Vermont State Senate
General Information
Party control:	Democrat
Session start:	January 6, 2026
Session end:	May 8, 2026
Term length:	2 years
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Legislature-dominant
Salary:	$897.29/week during session + per diem
Members
Total:	30
Democrats:	16
Republicans:	13
Other:	1 (Vermont Progressive) 0 (independent)
Vacancies:	0
Leadership
President:	John Rodgers (Vermont) (R)
Maj. Leader:	Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D)
Min. Leader:	Scott Beck (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026

TheVermont State Senate is theupper chamber of theVermont State Legislature. Alongside theVermont House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Vermont state government and works alongside thegovernor of Vermont to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Vermont State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Vermont State Senate meets in the State House inMontpelier, Vermont.

This page contains the following information on the Vermont State Senate.

• Which partycontrols the chamber
• The chamber'scurrent membership
• Partisan control of the chamberover time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• Adistrict map
• Howredistricting works in the state
• Legislation currently under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list ofcommittees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Vermont State Senate as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership

The Senate is headed by the lieutenant governor as the Senate president. The Senate president only votes in the case of a tie. More often, the Senate is presided over by the president pro tempore who also serves as head of the majority party.^[1][2]

Leadership and members

• Senate president:John Rodgers (Vermont) (R)
• Senate president pro tempore:Philip Baruth (D)
• Majority leader:Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D)
• Minority leader:Scott Beck (R)

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

Swearing in dates

See also:When state legislators assume office after a general election

Vermont legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January.^[4]

Membership qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

TheVermont Constitution states, "No person shall be elected a Representative or a Senator until the person has resided in this State two years, the last year of which shall be in the legislative district for which the person is elected."^[5]

Historical party control

Democrats won control of the Vermont State Senate in 1996. In2024, they won a 16-13-1 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Vermont Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin'sParty Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Trifecta history

Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, Vermont was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 1997-2000, 2011-2016
• Republican trifecta: None
• Divided government: 1992-1996, 2001-2010, 2017-2023

Elections

Elections by year

Vermont state senators servetwo-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. Vermont holds elections for its legislature in even years.

2026

See also:Vermont State Senate elections, 2026

Elections for theVermont State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is onNovember 3, 2026. The primary isAugust 11, 2026. The filing deadline isMay 28, 2026.

2024

See also:Vermont State Senate elections, 2024

Elections for theVermont State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was onNovember 5, 2024. The primary wasAugust 13, 2024. The filing deadline wasMay 30, 2024.

2022

See also:Vermont State Senate elections, 2022

Elections for theVermont State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 9, 2022. The filing deadline was May 26, 2022.

2020

See also:Vermont State Senate elections, 2020

Elections for the office ofVermont State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for August 11, 2020. The filing deadline was May 28, 2020.

Heading into the election, Democrats held a 22-6 majority with two progressive members. Democrats lost one seat in the election, giving them a 21-7 majority with two progressive members.

2018

See also:Vermont State Senate elections, 2018

Elections for theVermont State Senate took place in 2018. Anopen primary election took place on August 14, 2018.^[6] The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline wasMay 31, 2018.^[7]

In the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the Vermont State Senate from 21-7 to 22-6.

2016

See also:Vermont State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for theVermont State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 26, 2016. All30 seats in theVermont State Senate were up for election in 2016.

Heading into the election, Democrats held a 19-9 majority with two progressive members. Democrats gained two seats in the election, giving them a 21-7 majority with two progressive members.

Vacancies

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in theVermont General Assembly, thegovernor must select a replacement to fill the vacant seat.

