S0178

Defendants charged with nonviolent misdemeanors may move to dismiss if trial has not commenced within 1 year of charges being filed; nonviolent felony defendants may move to dismiss after 2 years

Prosecutors must respond to dismissal motions within 14 days explaining the delay, or the court may dismiss the case with prejudice

Courts may consider 12 factors when evaluating dismissal motions, including offense seriousness, evidence strength, harm to victim, prejudice to defendant, and impact on public confidence in the judicial system

Multiple time periods are excluded from the speedy trial calculation, including delays for competency evaluations, interlocutory appeals, pretrial motions, defendant absence or unavailability, and court-granted continuances with documented justification

Takes effect upon passage