Government of Vermont
Encyclopedia
The government of Vermont
is in the form of a democratic republic, similar to that of the United States
. In 1791, Vermont joined the United States as the fourteenth state.
The Vermont state capital is Montpelier
.
The Vermont state capital is Montpelier
. The Governor
is Peter Shumlin (D)
.
An in-depth evaluation of government in 2008 ranked Vermont high compared to other states. It ranked highest in "small discrete issues and huge global ones." It performed poorly in the issues in-between and planning for the future.
is the supreme law of the state, followed by the Vermont Statutes. This is roughly analogous to the Federal United States Constitution
, United States Code
and Code of Federal Regulations
respectively. Provision is made for the following "frame of government" under the Constitution of the State of Vermont: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. All members of the executive and legislative branch serve two-year terms including the governor and senators. There are no term limit
s for any office.
by a dozen years. The Constitution's first chapter, "Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of The State of Vermont" prohibits slavery, indentured servitude, and allowed for universal suffrage for men, regardless of property ownership. The Declaration of Rights set in place broad protections of religious freedom and conscience while erecting a strong firewall between church and state by prohibiting establishment or promotion of any faith by the government or compulsion to worship. The "Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of The State of Vermont" is believed to have been a model for France's Déclaration universelle sur des droits de l'homme (Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man).
, a bicameral body composed of the Vermont House of Representatives
(the lower house
) and the Vermont Senate
(the upper house
) meet at the Vermont State House
. The Senate is composed of 30 state senators, while the House of Representatives has 150 members.
State legislators are paid $536 per week while the legislature is in session plus $87 per diem.
With the current estimated population of Vermont from the last U.S. Census, there is approximately one Representative for every 4,059 residents.
, and state agencies. The executive branch enacts and enforces the laws of the state. The Governor is the supreme executive.
The offices of the Governor are located at The Pavilion
in Montpelier
, the state capital. The governor is paid a salary of $150,051 annually.
Vermonters elect a state governor
and lieutenant governor
on separate tickets. For example, when Republican Governor Richard Snelling died in office in 1991, the Democratic Lieutenant Governor Howard Dean
succeeded him for the remainder of that term. In addition to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Vermonters elect four other officials on a statewide ballot: Secretary of State
, State Treasurer, Vermont Auditor of Accounts
, and Attorney General
.
The executive branch had about 8,000 employees in 2005, making it the largest employer in the state. This high number is due, in part, to Vermont (and New England's) practice of assuming the functions, and therefore the budgets of the county government which is nearly non-existent. In 2008, there were 8262 people working for the government. The average salary of a state employee was $50,014 in 2008. In 2010, state employees agreed to take a 3% cut in salary and wages so that the government could balance the budget.
There are three levels of bureaucracy: at the highest are secretaries and agencies; the next level are commissions; the third are departments and offices. Some commissions still retain their old name of "Department", as well as agencies, e.g. "Department of Transportation" is an agency.
There are six agencies run by appointed secretaries: Administration, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets
(Agriculture), Commerce and Community Development
, Human Services
, Natural Resources, and Transportation
. The salaries of the secretaries range from $109,000 to $128, 169 annually.
There are 21 commissions run by individual appointed commissioners: Banking, Insurance, Securities, and Health Care Administration; Buildings and General Services, Children and Families
, Corrections; Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living; Economic Development, Education
, Finance, Fish and Wildlife; Forests, Parks and Recreation; Health, Human Resources, Information and Innovation; Mental Health, Motor Vehicles
, Labor, Liquor Control
, Public Safety, Public Service
, Taxes; and Tourism. The salaries of the commissioners range from $83,387 to $121,596 annually.
The bureaucracy is structured as follows:
The governor, with approval of the legislature, appoints people to boards. Six boards govern the following commissions: a) Banking, Insurance, Securities, and Health Care Admibnistration; b) Education - Run by Vermont State Board of Education; c) Labor; d) Liquor Control; e) Public Safety; and f) Public Service (advocacy).