The governor must select a replacement that will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. There are no deadlines set by statute on when a vacancy has to be filled.^[14][15]

See sources:Vermont Const. Chap. 2, Art. 45,Vermont Stat. Ann. tit. 2, §4, andVermont Stat. Ann. tit. 2, §9

District map

See also:Vermont state legislative districts

The Vermont State Senate includes 30 members elected in 13 districts.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also:Redistricting in Vermont

Because Vermont has only one congressional district, congressional redistricting is not necessary. The state legislature draws state legislative district lines with the assistance of an advisory commission. This advisory commission consists of the following members:^[16]

1. Thegovernor appoints one member each from the state's political parties. To qualify for consideration in this context, a political party must have had "at least three state legislators for six of the previous 10 years."
2. The chairs of the aforementioned political parties each appoint an additional member.
3. The chief justice of theVermont Supreme Court appoints the commission's chair.

Commissioners cannot be legislators, nor can they be employed by the legislature. The commission may make recommendations to the legislature, but these recommendations are non-binding.^[16]

State law requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact and that they "adhere to county and other political subdivision boundaries, except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements." In addition, state statutes specify that districts should account for "patterns of geography, social interaction, trade, political ties, and common interests."^[16]

2020

See also:Redistricting in Vermont after the 2020 census

Vermont Gov.Phil Scott (R) signed H722 on April 6, 2022, enacting new legislative districts for the state House and Senate.^[17] TheVermont House of Representatives voted 129-13 to advance the state legislative redistricting bill on March 16.^[18] On March 25, theVermont State Senate unanimously approved H722, sending it to Scott.^[19] These maps took effect for Vermont's 2022 legislative elections.

District map after 2020 redistricting

This map took effect for Vermont's 2022 legislative elections.

2010

See also:Redistricting in Vermont after the 2010 census

Vermont received its census data on February 10, 2011. The state grew by 2.8 percent. The most populous cities had mixed results: Burlington grew by 9.1 percent, Essex grew by 5.2 percent, South Burlington grew by 13.2 percent, Colchester grew by 0.5 percent, and Rutland decreased by 4.6 percent.^[20]

The 2011 redistricting process was notable for a push to eliminate nearly all of the state'smulti-member districts. Though a preliminary plan that achieved this end was passed by the Board, its final plan from August 11, 2011, reduced the number of two-member districts from 42 to 29.

The Legislature took up redistricting in January 2012. Despite disagreements over deviation from ideal district size (18.2 percent for the Senate and 24 percent for the House), the Senate passed and the House concurred with a final plan, H. 789. The plan added a new seat in Burlington, and paired incumbentsDennis Devereux (R) andEldred French (D). Gov.Peter Shumlin (D) signed the maps into law on May 1, 2012.

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Vermont State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated byBillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in Vermont by year

2025

See also:2025 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on June 17, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also:2024 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 3, 2024, and adjourn on May 10, 2024. 2023 See also:2023 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2023, and adjourn on May 12, 2023. 2022 See also:2022 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2022, and adjourn on May 12, 2022. 2021 See also:2021 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 6, 2021, and adjourn on May 21, 2021. 2020 See also:2020 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 7, 2020, and adjourn on August 30, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also:Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. TheVermont State Legislature suspended its session, effective March 13, 2020, through March 24, 2020. On April 8, 2020, the Vermont State Senate approved a measure to allow remote voting in the chamber. Prior to this, a quorum of senators physically present in the chamber had been required in order to pass legislation. The Vermont House of Representatives was expected to consider a similar measure.[21][22] 2019 See also:2019 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 9, 2019, through May 29, 2019. 2018 See also:2018 Vermont legislative session andDates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2018, through May 13, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, clickhere. 2017 See also:Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 4, 2017, through May 18, 2017. The legislature held a veto session on June 21. 2016 See also:Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 5 through May 6. The legislature held a one-day veto session on June 9, 2016. Major issues in 2016 Major issues for the 2016 legislative session included economic development, marijuana legalization, consumer protection, closing the budget gap of $58.5 million, the state's opiate problem, and carbon taxes.[23][24] 2015 See also:Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 7 through May 16. Major issues in 2015 Major issues for the 2015 legislative session included the budget, the clean-up of Lake Champlain, energy concerns, education reform to stem the growth of property taxes, and reforms to the state's child welfare system.[25] 2014 See also:Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 7 through May 10. Major issues in 2014 Major issues during the 2014 legislative session included improvements to the integration of environmental regulation, affordable healthcare, tourism funding, workforce training, a tax policy that would not increase taxes on businesses, and a labor policy to not increase costs to employers.[26] 2013 See also:Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 9 to May 14. Major issues in 2013 Major issues in the 2013 legislative session included physician-assisted death, marijuana decriminalization, and plans to address a projected budget shortfall of $50-$70 million. 2012 See also:Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the legislature was in session from January 3 through May 5. 2011 See also:Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 5 through mid-May.[27] 2010 See also:Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions In 2010, the legislature was in session from January 5 to May 12.[28]

