2023 Vermont legislative session

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2023 Vermont legislative session
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General information
Session start:    January 4, 2023

Session end:    May 12, 2023

Leadership
Senate President
David Zuckerman

House Speaker
Jill Krowinski
Majority Leader
Senate: Alison Clarkson
House: Emily Long
Minority Leader
Senate: Randy Brock
House: Patricia McCoy

Elections
Next Election:    November 5, 2024

Last Election:    November 8, 2022

Previous legislative sessions
2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2023 legislative sessions


In 2023, the Vermont State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2023 and adjourn on May 12, 2023.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Democrats won a 22-7 majority in the Senate with one member of the Vermont Progressive Party and a 106-38 majority in the House with three members of the Vermont Progressive Party and three independents. The Republican Party controlled the governorship, creating a divided state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, Vermont was one of nine state legislatures where the Democratic Party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.


At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session:
  • Democrats held a majority in the Vermont state House and state Senate.
  • Vermont was one of 17 Democratic state government trifectas.
  • Vermont's governor was Republican Phil Scott.

    • Leadership in 2023

    Vermont State Senate

    Vermont House of Representatives

    Partisan control in 2023

    See also: State government trifectas

    Vermont was one of 17 Democratic state government trifectas at the start of 2023 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Vermont was also one of nine state legislatures where the Democratic Party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Vermont State Legislature in the 2023 legislative session.

    Vermont State Senate

    Party As of January 2023
         Democratic Party 22
         Republican Party 7
         Vermont Progressive Party 1
    Total 30

    Vermont House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2023
         Democratic Party 106
         Republican Party 38
         Vermont Progressive Party 3
         Independent 3
    Total 150

    Regular session

    The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2023. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Vermont state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, there were 48 standing committees in Vermont's state government, including 16 joint legislative committees, 14 state Senate committees, and 18 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    • Canvassing Committee
    • Government Accountability Committee
    • Health Reform Oversight Committee
    • Information Technology Oversight Committee
    • Joint Carbon Emissions Reduction Committee
    • Joint Energy Committee
    • Joint Fiscal Committee
    • Joint Legislative Child Protection Oversight Committee
    • Joint Rules Committee
    • Joint Transportation Oversight Committee
    • Judicial Retention Committee
    • Judicial Rules Committee
    • Justice Oversight Committee
    • Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules
    • Legislative Council Committee
    • Legislative Management Committee

    Senate committees

    • Agriculture Committee
    • Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee
    • Ethics Committee
    • Finance Committee
    • Health and Welfare Committee
    • Institutions Committee
    • Natural Resources and Energy Committee
    • Senate Appropriations Committee
    • Senate Education Committee
    • Senate Government Operations Committee
    • Senate Judiciary Committee
    • Senate Rules Committee
    • Senate Transportation Committee
    • Sexual Harassment Panel

    House committees

    • Agriculture and Forestry Committee
    • Commerce and Economic Development Committee
    • Corrections and Institutions Committee
    • Energy and Technology Committee
    • General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee
    • Health Care Committee
    • House Appropriations Committee
    • House Discrimination Prevention Panel
    • House Education Committee
    • House Ethics Panel
    • House Government Operations Committee
    • House Judiciary Committee
    • House Rules Committee
    • House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel
    • House Transportation Committee
    • Human Services Committee
    • Natural Resources, Fish, and Wildlife Committee
    • Ways and Means Committee

    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Vermont Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Amendments of the Vermont Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Vermont

    Section 72 of the Vermont Constitution lays out the procedure governing changes to the Vermont Constitution. Vermont does not feature the power of initiative for either initiated state statutes or initiated constitutional amendments.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required in the Vermont State Senate and a simple majority vote is required in the Vermont House of Representatives in the first legislative session. A simple majority vote is required in both chambers in the second legislative session to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 20 votes in the Vermont State Senate and 76 votes in the Vermont House of Representatives in the first session and 16 votes in the state senate and 76 votes in the state house in the second session, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    The Vermont Constitution, like that of several other states, does not provide for constitutional conventions. Perhaps as a result, Vermont's current constitution is one of the oldest in the country, having been adopted in 1793. The Massachusetts Constitution is the only older constitution.

    Although there are no provisions in the state's constitution governing the calling of a constitutional convention, in 1969, the Vermont State Legislature referred an advisory measure to the ballot which asked "Shall a Vermont Constitutional Convention be convened at the state house in Montpelier on October 6, 1969 to consider the following topics which shall receive a majority of the votes cast upon it in this election, and no others?" The question was rejected by the voters.


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Vermont.

    Vermont Party Control: 1992-2024
    Ten years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D R R R R R R R R
    Senate D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    House R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

    Historical Senate control

    Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the Vermont State Senate shifted in favor of the Democratic Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Republicans held a 16-14 majority. Democrats flipped the chamber in 1996 and, by 2022, expanded their majority to 23-7. The table below shows the partisan history of the Vermont State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Vermont State Senate election results: 1992-2022

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
    Democrats 14 12 17 17 16 19 21 23 23 22 21 20 21 22 21 23
    Republicans 16 18 13 13 14 11 9 7 7 8 7 9 7 6 7 7
    Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 2 2 0

    The most significant shift in the partisan balance of the state Senate occurred as a result of the 1996 elections. Democrats gained five seats in that election and took control of the chamber. The Democratic majority steadily expanded until, in 2006, Democrats had a 23-7 majority. Between 2010 and 2022, there were minor movements in partisan balance.

    Historical House control

    Between 1992 and 2022, Democrats controlled the state House following 13 out of 15 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the Vermont House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Vermont House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22
    Democrats 87 86 88 77 62 70 83 93 95 94 98 85 83 95 92 109
    Republicans 57 61 58 66 83 73 60 49 48 48 43 53 53 43 46 38
    Other 6 3 4 7 5 7 7 8 7 8 9 12 14 12 12 3

    As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held an 87-57 majority. There were two significant shifts in the partisan balance of the state House between 1992 and 2022. In 2000, Republicans gained 17 seats and took control of the chamber. The GOP held the state House until the 2004 elections, when Democrats picked up 13 seats and took control of the chamber.

    Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker

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    Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.

    Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:

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    • And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan

    See also

    Elections Vermont State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

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