The remaining commissions are under the following agencies along with various departments as indicated:
There are more than 100 transportation-related fees in the state including the usual drivers licenses and vehicle registration.
made up of five justices who serve six year terms.. The Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and, with the other justices of the supreme court, oversees the judicial branch. Vermont has three additional courts and one division. Vermont is one of only nine states without an intermediate appellate court.
Appointments to the state supreme court, superior court, and district court
s are made by the governor, from a list of names submitted by the state's Judicial nominating committee
and then are confirmed by the Senate. At the end of each six year term, the General Assembly votes by joint ballot (each member, senator or representative, getting one vote) on whether to retain the judge or justice (known as a judicial retention vote
). Judges on lower courts are elected on a partisan ballot. The Vermont Constitution spells out the process of judicial appointment and retention in Chapter 2, Sections 32 through 35, 50 and 51.
Vermont is one of twelve states that have no death penalty
statute. After 1930, there were four executions, the last two being in 1954. Capital punishment was effectively abolished in practice in 1964, with the statutes being completely removed in 1987. State law allows children as young as ten years to be tried as adults, the lowest age limit currently specified by any of the 50 states.
The Vermont prison system is administered by Vermont Department of Corrections
. There are about 2,200 inmates as of May 2007. There are nine prisons in Vermont:
An unusual feature of Vermont Courts is the use of side judge
s, elected laymen who sit with the judge in certain cases and also serve as county administrators.
Service gave its top rating of Aaa to the state.
The state uses enterprise funds for operations that are similar to private business enterprises. The Vermont Lottery Commission, the Liquor Control Fund, and the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, are the largest of the State’s enterprise funds.
General Education $1,516
Medicaid and LTC $1,278
Transportation $439
Human Services (non-Medicaid) $431
Protection of Person and Property $248
Corrections $132
General Government $122
Higher Education & Other $96
Natural Resources $82
Debt Service $72
Other & One-Time $72
Commerce & Community Development $61
Labor $27
Total $4,495 million.
Vermont collects personal income tax
in a progressive structure of five different income brackets, with marginal tax rates ranging from 3.6% to 9.5%.
In 2008, the top one percent of the residents provided 30% of the income tax revenue. 2,000 people had sufficient income to be taxed at the highest marginal rate of 9.5%.
Vermont's general sales tax
rate is 6%, which is imposed on sales of tangible personal property, amusement charges, fabrication charges, some public utility charges and some service contracts (some towns and cities impose an additional 1% Local Option Tax). There are 46 exemptions from the tax which include medical items, food, manufacturing machinery, equipment and fuel, residential fuel and electricity, clothing, and shoes. A use tax
is imposed on the buyer at the same rate as the sales tax. The buyer pays the use tax when the seller fails to collect the sales tax or the items are purchased from a source where no tax is collected. The use tax applies to items taxable under the sales tax.
Vermont does not collect inheritance taxes; however, its estate tax is decoupled from the federal estate tax laws and therefore the state still imposes its own estate tax.
es are imposed for the support of education and municipal services. Vermont does not assess tax on personal property
.
Property taxes are levied by municipalities based on fair market appraisal of real property. Rates vary from .97% on homesteaded property in Ferdinand, Essex County, to 2.72% on nonresidents' property in Barre City. Statewide, towns average 1.77% to 1.82% tax rate.
In 2007, Vermont counties were among the highest in the country for property taxes. Chittenden ($3,809 median), Windham ($3,412), Addison ($3,352), and Windsor ($3,327) ranked in the top 100, out of 1,817 counties in the nation with populations greater than 20,000. Twelve of the state's 14 counties stood in the top 20%.
To equitably support education, some towns are required by Act 60
to send some of their collected taxes to be redistributed to school districts lacking adequate support.
The state collects 86 cents per $100 of real estate valuation for residential properties and $1.35 per $100 for commercial and vacation properties.
supplied about 2% of the annual expenditures for education in 2007, contributing $23 million, of the $1.3 billion of school spending. Prior to 1998, profits from the lottery went to the state government's general fund, but since then all profits are required to be spent on education.
s and several unincorporated gores, governed by guidelines set by the state statutes and constitution. Towns govern themselves by Town Meeting. The governing power is found in the City Council
s in cities.