About legislative sessions in Vermont

TheTenth Amendment of theU.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[29] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions,legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

TheVermont State Legislature, which the Senate is a part of, meets for biennial sessions starting on odd-numbered years on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January, pursuant toSection 7 of the Legislative Department of the Vermont Constitution. The opening date for even-numbered years is established by the sitting legislature during the year prior.

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includesveto overrides,the role of the legislature in the state budget, andprocedures for filling membership vacancies.

Veto overrides

See also:Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Vermont are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

Authority:Legislative Department, Section 11 of theVermont Constitution.

Role in state budget

See also:Vermont state budget and finances

Vermonton

Check outBallotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets •Civil liberties •Education •Elections •Energy •Environment •Healthcare •Pensions

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[31]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies inAugust or September of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
2. Agencies submit their budget requests to thegovernor inOctober.
3. Agency hearings are held inOctober and November.
4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to thestate legislature inJanuary.
5. The legislature typically passes a budget inMay. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year beginsJuly 1.

In Vermont, the governor cannot exercise veto authority over the budget.^[31]

The governor is not legally required to submit—and the legislature is not legally required to pass—a balanced budget.^[31]

Committees

See also:List of committees in Vermont state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Vermont State Senate has 15 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process forreferring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states,initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are alsomany other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Vermont Constitution can be amended:

See also:Amendments of the Vermont Constitution andLaws governing ballot measures in Vermont

Section 72 of the Vermont Constitution lays out the procedure governing changes to theVermont Constitution. Vermont does not feature the power ofinitiative for eitherinitiated state statutes orinitiated constitutional amendments.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

Atwo-thirds (66.67%) vote is required in theVermont State Senate and a simple majority vote is required in theVermont House of Representatives in the first legislative session. A simple majority vote is required in both chambers in the second legislative session to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 20 votes in theVermont State Senate and 76 votes in theVermont House of Representatives in the first session and 16 votes in the state senate and 76 votes in the state house in the second session, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also:Convention-referred constitutional amendment

The Vermont Constitution, like that ofseveral other states, does not provide forconstitutional conventions. Perhaps as a result, Vermont's current constitution is one of the oldest in the country, having been adopted in 1793. TheMassachusetts Constitution is the only older constitution.

Although there are no provisions in the state's constitution governing the calling of a constitutional convention, in 1969, theVermont State Legislature referred an advisory measure to the ballot which asked "Shall a Vermont Constitutional Convention be convened at the state house in Montpelier on October 6, 1969 to consider the following topics which shall receive a majority of the votes cast upon it in this election, and no others?" The question was rejected by the voters.

See also

Elections	Vermont State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Vermont State Senate elections, 2026 Vermont State Senate elections, 2024 Vermont State Senate elections, 2022 Vermont State Senate elections, 2020 Vermont State Senate elections, 2018	Vermont State Legislature Vermont House of Representatives Governor of Vermont Vermont Supreme Court	State legislative elections, 2026 State legislative elections, 2025 State legislative elections, 2024 State legislative elections, 2023 State legislative elections, 2022 State legislative elections, 2021 State legislative elections, 2020 State legislative elections, 2019	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• Vermont State Senate

Footnotes

	v • e State ofVermont Montpelier (capital)
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