Vermont Senate

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Vermont State Senate
Vermont General Assembly

Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 5, 2013
Leadership
Lieutenant Governor	Phillip Scott, (R) Since January 6, 2011
President Pro Tempore	John F. Campbell, (D) Since January 5, 2011
Majority Leader	Philip Baruth, (D) Since January 1, 2013
Minority Leader	William T. Doyle, (R) Since January 3, 2007
Structure
Seats	30
Political groups	Democratic Party (20) Republican Party (7) Progressive Party (3)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Section 7, Legislative Department, Vermont Constitution
Salary	$636/week + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 2012 (30 seats)
Next election	November 2014 (30 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber, Vermont State Capitol Montpelier, Vermont
Website
Vermont State 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 six-member district. Each Senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. Senators are elected to two-year terms, and there is no limit to the number of terms that a Senator may serve.

As in other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate is reserved with special functions such as confirming or rejecting gubernatorial appointments to executive departments, the state cabinet, commissions, boards, and electing members to the Vermont Supreme Court.

The Vermont Senate meets at the Vermont State House in Montpelier.

History

Vermont had a unicameral legislature until 1836. It added a senate by constitutional amendment.^[1]

Districting and terms

Senators are elected from a total of 13 single and multi-member Senate districts. The districts largely correspond to the boundaries of the state's 14 counties with adjustments to ensure equality of representation. Two small counties (Essex and Orleans) are combined into one district. Each district elects between 1 and 6 senators depending on population.

In addition, Vermont is one of the 14 states where the upper house of its state legislature serves at a two-year cycle, rather than the more common four-year term as in the majority of states.

Composition of the Senate

2013-2014 Legislative Session

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Progressive	Republican		Vacant
End of previous legislature	20	2	8	30	0

Begin^[2]	19	3	7	29	1
January 22, 2013^[3]	20			30	0
January 22, 2013^[4]	19			29	1
Latest voting share	700176000000000000076%		700124000000000000024%

Leadership of the Senate

The Lieutenant Governor of Vermont serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a legislative vote if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, the President Pro Tempore presides over the Senate. The President Pro Tempore is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the entire Senate through a Senate Resolution. The President Pro Tempore is the chief leadership position in the Senate. The other Senate majority and minority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses.

Committee assignments are determined by the Committee on Committees. This group consists of the Lieutenant Governor, the Senate President Pro Tem and one member chosen by the full Senate. For several years the third member of the committee has been Richard Mazza.

Current leadership

Position	Name	Party	Residence	District
Lieutenant Governor	Phil Scott	Rep
President Pro Tem of the Senate	John F. Campbell	Dem	Quechee	Windsor
Majority Leader	Philip Baruth	Dem	Burlington	Chittenden
Assistant Majority Leader	Claire Ayer	Dem	Weybridge	Addison
Minority Leader	William T. Doyle	Rep	Montpelier	Washington
Assistant Minority Leader	Kevin Mullin	Rep	Rutland Town	Rutland
Progressive Leader	Anthony Pollina	Prog	Middlesex	Washington

Members of the Senate, 2013-2015

District	Representative	Party	Residence	First elected
Addison	Claire Ayer	Dem	Weybridge	2002
Addison	Christopher A. Bray	Dem	New Haven	2012
Bennington	Robert Hartwell	Dem	Manchester Center	2006
Bennington	Richard Sears	Dem	North Bennington	1992
Caledonia	Joe Benning	Rep	St. Johnsbury	2010
Caledonia	Jane Kitchel	Dem	Danville	2004
Chittenden	Tim Ashe	Prog/Dem	Burlington	2008
	Ginny Lyons	Dem	Williston	2000
	Philip Baruth	Dem	Burlington	2010
	Diane Snelling	Rep	Hinesburg	2002
	David Zuckerman	Prog/Dem	Burlington	2012
	Vacant
Essex-Orleans	John S. Rodgers	Dem	Glover	2012
Essex-Orleans	Robert Starr	Dem	North Troy	2004
Franklin	Norm McAllister	Rep	Franklin	2012
Franklin	Donald Collins	Dem	Swanton	2012 (2003-2009)
Grand Isle	Richard Mazza	Dem	Colchester	1984
Lamoille	Rich Westman	Rep	Hyde Park	2010
Orange	Mark MacDonald	Dem	Williamstown	2003 (1997-1999)
Rutland	Eldred French	Dem	Shrewsbury	2013†
	Peg Flory	Rep	Pittsford	2010
	Kevin Mullin	Rep	Rutland	2003
Washington	Ann Cummings	Dem	Montpelier	1996
	William T. Doyle	Rep	Montpelier	1968
	Anthony Pollina	Prog/Dem	Middlesex	2010
Windham	Peter Galbraith	Dem	Townshend	2010
Windham	Jeanette White	Dem	Putney	2002
Windsor	John F. Campbell	Dem	Quechee	2000
	Richard McCormack	Dem	Bethel	2006 (1989-2003)
	Alice Nitka	Dem	Ludlow	2006

†Originally appointed

Operations

The full Senate meets Tuesday and Friday mornings only for the first seven weeks of the annual session.^[5]

References

↑
↑ Democrat Bill Carris (Rutland) resigned December 17, 2012 due to health reasons.
↑ Democrat Eldred French appointed to replace Carris.
↑ Democrat Sally Fox (Chittenden) died.
↑ Remsen, Nancy and Hallenbeck, Teri (January 8, 2009). Following the Legislature. Burlington Free Press.

External links

Members of the Vermont State Senate

President of the Senate: Phil Scott (R)
President pro Tempore: John F. Campbell (D)
Majority Leader: Philip Baruth (D)
Minority Leader: William T. Doyle (R)

Claire D. Ayer (D, Addison)
Christopher A. Bray (D, Addison)
Robert Hartwell (D, Bennington)
Richard W. Sears (D, Bennington)
Joe Benning (R, Caledonia)
M. Jane Kitchel (D, Caledonia)
Tim Ashe (P, Chittenden)
Sally Fox (D, Chittenden)
Virginia V. Lyons (D, Chittenden)
David Zuckerman (P, Chittenden)

Philip Baruth (D, Chittenden)
Diane B. Snelling (R, Chittenden)
John S. Rodgers (D, Essex-Orleans)
Robert A. Starr (D, Essex-Orleans)
Norm McAllister (R, Franklin)
Donald Collins (D, Franklin)
Richard Mazza (D, Grand Isle)
Rich Westman (R, Lamoille)
Mark MacDonald (D, Orange)
Eldred French (D, Rutland)

Peg Flory (R, Rutland)
Kevin Mullin (R, Rutland)
Ann Cummings (D, Washington)
William T. Doyle (R, Washington)
Anthony Pollina (P, Washington)
Peter W. Galbraith (D, Windham)
Jeanette White (D, Windham)
John F. Campbell (D, Windsor)
Richard McCormack (D, Windsor)
Alice Nitka (D, Windsor)

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