There are three types of incorporated municipalities in Vermont, towns, cities and villages. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government. Cities are independent of and equivalent to towns. Villages are included in towns but assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries, usually water, sewage and sometimes local roads. Incorporated villages are not found in any of the other New England states.
Like most of New England, there is slight provision for autonomous county government. Counties and county seats are merely convenient repositories for various government services such as County and State Courts, with several elected officers such as a State's Attorney
, Sheriff
, and High Bailiff
. All county services are directly funded by the State of Vermont.
In 2010, as a result of a Homeland security grant for Operation Stonegarden, various local city police throughout the state were used to help patrol the Canadian border area for illegal immigrants. The money was managed by the Vermont State Police.
Based on U.S. census
data, Vermont
has one member in the House of Representatives
:
Like all states, Vermont has two senators in the US Senate.
. By law judges and attorneys are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
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...
is in the form of a democratic republic, similar to that of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1791, Vermont joined the United States as the fourteenth state.
The Vermont state capital is Montpelier
Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...
.
State Government
Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...
. The Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
is Peter Shumlin (D)
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...
.
An in-depth evaluation of government in 2008 ranked Vermont high compared to other states. It ranked highest in "small discrete issues and huge global ones." It performed poorly in the issues in-between and planning for the future.
State law
The Constitution of VermontConstitution 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...
is the supreme law of the state, followed by the Vermont Statutes. This is roughly analogous to the Federal United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, United States Code
United States Code
The Code of Laws of the United States of America is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal laws of the United States...
and Code of Federal Regulations
Code of Federal Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.The CFR is published by the Office of the Federal Register, an agency...
respectively. Provision is made for the following "frame of government" under the Constitution of the State of Vermont: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. All members of the executive and legislative branch serve two-year terms including the governor and senators. There are no term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s for any office.
Civil rights and liberties
The Vermont Constitution outlines and guarantees broad rights for its citizens. Even in the eighteenth century it was seen as being among the most far-reaching in the new world and in Europe, and it predated the Bill of RightsBill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...
by a dozen years. The Constitution's first chapter, "Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of The State of Vermont" prohibits slavery, indentured servitude, and allowed for universal suffrage for men, regardless of property ownership. The Declaration of Rights set in place broad protections of religious freedom and conscience while erecting a strong firewall between church and state by prohibiting establishment or promotion of any faith by the government or compulsion to worship. The "Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of The State of Vermont" is believed to have been a model for France's Déclaration universelle sur des droits de l'homme (Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man).
Legislative Branch
Vermont's state legislature is the Vermont General AssemblyVermont General Assembly
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself...
, a bicameral body composed of the Vermont House of Representatives
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members. Vermont legislative districting divides representing districts into 66 single-member districts and 42 two-member...
(the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
) and the Vermont Senate
Vermont Senate
The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-member districts, three three-member districts, and one...
(the upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
) meet at the Vermont State House
Vermont State House
The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of Vermont and the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the State House...
. The Senate is composed of 30 state senators, while the House of Representatives has 150 members.
State legislators are paid $536 per week while the legislature is in session plus $87 per diem.
With the current estimated population of Vermont from the last U.S. Census, there is approximately one Representative for every 4,059 residents.
Executive Branch
The Executive Branch consists of the Governor of VermontGovernor of Vermont
The Governor of Vermont is the governor of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four...
, and state agencies. The executive branch enacts and enforces the laws of the state. The Governor is the supreme executive.
The offices of the Governor are located at The Pavilion
The Pavilion (government building)
The Pavilion is the principal workplace of the Governor of Vermont, located at 109 State Street in Montpelier, capital of the U.S. state of Vermont. The building is built in the French Second Empire style, and houses the working offices, reception room, press briefing room, and living apartments of...
in Montpelier
Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...
