Vermont Constitution

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Vellum - Manuscript of the Vermont Constitution of 1777. The constitution was amended in 1786 and replaced in 1793 by the incorporation of Vermont into the federal union in 1791.

The Vermont Constitution is the legal foundation of the state of Vermont . It was adopted in 1793 after Vermont joined the Union in 1791. It is based largely on the constitution of the Vermont Republic , which was ratified in Windsor in 1777 and revised in 1786. At just 8,295 words, it is the shortest state constitution.

The forerunner of the state of Vermont before 1791 was the Vermont Republic, an independent state with its own constitution. When it was passed in 1777, it was the constitution with the most far-reaching provisions in guaranteeing personal freedom and the rights of individuals.

The Vermont Constitution's declaration of the rights of residents of the state of 1777 preceded the United States Bill of Rights many years ago.

The first chapter of this earlier document, the Declaration of the Rights of Residents of the State of Vermont , was drafted in 1777 and is outlined by a Plan or Frame of Government that divides the structure of governance with competencies between three equal areas: executive, legislative and judicial .

Amendment of the constitution

Chapter 2, Section 72 of the Constitution regulates the procedure that is necessary for a change to the constitution. The Vermont General Assembly , the bicameral system of the state, has sole power to propose changes to the constitution. The change must be initiated by the Vermont Senate in an off-year . An off-year is an election year that does not coincide with the election of the US president.

The change must be passed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, then it needs a majority in the Vermont House of Representatives . Thereafter, after a new election and a new composition of the Senate and House of Representatives, the change must receive a majority of the votes in each House, first in the Senate, then in the House of Representatives. The proposed change must then be presented to the voters in a referendum and requires a majority of the votes cast in that referendum.

1990 revision to gender neutral language

In 1991 and 1993, the General Assembly approved an amendment to the Constitution authorizing the Vermont Supreme Court judges to revise the Constitution to incorporate gender-equitable language. Gender-specific terms have been replaced. For example: men and women have been replaced with the term persons and the term Freemans Oath has been replaced with Voters' Oath . The revision was approved by voters in the November 8, 1994 election. This makes Vermont one of six states with a constitution written in gender-neutral language.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "State constitutional reform: Is it necessary?" ( September 26, 2013 memento on the Internet Archive ) Hammonds, CW (2001).
  2. ↑ Vermont State Archives: 1991: Proposal 11 Subject: Gender inclusive language

Web links

Wikisource: Constitution of the State of Vermont  - sources and full texts (English)