Title 03, Title 03: Executive

§ 135. Uniform standard for renewal following extended absence (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, when an applicant seeks to renew an expired or lapsed license after fewer than five years of absence from practice, readiness to practice shall be inferred fro…

§ 136. Uniform continuing education evaluation and forum (a)(1) If continuing education is required by law or rule, the Office shall apply uniform standards and processes that apply to all professions regulated by the Office for the assessment and approval or rejection of continu…

§ 136a. Uniform process for endorsement from other states (a) Notwithstanding any statute or rule to the contrary and except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, all professions attached to the Office shall have an endorsement process that requires not more than three y…

§ 137. Uniform process for foreign credential verification (a) The Director shall adopt rules that prescribe a process for the Director to assess the equivalence of an applicant’s professional credentials earned outside the United States as compared to State licensing requirement…

§ 138. Required education for specified licensees; State energy goals (a) The following licensees are required to complete the education module regarding the State’s energy goals as described in this section: (1) architects licensed under 26 V.S.A. chapter 3; (2) landscape archit…

§ 139. Immigration status (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, an applicant shall not be denied any professional license or certification enumerated in this title or Titles 16, 20, or 26 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated on the basis of the applicant’s citize…

§ 151. Election and term An Attorney General shall be elected at the same time and in the same manner as provided for the election of other State officers. He or she shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of his or her duties. His or her term of office shall commence when his o…

§ 152. Scope of authority The Attorney General may represent the State in all civil and criminal matters as at common law and as allowed by statute. The Attorney General shall also have the same authority throughout the State as a State’s Attorney. The Attorney General shall repr…

§ 153. General powers; deputy, assistants (a) The Attorney General shall have the general supervision of criminal prosecutions, shall consult with and advise the State’s Attorneys in matters relating to the duties of their office, and shall assist them by attending the grand jury…

§ 154. Assistance In the investigation and preparation for presentation to, or trial before, any court or tribunal of any cause or matter in which the State is a party or is interested, the Attorney General may employ such persons as in the Attorney General’s judgment the public …

§ 155. Legal assistant (a) The Attorney General may appoint a legal assistant, such appointment to be made pursuant to the laws regarding personnel classification, selection and compensation. (b) The appointment of a legal assistant shall be in addition to other appointments whic…

§ 156. Duties Such legal assistant shall perform such duties as the Attorney General directs and may appear in the trial or hearing of any civil or criminal cause in any court of the State on behalf of the Attorney General. Before assuming his or her duties, such legal assistant …

§ 157. Appearance for State The Attorney General shall appear for the State in the preparation and trial of all prosecutions for homicide and civil or criminal causes in which the State is a party or is interested when, in his or her judgment, the interests of the State so requir…

§ 158. Attendance at sessions of General Assembly When required by either branch of the General Assembly, the Attorney General shall attend its sessions and advise and assist in the preparation of legislative business and documents.

§ 159. Opinions; State matters and actions (a) The Attorney General shall advise the elective and appointive State officers on questions of law relating to their official duties and shall furnish a written opinion on such matters, when so requested. (b) The Attorney General shall…

§ 160. State claims On receipt of notice thereof from the Commissioner of Finance and Management, the Attorney General shall forthwith notify State’s Attorneys of any claim of the State which should be prosecuted in their counties. Subject to the direction of the Attorney General…

§ 161. Public contract advocate (a) There is hereby imposed upon the Office of the Attorney General the duty to provide public contract advocacy for all proceedings involving contracts for basic telecommunications service under 30 V.S.A. § 226a. The Attorney General shall appoint…

§ 162. Fees and services forbidden The Attorney General shall not receive any fee or reward from or in behalf of the prosecutor or for services in any prosecution or business to which it is his or her official duty to attend, nor shall he or she act as counsel or attorney for eit…

§ 162a. Definitions As used in this subchapter: (1) “Child” has the same meaning as in 33 V.S.A. § 5102(2). (2) “Community referral” means a referral of an individual to a community-based restorative justice provider that does not involve criminal offenses or delinquencies for wh…

§ 163. Juvenile court diversion program (a) Purpose. (1) The Attorney General shall develop and administer a juvenile court diversion program, for both pre-charge and post-charge referrals to youth-appropriate community-based restorative justice providers, for the purpose of assi…

§ 164. Adult court diversion program (a) Purpose. (1) The Attorney General shall develop and administer an adult court diversion program, for both pre-charge and post-charge referrals, available in all counties. (2) The program shall be designed to provide a restorative option fo…

§ 164a. Restitution (a) A diversion program may refer an individual who has suffered a pecuniary loss as a direct result of a delinquent act or crime alleged to have been committed by a juvenile or adult accepted to its program to the Restitution Unit established by 13 V.S.A. § 5…

§ 166. Court Diversion Fund The Court Diversion Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury. All fees and assessments of the juvenile and adult court diversion programs shall be recorded in the Fund. Quarterly, the director of each court diversion program shall report to the…

§ 167a. Complex Litigation Special Fund (a) There is established the Complex Litigation Special Fund pursuant to 32 V.S.A. chapter 7, subchapter 5 to be available for expenditure by the Attorney General, as annually appropriated or authorized pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 511, to pay n…

§ 168. Racial Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Advisory Panel (a) The Racial Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Advisory Panel is established. The Panel shall be organized and have the duties and responsibilities as provided in this sec…

§ 202. Seals Each department or bureau, with the approval of the Governor, may adopt and have an official seal.