, the state capital. The governor is paid a salary of $150,051 annually.
Vermonters elect a state governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
and lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
on separate tickets. For example, when Republican Governor Richard Snelling died in office in 1991, the Democratic Lieutenant 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...
succeeded him for the remainder of that term. In addition to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Vermonters elect four other officials on a statewide ballot: Secretary of State
Secretary of State of Vermont
The Office of the Secretary of State of Vermont is located at 128 State Street.The Secretary of State of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The Office of the Secretary of State is located at 128 State St. in...
, State Treasurer, Vermont Auditor of Accounts
Vermont Auditor of Accounts
The Vermont State Auditor of Accounts is one of five constitutional officers in Vermont, elected statewide every two years. The Office provides an independent and objective assessment of Vermont's governmental operations....
, and Attorney General
Vermont Attorney General
The Vermont Attorney General is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office began as a one-person operation...
.
The executive branch had about 8,000 employees in 2005, making it the largest employer in the state. This high number is due, in part, to Vermont (and New England's) practice of assuming the functions, and therefore the budgets of the county government which is nearly non-existent. In 2008, there were 8262 people working for the government. The average salary of a state employee was $50,014 in 2008. In 2010, state employees agreed to take a 3% cut in salary and wages so that the government could balance the budget.
There are three levels of bureaucracy: at the highest are secretaries and agencies; the next level are commissions; the third are departments and offices. Some commissions still retain their old name of "Department", as well as agencies, e.g. "Department of Transportation" is an agency.
There are six agencies run by appointed secretaries: Administration, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets
Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets or sometimes colloquially the agriculture department, is a Vermont executive agency . Its purpose is to develop and execute policy on farming, agriculture, food, and promoting and protecting the Vermont brand as related to food in the worldwide...
(Agriculture), Commerce and Community Development
Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development
The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development is a Vermont state agency. The agency is charged with the enhancement of the Vermont business climate, the development of tourism, and strengthening Vermont communities....
, Human Services
Vermont Agency of Human Services
The Vermont Agency of Human Services is a Vermont executive agency . Its purpose is to develop and execute policy on Human Services for the U.S. state of Vermont....
, Natural Resources, and Transportation
Vermont Agency of Transportation
The Vermont Agency of Transportation is a Vermont executive agency . Its purpose is to develop and execute policy on transportation for the U.S. state of Vermont. The agency was created in 1979 by combining the departments of Highway, Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics and Public Transit...
. The salaries of the secretaries range from $109,000 to $128, 169 annually.
There are 21 commissions run by individual appointed commissioners: Banking, Insurance, Securities, and Health Care Administration; Buildings and General Services, Children and Families
Vermont Department for Children and Families
The Vermont Department for Children and Families is a state agency of Vermont, headquartered in the Waterbury Office Complex in Waterbury.The department was formed on July 1, 2004....
, Corrections; Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living; Economic Development, Education
Vermont State Board of Education
The Vermont State Board of Education supervises, and manages the Department of Education and the public school system. The board makes regulations governing attendance and records of attendance of all pupils; standards for student performance, adult basic education programs, approval of independent...
, Finance, Fish and Wildlife; Forests, Parks and Recreation; Health, Human Resources, Information and Innovation; Mental Health, Motor Vehicles
Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles is the governmental agency responsible for registering and inspecting automobiles and other motor vehicles as well as licensing drivers in the U.S. state of Vermont.-Driver licensing:...
, Labor, Liquor Control
Vermont Department of Liquor Control
The Department of Liquor Control is a department of the Vermont state government responsible for purchasing, distributing, and selling distilled spirits through its agency stores and enforcing Vermont's alcohol and tobacco statutes, with a strong emphasis on limiting youth access....
, Public Safety, Public Service
Vermont Public Service Board
The Vermont Public Service Board is the public utilities commission of the State of Vermont, with quasi-judicial licensing and regulatory responsibilities over electric utilities , natural gas companies, telecommunications companies, cable television systems and water companies...
