lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, 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 co ...
of the
Vermont General Assembly
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...
, the
state legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives are elected to a two-year term without
term limits
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...
.
Vermont had a
unicameral legislature
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...
until 1836. It added a senate by constitutional amendment. The House meets in Representatives Hall at the
Vermont State House
The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is 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 Sta ...
in Montpelier. It is the only U.S. state legislature whose
debating chamber
A debate chamber is a room for people to discuss and debate. Debate chambers are used in governmental and educational bodies, such as a parliament, congress, city council, or a university, either for formal proceedings or for informal discourse, ...
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the full House by
Australian Ballot
The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...
. If there is only one candidate, the election is usually held by voice vote. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker controls committee assignments and the flow of legislation. Other House leaders, such as the
majority
A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Websterminority leaders and
whips
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber. There are three party caucuses in the Vermont House; the Democratic Caucus which is currently in the majority, and the Republican and Progressive Caucuses, each currently being in the minority.
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
members of the House may choose to caucus with a party or none at all.
On January 6, 2021, Jill Krowinski ( D-
Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
Places Canada Geography
* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
) was sworn in as the Speaker of the House. The Clerk of the House is BetsyAnn Wrask.
Current leadership
Composition
Members
*↑: Member was originally appointed
Past notable members
Nearly all of the Governors of the state and most of its U.S. representatives and U.S. senators were first members of this house. Other prominent members include:
*
Consuelo N. Bailey
Consuelo Bailey (née Northrop; October 19, 1899 – September 9, 1976) was an American lawyer, politician, and elected official. She was the first woman to serve as List of Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives, Speaker of the Ver ...
, first woman elected lieutenant governor in the United States
*
Edna Beard
Edna Louisa Beard (July 25, 1877 – September 18, 1928) was the first woman legislator in Vermont; she was the first woman elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, and the first woman elected to the Vermont Senate.
A native of Illinois, ...
(1877–1928), first woman to be elected to the Vermont House, and the first elected to the
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-m ...
adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the
Vermont National Guard
The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
(1909–1915)
*
John Calvin Coolidge Sr.
John Calvin Coolidge Sr. (March 31, 1845 – March 18, 1926) was an American politician and businessman from Vermont, and the father of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States. The senior Coolidge administered the presiden ...
, father of President
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
*
Donald E. Edwards
Donald E. Edwards (June 15, 1937 – August 16, 2018) was an American military officer. He was most notable for his service as adjutant general of the State of Vermont from 1981 to 1997. The adjutant general is the senior uniformed officer in th ...
,
adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the
Vermont National Guard
The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...
*
Roger Enos
Roger Enos (1729 – October 6, 1808) was a colonial Vermont political and military leader during the American Revolution. In 1775, he took part in Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec, and he later commanded the Vermont Militia as a major ge ...
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
*
William H. Gilmore
William Harrison Gilmore (October 17, 1839 – April 18, 1910) was a Vermont political and military figure. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives, the Vermont State Senate and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia.
Biography ...
,
adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the
Vermont National Guard
The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...
*
Lyman Enos Knapp
Lyman Enos Knapp (November 5, 1837 – October 9, 1904) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician who served as the Governor of the District of Alaska from 1889 to 1893. He was also a member of the Vermont House of Representatives fro ...
, Governor of the
District of Alaska
The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884 to August 24, 1912, when it became Alaska Territory. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military designation.
...
(1889–1893)
*
Bruce M. Lawlor
Major General (Retired) Bruce M. Lawlor (born January 24, 1948) is a retired United States Army officer. He is prominent as the first commander of Joint Task Force-Civil Support. In addition, he was one of five White House staff members who w ...
,
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in the
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...
and one of the creators of the
Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...
Alden Partridge
Alden Partridge, (February 12, 1785 - January 17, 1854) was an American author, legislator, officer, surveyor, an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and a controversial pioneer in U.S. military educ ...
, founder of
Norwich University
Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...
*
Lewis Samuel Partridge
Lewis Samuel Partridge (March 10, 1818 – May 22, 1886) was a Vermont political and military figure who served as Vermont's United States Marshal and as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia.
Early life and business career
Lewis S. Partridge ...
,
adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the
Vermont National Guard
The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...
*
Edward H. Ripley
Edward Hastings Ripley (November 11, 1839 – September 14, 1915) was a Vermont businessman and Union Army officer in the American Civil War. He attained the rank of brevet brigadier general while commanding brigades in the XVIII and XXIV Cor ...
,
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
officer in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, businessman and horse breeder
*
James Watson Webb II
James Watson Webb II (known as James Sr.) (July 1, 1884 – March 4, 1960) was an American polo champion and insurance executive. He was a grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt and James Watson Webb.
Early life
Webb was born on July 1, 1884 in Bu ...
, businessman, philanthropist, and champion polo player
*
William Seward Webb
William Seward Webb (January 31, 1851 – October 29, 1926) was a businessman, and inspector general of the Vermont militia with the rank of colonel. He was a founder and former president of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Early life
Webb w ...
, businessman and philanthropist
Operations
The house typically meets Tuesday through Friday during the session.
See also
*
Vermont State House
The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is 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 Sta ...
*
Vermont General Assembly
The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...
*
Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
The Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives is the Speaker or presiding officer of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont Legislature.
The Speaker presides over sessions of the Houses, recognizes members so t ...
*
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-m ...