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| Vermont Statutes Annotated | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vermont Statutes Annotated |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Law |
| Genre | Legal code, Statutes |
| Publisher | LexisNexis (contracted), Vermont Legislative Counsel |
| Pub date | Ongoing |
Vermont Statutes Annotated is the official annotated compilation of statutory law for the State of Vermont, organized to present enacted statutes alongside editorial annotations, historical notes, and cross-references. It functions as the authoritative codification for statutory enactments passed by the Vermont General Assembly and is used by practitioners, judges, and scholars in venues such as the Vermont Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, and administrative agencies including the Vermont Public Utility Commission. The compilation integrates legislative enactments with editorial enhancements provided under contract with private publishers and state offices like the Office of Legislative Counsel (Vermont).
The codification tradition that produced the modern compilation traces to early statutory collections maintained during the territorial period preceding Vermont’s admission under the 1791 admission to the United States. Early printed statutes were influenced by reporters and publishers active in Montpelier, Vermont and exchanges with law offices in Boston, Massachusetts, Albany, New York, and Montreal, Quebec. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, revisions paralleled reforms in states such as Massachusetts General Laws and New York Consolidated Laws with legislative modernization initiatives spearheaded by figures associated with the Vermont Legislative Council and legislative committees tied to the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont Senate. Partnerships with publishers including West Publishing and LexisNexis formalized the annotated format familiar today, reflecting broader national trends exemplified by compilations like the United States Code.
The compilation is arranged by titles, chapters, and sections mirroring the structural conventions used in the United States Code, with topical divisions comparable to the codices of California Codes and Texas Statutes. Each title addresses discrete subject matter areas handled by state institutions such as the Vermont Agency of Transportation, Vermont Agency of Human Services, and Vermont Department of Financial Regulation. Within chapters, sections contain statutory text followed by annotations that cite judicial decisions from courts including the Vermont Superior Court, appellate opinions from the Vermont Supreme Court, and federal decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Cross-references link to related enactments like the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure and state administrative rules promulgated by bodies such as the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
Publication is produced under the oversight of the Vermont Legislative Counsel and often through commercial arrangements with publishers like LexisNexis. Editorial staff reconcile enacted session laws from the Vermont Legislature with existing codification, add historical notes referencing enactments from sessions held in Montpelier, and incorporate headnotes and annotations drawn from opinions issued by tribunals including the Vermont Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. Comparative citation practices reference precedents from neighboring jurisdictions such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York Court of Appeals, while ensuring alignment with statutory amendments enacted by the Vermont General Assembly during its biennial or special sessions.
Citations to sections follow formats analogous to those used for the United States Code and state-level compendia like the California Codes, enabling practitioners to reference specific provisions in filings before the Vermont Supreme Court or federal courts. Although the editorial annotations aid research, the statutory text as enacted by the Vermont General Assembly carries primary legal authority, and courts resolve ambiguities by looking to legislative history involving committees such as the House Judiciary Committee (Vermont) and records from sessions presided over in Montpelier, Vermont. Citation norms also reference parallel resources including the Vermont Statutes Title index and archival materials housed at institutions like the Vermont Historical Society.
Access is provided in print and electronic formats; commercial databases such as LexisNexis and public portals maintained by the Vermont Legislature and the Vermont Judiciary offer searchable text. Law libraries at institutions like the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and the Vermont Law and Graduate School maintain print and digital holdings, while municipal law libraries in Burlington, Vermont and county courthouses retain bound volumes and session law archives. Specialized research uses interlibrary loan and archival collections held by the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration.
Statutory updates reflect enactments from the Vermont General Assembly during regular and special sessions; amendments take effect according to enactment language, subject to vetoes by the Governor of Vermont and overrides by legislative majorities. Revisor staff at the Vermont Legislative Counsel perform editorial codification, incorporating repeals, reenactments, and stylistic corrections consistent with models used by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes in other states, and preparing bill drafting for committees like the Senate Judiciary Committee (Vermont). Periodic comprehensive recodifications address obsolescence and consolidation comparable to projects undertaken by the New York State Legislative Bill Drafting Commission.
Judges in the Vermont Supreme Court and practitioners in litigations before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Vermont rely on the compilation for statutory interpretation, citing annotated notes and prior decisions such as those reported by the Vermont Reporter. Attorneys admitted to the Vermont Bar and bar associations like the Vermont Bar Association use the resource in advocacy, regulatory compliance, transactions involving agencies like the Vermont Department of Taxes, and appellate briefs filed with courts including the Second Circuit Court of Appeals when federal questions implicate Vermont law.
Category:Vermont law