, Taxes; and Tourism. The salaries of the commissioners range from $83,387 to $121,596 annually.
The bureaucracy is structured as follows:
The governor, with approval of the legislature, appoints people to boards. Six boards govern the following commissions: a) Banking, Insurance, Securities, and Health Care Admibnistration; b) Education - Run by Vermont State Board of Education; c) Labor; d) Liquor Control; e) Public Safety; and f) Public Service (advocacy).
The remaining commissions are under the following agencies along with various departments as indicated:
- Administration Agency:
- Buildings and General Services Commission
- Finance and Management Commission
- Human Resources Commission
- Information and Innovation Commission
- Libraries Department
- Tax Commission
- Agriculture Agency
- Commerce and Community Development Agency:
- Economic Development Commission
- Tourism and Marketing Commission
- Housing and Communisty Affairs Commission
- Human Services Agency:
- Children and Families Commission
- Department of Corrections Commission
- Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living Commission
- Health Commission. The commissioner of health is Wendy Davis.
- Office of Vermont Health Access
- Natural Resources Agency:
- Department of Environmental Conservation
- Fish and Wildlife Commission
- Forest Parks and Recreation Commission
- Transportation Agency:
- Highways
- Motor Vehicles Commission
- Aeronautics and Public Transit
There are more than 100 transportation-related fees in the state including the usual drivers licenses and vehicle registration.
Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration
Among other functions, BISHCA regulates individual budgets for Vermont's fourteen hospitals. They approved an average increase for 2007 of 6.3%. The average increase for 2008 was 9.5%. Individual hospitals received approval for increases from 3.8% to 11.8%.Judicial Branch
The state's highest and the sole appellate court is the Vermont Supreme CourtVermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont and is one of seven state courts of Vermont.The Court consists of a chief justice and four associate justices; the Court mostly hears appeals of cases that have been decided by other courts...
made up of five justices who serve six year terms.. The Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and, with the other justices of the supreme court, oversees the judicial branch. Vermont has three additional courts and one division. Vermont is one of only nine states without an intermediate appellate court.
Appointments to the state supreme court, superior court, and district court
District court
District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations. These include:-Australia:District Court is the name given to the intermediate court in most Australian States. They hear indictable criminal offences excluding treason, murder and, in some States, manslaughter...
s are made by the governor, from a list of names submitted by the state's Judicial nominating committee
Judicial nominating commission
A judicial nominating commission in the United States, is a body used by some U.S. states to recommend or select potential justices and judges for appointments by state governments....
and then are confirmed by the Senate. At the end of each six year term, the General Assembly votes by joint ballot (each member, senator or representative, getting one vote) on whether to retain the judge or justice (known as a judicial retention vote
Retention election
A judicial retention election is a periodic process whereby a judge is subject to a referendum held at the same time as a general election...
). Judges on lower courts are elected on a partisan ballot. The Vermont Constitution spells out the process of judicial appointment and retention in Chapter 2, Sections 32 through 35, 50 and 51.
- The Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction and the only which provides for jury trials in civilCivil law (common law)Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
and criminalCriminal lawCriminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
cases. Superior courtSuperior courtIn common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
s in the state are made up of eight judges serving a term of six years. - The state's Probate Court has jurisdiction over trusts, willsWill (law)A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
and estatesEstate (law)An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
, adoptionAdoptionAdoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
s, termination of parental rights, name changes, guardianship of incapacitated persons, guardianship of minors, partitionPartition (law)A partition is a term used in the law of real property to describe an act, by a court order or otherwise, to divide up a concurrent estate into separate portions representing the proportionate interests of the tenants. Under the common law, any tenant who owns an undivided concurrent interest in...
of property and involuntary admissionsInvoluntary commitmentInvoluntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness is court-ordered into treatment in a hospital or in the community ....
. - The District Court hears cases involving families, juveniles, minor crimes and violations, and civil matters under $25,000.
- The Family Division has jurisdiction over divorce, custody/support and domestic violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
cases.
