Politics of Vermont
Encyclopedia
As a small state, Vermont
federal politics has been, since the latter half of the 20th century, aimed at obtaining financial support from the federal government in exchange for voting support in Congress. At the state level, politics has been aimed towards suppressing development and business in favor of maintaining or producing a pristine wilderness.
as the Republic of Texas
, California
as the California Republic
, and Hawaii
as the Kingdom
and later Republic of Hawaii
.
In 1777, the state's constitution was the first in North America to provide for the abolition of slavery, suffrage for men who did not own land, and public schools.
In 1854, the Vermont delegation, consisting of three congressmen and two senators, vigorously, but unsuccessfully opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
in the US Congress. The replacement act appeared to extend slavery.
In 1986, voters defeated an equal rights amendment to the Vermont constitution.
The Vermont constitution and the courts supports the right of a person to walk (fish and hunt) on any unposted, unfenced land. That is trespass must be proven by the owner; it is not automatically assumed.
By a court decision from 1903, people have the right to carry firearms without a permit.
In 2010, the state enacted a law requiring that a DNA
sample be taken from everyone arraigned on a felony, and entered into a database controlled by the FBI.
After passage of the billboard-regulating Highway Beautification Act
of 1965, Vermont moved to ban them outright in 1968. All billboards were gone from Vermont by 1974. Vermont is one of four states to have prohibited all billboards from view of highway rights-of-way by law, except for signs on the contiguous property of the business location.
After the legislature was redistricted under one-person, one-vote, it passed legislation to accommodate American emigrants from New York, which earlier legislatures had ignored. The new legislation was the Land Use and Development Law (Act 250) in 1970. The law, which was the first of its kind in the nation, created nine District Environmental Commissions consisting of private citizens, appointed by the Governor, who must approve land development and subdivision plans that would have a significant impact on the state's environment and many small communities. As a result of Act 250, Vermont was the last state to get a Wal-Mart
; there are four, as of March 2008, but only the Williston store was new construction.
Having tried to discourage suburban sprawl, the legislatures of 1998 and 2002 moved to encourage downtowns. In 2008, there were 23 designated downtowns and 78 village centers.
There was a controversy in 2002 over the adoption of civil union
s, an institution which grants same-sex couples nearly all the rights and privileges of marriage
. In Baker v. Vermont
(1999), the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that, under the Constitution of Vermont
, the state must either allow same-sex marriage
or provide a separate but equal
status for them. The state legislature chose the second option by creating the institution of civil union; the bill was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Howard Dean
. In 2009 however, the state legislature passed a same-sex marriage bill that was vetoed by Governor Jim Douglas
. The legislature overrode the veto, making Vermont the first state to recognize same-sex marriage as the result of a bill passed in the legislature and not due to a judicial ruling.
In 2007, when confronted with an allegedly liberal issue, assisted suicide for the terminally ill, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives rejected the measure by a vote of 82-63.
A political issue has been Act 60
, which balances taxation for education funding. This has resulted in the town of Killington
voting 3:1 to secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire
due to what the locals say is an unfair tax burden.
In 2009, Vermont passed the strictest law in the nation controlling the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs to doctors, hospitals and other health providers.
In 2009, a governor vetoed a budget bill for the first time in history. For the first time in history, the legislature was called into special session to deal with the veto.
In 2009, the state outlawed smoking at workplaces.
The age of consent
in Vermont is 16.
Vermont is one of four states in the Union to allow any adult to carry a concealed firearm without any sort of permit.
Public nudity is legal in Vermont, though not disrobing in public. Within the State, thousands of nudists and skinny dippers gather for non-sexual nude recreation and host the World Naked Bike Ride through the streets of Burlington each year. The ride began in 2005 and has become an annual event.
Vermont is an alcoholic beverage control state
. Beer and wine may be sold in local grocery stores unless the town in which it is located has voted "dry" at their town meeting. Only state licensed establishments may sell stronger alcoholic beverages in bottles. The quantity of these stores is limited. Prices are set by the state. The state directly controls the licensing of establishments that sell alcoholic beverages by the drink. In 2007, through the Vermont Department of Liquor Control, it took in over $14 million from the sale and distribution of liquor. There are 75 State Liquor Stores and 1,350 taverns in the state.
In Vermont a driver may regard double yellow lines as "advisory," meaning that they are merely a warning not to cross over them. However a motorist will not be ticketed for that as an offense by itself.
Vermont is one of two states who allow prison inmates to vote, the other being Maine
.
Vermont is the only state in the union not to have a balanced budget requirement. Nevertheless, since 1991, it had always balanced its budget.
The state has an "open meeting
" law. This requires special attention when a quorum of an elected government group is meeting anyplace, including socially.
, Vermont, with 9.5% of the population with no medical insurance
, has the second best coverage in the country, as of 2004.
A 2007 statute, the "Prescription Confidentiality Law", required that records containing a doctor's prescribing practices not be sold or used for marketing purposes unless the doctor consented. This statute was struck down in 2011 by the US Supreme Court in Sorrell v. IMS Health, Inc.
as a violation of the First Amendment.
and other plans advocating secession. In 2007, about 13% of Vermont's population supported Vermont's withdrawal from the Republic. The percentage who supported this in 2005 was 8%.