§ 203. Authority limited The commissioner or board at the head of each department specified in this chapter shall exercise only the powers and perform the duties imposed by law on such department. (Amended 2025, No. 18, § 7, eff. May 13, 2025.)

§ 204. Disqualification A person holding an office under this chapter shall not be the owner of, or financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any corporation or association subject to the supervision of his or her respective department, except as a policy holder in an in…

§ 205. Duties of office Each commissioner of a department and each officer specified in this chapter, except the members of the boards specified in this chapter, shall devote the commissioner’s or officer’s entire time to the duties of the office. (Amended 2025, No. 18, § 7, eff.…

§ 206. Rules The commissioner or board at the head of each department specified in this chapter is empowered to prescribe and to enforce rules, subject to the approval of the Governor, for the government and administration of such department, the conduct of its employees and the …

§ 207. Assistance and expenditure (a) Each department specified in this chapter is empowered to employ assistance, clerical or otherwise, as the Governor deems necessary for its proper and efficient administration and, subject to the Governor’s approval, to fix the compensation f…

§ 209. Efficiency and cooperation; transfer of personnel; rules of Governor The Governor shall provide for and require a practical working system to ensure efficiency and mutual helpfulness among the departments specified in this chapter. The Governor may transfer, temporarily or…

§ 211. Construction Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to give to the head of any department any authority over the judicial or quasi-judicial acts or duties of any officer in his or her department.

§ 212. Departments created The following administrative departments are hereby created, through the instrumentality of which the Governor, under the Constitution, shall exercise such functions as are by law assigned to each department respectively: (1) The Department of Mental He…

§ 213. Declaration of policy (a) It is the policy of the State of Vermont that the Executive Branch of the State government created by the constitution shall be organized into the separate offices of the elected constitutional State officers and such administrative agencies and d…

§ 214. Delegation of authority A secretary, commissioner, or director may delegate any authority, power, or duty other than a specific statutory authority of the office to a designee; and a board or council in its discretion and with the approval of the Governor may delegate to t…

§ 215. Commissioner, member of councils The Commissioner of each department shall be ex officio a member of all councils within the department. However, he or she shall not vote unless otherwise provided by law and shall not participate as a member of a council in matters involvi…

§ 216. Boards and commissions; party representative Unless otherwise provided, no board or commission appointed by the Governor, whether or not with the advice and consent of the Senate, may be composed entirely of persons from one political party. (Added 1969, No. 54, § 1, eff. …

§ 217. Passenger vehicles; sale (a) No State department or agency, board, or commission, except the Governor, the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services, and the Commissioners of the Departments of Fish and Wildlife and of Public Safety for use of employees who are sworn …

§ 218. Agency and department records management program (a) The General Assembly finds that public records are essential to the administration of State and local government. Public records contain information that allows government programs to function, provides officials with a …

§ 220. Classified employees in exempt positions (a) A State employee in the classified service, upon appointment to an exempt position, may request an indefinite leave of absence without pay from his or her classified position for so long as he or she remains in the exempt positi…

§ 221. Hearing officers; rules (a) The Secretary of Administration shall adopt a rule to establish guidelines and oversight for hearing officers in the Executive Branch. As used in this section, “hearing officer” means a person employed by the State of Vermont whose exclusive dut…

§ 241. Background investigations (a) “Federal tax information” or “FTI” means returns and return information as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 6103(b) that are received directly from the Internal Revenue Service or obtained through an IRS-authorized secondary source, that are in the Reci…

§ 252. Cost of bonds; blanket bond The cost of such bonds shall be paid from the appropriations of the departments in which such officer or employee serves. In procuring such bonds, the Governor is authorized to purchase blanket or schedule surety contracts with such company as h…

§ 253. Deputy officers (a) The following named commissioners, directors, and State officials may each appoint a deputy who shall perform such duties as the appointing official shall direct, with the approval of the Governor, remove him or her at pleasure and be responsible for hi…

§ 254. Term of officer elected by General Assembly The term of an officer elected by the General Assembly shall commence on March 1 in the year of such election and continue, if no other term is fixed by law, for the term of two years from and including such first day of March, a…