Vermont is one of twelve states that have no death penalty
Capital punishment in the United States
Capital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
statute. After 1930, there were four executions, the last two being in 1954. Capital punishment was effectively abolished in practice in 1964, with the statutes being completely removed in 1987. State law allows children as young as ten years to be tried as adults, the lowest age limit currently specified by any of the 50 states.
The Vermont prison system is administered by Vermont Department of Corrections
Vermont Department of Corrections
The Vermont Department of Corrections is an executive agency of the U.S. state of Vermont; charged with overseeing the state correctional facilities, supervising probation and parolees, and serving in an advisory capacity in the prevention of crime and delinquency. It is a part of the Vermont...
. There are about 2,200 inmates as of May 2007. There are nine prisons in Vermont:
An unusual feature of Vermont Courts is the use of side judge
Side judge
Side judge is a judicial position apparently unique to the state of Vermont. Side judges sit with the judge in Superior and Family court. There is a Superior and a Family Court located in each of Vermont's 14 county at their "shire town" or county seat...
s, elected laymen who sit with the judge in certain cases and also serve as county administrators.
Finances
Vermont is the only state in the union not to have a balanced budget requirement and yet Vermont has had a balanced budget every year since 1991. In 2007, Moody's InvestorsMoody's
Moody's Corporation is the holding company for Moody's Analytics and Moody's Investors Service, a credit rating agency which performs international financial research and analysis on commercial and government entities. The company also ranks the credit-worthiness of borrowers using a standardized...
Service gave its top rating of Aaa to the state.
The state uses enterprise funds for operations that are similar to private business enterprises. The Vermont Lottery Commission, the Liquor Control Fund, and the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, are the largest of the State’s enterprise funds.
Budget
The governor has suggested the following budget to the legislature for 2009-2010 (in millions):General Education $1,516
Medicaid and LTC $1,278
Transportation $439
Human Services (non-Medicaid) $431
Protection of Person and Property $248
Corrections $132
General Government $122
Higher Education & Other $96
Natural Resources $82
Debt Service $72
Other & One-Time $72
Commerce & Community Development $61
Labor $27
Total $4,495 million.
Taxes
In 2007 Vermont stood 14th highest out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for state and local taxation, with a per capita load of $3,681. The national average was $3,447. However, CNNMoney ranked Vermont highest in the nation based on the percentage of per capita income. The rankings showed Vermont had a per capita tax load of $5,387, 14.1% of the per capita income of $38,306.Vermont collects personal income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
in a progressive structure of five different income brackets, with marginal tax rates ranging from 3.6% to 9.5%.
In 2008, the top one percent of the residents provided 30% of the income tax revenue. 2,000 people had sufficient income to be taxed at the highest marginal rate of 9.5%.
Vermont's general sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
rate is 6%, which is imposed on sales of tangible personal property, amusement charges, fabrication charges, some public utility charges and some service contracts (some towns and cities impose an additional 1% Local Option Tax). There are 46 exemptions from the tax which include medical items, food, manufacturing machinery, equipment and fuel, residential fuel and electricity, clothing, and shoes. A use tax
Use tax
A use tax is a type of excise tax levied in the United States. It is assessed upon otherwise "tax free" tangible personal property purchased by a resident of the assessing state for use, storage or consumption of goods in that state , regardless of where the purchase took place...
is imposed on the buyer at the same rate as the sales tax. The buyer pays the use tax when the seller fails to collect the sales tax or the items are purchased from a source where no tax is collected. The use tax applies to items taxable under the sales tax.
Vermont does not collect inheritance taxes; however, its estate tax is decoupled from the federal estate tax laws and therefore the state still imposes its own estate tax.
Property taxes
Property taxProperty tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
es are imposed for the support of education and municipal services. Vermont does not assess tax on personal property
Personal property
Personal property, roughly speaking, is private property that is moveable, as opposed to real property or real estate. In the common law systems personal property may also be called chattels or personalty. In the civil law systems personal property is often called movable property or movables - any...