Bernie Sanders
describes his political views as socialist
, but caucuses with the Democrats
in the selection of the Senate leadership. He was in the United States House of Representatives
during the 1990s and early 2000s and has been in the U.S. Senate since 2007. Bernie Sanders often votes with the Democratic Party
, but maintains his independence as an Independent in Congress.
Vermont's Senior Senator
is Patrick Leahy
, a liberal
Democrat. Vermont's sole Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives is Democrat Peter Welch. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=VT
is Thomas D. Anderson. Appointed in 2006.
Holding Vermont's seat on the Second Circuit Court is Peter W. Hall
who holds court in Rutland, Vermont. Appointed in 2004.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
federal politics has been, since the latter half of the 20th century, aimed at obtaining financial support from the federal government in exchange for voting support in Congress. At the state level, politics has been aimed towards suppressing development and business in favor of maintaining or producing a pristine wilderness.
History
Vermont is one of four states that were once an independent nation, as the Republic of Vermont. The other formerly independent states are TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
as the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as the California Republic
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
as the Kingdom
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
and later Republic of Hawaii
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
.
In 1777, the state's constitution was the first in North America to provide for the abolition of slavery, suffrage for men who did not own land, and public schools.
In 1854, the Vermont delegation, consisting of three congressmen and two senators, vigorously, but unsuccessfully opposed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
in the US Congress. The replacement act appeared to extend slavery.
In 1986, voters defeated an equal rights amendment to the Vermont constitution.
Statutes
The state is one of three in the nation that does not require political candidates to disclose personal financial information.The Vermont constitution and the courts supports the right of a person to walk (fish and hunt) on any unposted, unfenced land. That is trespass must be proven by the owner; it is not automatically assumed.
By a court decision from 1903, people have the right to carry firearms without a permit.
In 2010, the state enacted a law requiring that a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sample be taken from everyone arraigned on a felony, and entered into a database controlled by the FBI.
After passage of the billboard-regulating Highway Beautification Act
Highway Beautification Act
In the United States, highway beautification is the subject of the Highway Beautification Act, passed in the Senate on September 16, 1965 and in the U.S. House of Representatives on October 8, 1965, and signed by the President on October 22, 1965...
of 1965, Vermont moved to ban them outright in 1968. All billboards were gone from Vermont by 1974. Vermont is one of four states to have prohibited all billboards from view of highway rights-of-way by law, except for signs on the contiguous property of the business location.
After the legislature was redistricted under one-person, one-vote, it passed legislation to accommodate American emigrants from New York, which earlier legislatures had ignored. The new legislation was the Land Use and Development Law (Act 250) in 1970. The law, which was the first of its kind in the nation, created nine District Environmental Commissions consisting of private citizens, appointed by the Governor, who must approve land development and subdivision plans that would have a significant impact on the state's environment and many small communities. As a result of Act 250, Vermont was the last state to get a Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
; there are four, as of March 2008, but only the Williston store was new construction.
Having tried to discourage suburban sprawl, the legislatures of 1998 and 2002 moved to encourage downtowns. In 2008, there were 23 designated downtowns and 78 village centers.
There was a controversy in 2002 over the adoption of civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
s, an institution which grants same-sex couples nearly all the rights and privileges of marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. In Baker v. Vermont
Baker v. Vermont
Baker v. Vermont, 744 A.2d 864 , was handed down on December 20, 1999 by the Vermont Supreme Court. The decision represented one of the first high-level judicial affirmations of same-sex couples' right to treatment equivalent to that of traditionally married couples...
(1999), the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that, under the Constitution of Vermont
Constitution of Vermont
The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. State of Vermont. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the 1777 Constitution of Vermont which was ratified at Windsor in the Old Constitution House. At...
, the state must either allow same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
or provide a separate but equal
Separate but equal
Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law that justified systems of segregation. Under this doctrine, services, facilities and public accommodations were allowed to be separated by race, on the condition that the quality of each group's public facilities was to...
status for them. The state legislature chose the second option by creating the institution of civil union; the bill was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
. In 2009 however, the state legislature passed a same-sex marriage bill that was vetoed by Governor Jim Douglas
Jim Douglas
James H. Douglas is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. A Republican, he was elected the 80th Governor of Vermont in 2002 and was reelected three times with a majority of the vote...
. The legislature overrode the veto, making Vermont the first state to recognize same-sex marriage as the result of a bill passed in the legislature and not due to a judicial ruling.
In 2007, when confronted with an allegedly liberal issue, assisted suicide for the terminally ill, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives rejected the measure by a vote of 82-63.
A political issue has been Act 60
Act 60 (Vermont law)
In June 1997, the Vermont legislature passed Act 60, known as The Equal Educational Opportunity Act.It was drafted in response to a Vermont Supreme Court decision, in the Brigham vs...
