The Vermont House of Representatives is the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives are elected to a two-year term without term limits. Vermont had a unicameral legislature until 1836. It added a senate by constitutional amendment. The House meets in Representatives Hall at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. It is the only U.S. state legislature whose

debating chamber A debate chamber is a room for conducting the business of a deliberative assembly or otherwise for debating. When used as the meeting place of a legislature, a debate chamber may also be known as a council chamber, legislative chamber, assembly ...

seating layout comes closer to that of the Westminster-style parliament found elsewhere, being similar to debating chambers in

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n state parliaments.

One Town, One Vote

From 1777 to 1965, each city/town elected one representative to the Vermont House of Representatives, regardless of the population of the municipality. This changed with the U.S. Supreme Court's 1964 decree of " One Man, One Vote" in '' Reynolds v. Sims'', which affected all state legislatures across the Union.

Leadership

The Speaker of the House 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 v ...

. 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 and minority leaders and whips, 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 members of the House may choose to caucus with a party or none at all. Jill Krowinski ( D- Burlington) is serving her second term as House Speaker.

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, first woman elected lieutenant governor in the United States * Edna Beard (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 (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

* Francis William Billado, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard * Ray W. Collins, pitcher,

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(1909–1915) * John Calvin Coolidge Sr., father of President Calvin Coolidge * Donald E. Edwards, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard * Roger Enos, commander of the Vermont Militia during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

* William H. Gilmore, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard * Lyman Enos Knapp, Governor of the District of Alaska (1889–1893) * Bruce M. Lawlor, major general in the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) 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 Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

and one of the creators of the

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* Trenor W. Park, businessman and philanthropist * Alden Partridge, founder of Norwich University * Lewis Samuel Partridge, adjutant general of the Vermont National Guard * Edward H. Ripley, Union Army officer in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, businessman and horse breeder * James Watson Webb II, businessman, philanthropist, and champion polo player * William Seward Webb, businessman and philanthropist

Operations

The house typically meets Tuesday through Friday during the session.

References

External links

Vermont General AssemblySpeaker of the House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermont House Of Representatives Politics of Vermont State lower houses in the United States