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House committee reviews H.811 to add statutory cross-reference for adjutant general election
Summary
On Feb. 4 the House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee received an introductory walkthrough of H.811, a short-form bill that would add a cross-reference from the adjutant general statute (Title 20) to the legislative election procedures in Title 2 so candidates and the public can find timing and ballot procedures.
The House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee met Feb. 4 to review H.811, a short-form bill intended to add a statutory cross-reference clarifying how and when the adjutant and inspector general of the Vermont National Guard is elected.
Sophie Tidatney, legislative counsel for the Office of Legislative Counsel, described the bill as "a pretty straightforward, short form bill" that would "involve adding a cross reference to Title 2, which sets the date, time, and place for the election" and would place that reference where readers look for adjutant general information in Title 20. Tidatney said the change is intended to "connect the dots" so anyone reading the adjutant general statute can find the procedural election language in Title 2.
Committee members said the need for the change arose when prospective candidates preparing for the Feb. 19 joint assembly election discovered procedural guidance about how to get on the ballot was located in the legislative election statutes rather than in the adjutant general statute. "There was nothing under the adjutant general statute about the election of and how you get your name on the ballot as a candidate," an unidentified committee member summarized during the discussion.
Members asked whether the bill addresses how candidates appear on the ballot. One committee member asked, "So was deciding that they go in alphabetical order, like, all the time?" Counsel and other members responded that Title 2 sets the timing and joint assembly procedure but does not prescribe ballot appearance. Committee members noted that, by custom and the House calendar's joint assembly notice, "All nominations for these offices... [are] presented in alphabetical order prior to voting," which likely accounts for the historical practice in contested elections.
Speakers also clarified that the clerk's office handles printing for the legislative joint assembly ballot, a separate process from municipal or statewide election printing. The discussion included where the cross-reference would be placed in the code (counsel indicated the language would appear in Title 20, chapter 21, which covers the adjutant and inspector general) and that the bill itself would be short — roughly the length of the short form.
No formal motion or vote on H.811 was recorded during the session. The committee paused to await the arrival of Mr. Devlin and indicated it would continue related military bills and follow-up as appropriate.
The committee did not adopt any changes to the bill during the walkthrough; next procedural steps were not specified on the record.