.
Property taxes are levied by municipalities based on fair market appraisal of real property. Rates vary from .97% on homesteaded property in Ferdinand, Essex County, to 2.72% on nonresidents' property in Barre City. Statewide, towns average 1.77% to 1.82% tax rate.
In 2007, Vermont counties were among the highest in the country for property taxes. Chittenden ($3,809 median), Windham ($3,412), Addison ($3,352), and Windsor ($3,327) ranked in the top 100, out of 1,817 counties in the nation with populations greater than 20,000. Twelve of the state's 14 counties stood in the top 20%.
To equitably support education, some towns are required by 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...
to send some of their collected taxes to be redistributed to school districts lacking adequate support.
The state collects 86 cents per $100 of real estate valuation for residential properties and $1.35 per $100 for commercial and vacation properties.
Cigarette taxes
In an attempt to raise money and discourage smoking, the state raised taxes on cigarettes over the past decade. The tax in 2002 was 93 cents per pack; in 2010 it was $2.24 per pack. This resulted in cigarette revenue in 2002 of $24.5 million; $64.5 million in 2010.State lottery
Money from the Vermont LotteryVermont Lottery
The Vermont Lottery began fiscal operations as an enterprise fund in October 1977, following a 1976 referendum, and the enactment of Public Act No. 82 by the 1977 General Assembly. It is run by the Vermont Lottery Commission headquartered in Berlin...
supplied about 2% of the annual expenditures for education in 2007, contributing $23 million, of the $1.3 billion of school spending. Prior to 1998, profits from the lottery went to the state government's general fund, but since then all profits are required to be spent on education.
Local government
Internally, Vermont consists of nine cities, 254 townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s and several unincorporated gores, governed by guidelines set by the state statutes and constitution. Towns govern themselves by Town Meeting. The governing power is found in the City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
s in cities.
There are three types of incorporated municipalities in Vermont, towns, cities and villages. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government. Cities are independent of and equivalent to towns. Villages are included in towns but assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries, usually water, sewage and sometimes local roads. Incorporated villages are not found in any of the other New England states.
Like most of New England, there is slight provision for autonomous county government. Counties and county seats are merely convenient repositories for various government services such as County and State Courts, with several elected officers such as a State's Attorney
State's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
, Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, and High Bailiff
High Bailiff
In the Isle of Man the High Bailiff is the head stipendiary magistrate.In Vermont, a high bailiff is a county officer.-Isle of Man:The current High Bailiff is His Worship John Needham, who took office on 30 January 2010 on the retirement of Mr Michael Moyle. Mr Needham was previously Clerk to the...
. All county services are directly funded by the State of Vermont.
In 2010, as a result of a Homeland security grant for Operation Stonegarden, various local city police throughout the state were used to help patrol the Canadian border area for illegal immigrants. The money was managed by the Vermont State Police.
Federal
As in the rest of the United States, the state government does not take direction from the federal government. However, the people of Vermont elect representatives to the federal government which pass federal laws and also recommend federal judicial appointments each of which may ultimately affect Vermont citizens.Based on U.S. census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
data, Vermont
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...
has one member in the 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...
:
Like all states, Vermont has two senators in the US Senate.
Judicial
Decisions of the US District Court in Vermont are subject to review by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals headquartered in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. By law judges and attorneys are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Joint authority
There is at least one agency which is jointly run by the Legislative and Executive branches . This is the Vermont Telecommunications Authority, which is supposed to make high-speed internet access available to all Vermonters by the end of 2010.See also
- Politics of VermontPolitics of VermontAs 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...
- Elections in VermontElections in VermontElections in Vermont are authorized under Chapter II of the Vermont State Constitution, articles 43-49, which establishes elections for the state level officers, cabinet, and legislature. Articles 50-53 establish the election of county-level officers....
- Political party strength in VermontPolitical party strength in VermontThe following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Vermont:*Governor*Lieutenant Governor*Secretary of State*Attorney General*State Treasurer*State Auditor of Accounts...