, which balances taxation for education funding. This has resulted in the town of Killington
Killington, Vermont secession movement
At the 2004 and 2005 Town Meetings, the citizens of the ski resort community of Killington, Vermont voted in favor of pursuing secession from Vermont and admission into the state of New Hampshire, which lies 25 miles to the east.-Adherents' claims:...
voting 3:1 to secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
due to what the locals say is an unfair tax burden.
In 2009, Vermont passed the strictest law in the nation controlling the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs to doctors, hospitals and other health providers.
In 2009, a governor vetoed a budget bill for the first time in history. For the first time in history, the legislature was called into special session to deal with the veto.
In 2009, the state outlawed smoking at workplaces.
The age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
in Vermont is 16.
Vermont is one of four states in the Union to allow any adult to carry a concealed firearm without any sort of permit.
Public nudity is legal in Vermont, though not disrobing in public. Within the State, thousands of nudists and skinny dippers gather for non-sexual nude recreation and host the World Naked Bike Ride through the streets of Burlington each year. The ride began in 2005 and has become an annual event.
Vermont is an alcoholic beverage control state
Alcoholic beverage control state
Alcoholic beverage control states, generally called control states, are those in the United States that have state monopoly over the wholesaling and/or retailing of some or all categories of alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits....
. Beer and wine may be sold in local grocery stores unless the town in which it is located has voted "dry" at their town meeting. Only state licensed establishments may sell stronger alcoholic beverages in bottles. The quantity of these stores is limited. Prices are set by the state. The state directly controls the licensing of establishments that sell alcoholic beverages by the drink. In 2007, through the Vermont Department of Liquor Control, it took in over $14 million from the sale and distribution of liquor. There are 75 State Liquor Stores and 1,350 taverns in the state.
In Vermont a driver may regard double yellow lines as "advisory," meaning that they are merely a warning not to cross over them. However a motorist will not be ticketed for that as an offense by itself.
Vermont is one of two states who allow prison inmates to vote, the other being Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
Vermont is the only state in the union not to have a balanced budget requirement. Nevertheless, since 1991, it had always balanced its budget.
The state has an "open meeting
Freedom of information legislation
Freedom of information legislation comprises laws that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be received freely or at minimal cost, barring standard exceptions...
" law. This requires special attention when a quorum of an elected government group is meeting anyplace, including socially.
Medical
As a result of statutory benefits like Dr. DynasaurDr. Dynasaur
Dr. Dynasaur is a publicly-funded health care program in the U.S. state of Vermont, created in 1989. Vermont had an estimated 140,000 people under age 18 . Dr. Dynasaur covered 56,000 of these uninsured...
, Vermont, with 9.5% of the population with no medical insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
, has the second best coverage in the country, as of 2004.
A 2007 statute, the "Prescription Confidentiality Law", required that records containing a doctor's prescribing practices not be sold or used for marketing purposes unless the doctor consented. This statute was struck down in 2011 by the US Supreme Court in Sorrell v. IMS Health, Inc.
Sorrell v. IMS Health, Inc.
Sorrell v. IMS Health, Inc., No. 10-779 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that a Vermont statute that restricted the sale, disclosure, and use of records that revealed the prescribing practices of individual doctors violated the First Amendment.-Background:In 2007...
as a violation of the First Amendment.
Secession advocacy
Vermont's unique history and history of independent political thought has led to movements for the establishment of the Second Vermont RepublicSecond Vermont Republic
Second Vermont Republic is a secessionist group within the U.S. state of Vermont which seeks to return to the formerly independent status of the Vermont Republic . It describes itself as "a nonviolent citizens' network and think tank opposed to the tyranny of Corporate America and the U.S...
and other plans advocating secession. In 2007, about 13% of Vermont's population supported Vermont's withdrawal from the Republic. The percentage who supported this in 2005 was 8%.
Federal
Vermont is one of only two states represented by a member of the United States Congress who does not currently associate with a political party: SenatorUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...
describes his political views as socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, but caucuses with the Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the selection of the Senate leadership. He was in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
during the 1990s and early 2000s and has been in the U.S. Senate since 2007. Bernie Sanders often votes with the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, but maintains his independence as an Independent in Congress.
Vermont's Senior Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
is Patrick Leahy
Patrick Leahy
Patrick Joseph Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont and member of the Democratic Party. He is the first and only elected Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy is the second most senior U.S. Senator,...
, a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Democrat. Vermont's sole Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives is Democrat Peter Welch. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=VT
Judicial (federal)
The US AttorneyUnited States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
is Thomas D. Anderson. Appointed in 2006.
Holding Vermont's seat on the Second Circuit Court is Peter W. Hall
Peter W. Hall
Peter Welles Hall is an American jurist. He is federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.- Biography :...
who holds court in Rutland, Vermont. Appointed in 2004.
External links
- Congressional Papers collection, Center for Digital Initiatives, University of Vermont Library
- Congressional Portraits collection, Center for Digital Initiatives, University of Vermont Library
- Congressional Speeches collection, Center for Digital Initiatives, University of Vermont Library
- Letters Home from Congress collection, Center for Digital Initiatives, University of Vermont Library