2017: The Vermont State Ethics Commission was established pursuant to Act 79 as an independent body with the authority to review and refer complaints regarding ethical conduct in State government; provide ethics training to State employees and public servants; and issue guidance and advisory opinions regarding ethical conduct. No investigatory or enforcement powers were granted to the Commission.
2018: Act 79 tasked the Ethics Commission with creating a non-binding code of ethics to set forth general principles of ethical conduct. One of the Commission’s first tasks was to draft a code of ethics reflecting general ethical principles.
2019: The Commission’s code of ethics was adopted by the Commission on November 6, 2019, and the Commission requested legislation authorizing it to submit a draft code of ethics to the General Assembly to be considered for adoption into law. Two bills, H.634 and S. 198, did just that, however, no legislative action was taken at the time. The Chairs of the House and Senate Government Operations Committee asked the Ethics Commission to continue its work on a draft code of ethics and to seek public input.
2020: In February, six state- wide officeholders signed a joint letter supporting the adoption of a statutory code of ethics. In July, the Ethics Commission sent out press releases and attempted to contact all state employees and the general public for input on its draft Code of Ethics. On August 12, 2020, a public hearing was held to receive further comments. Comments received led to several revisions of the draft Code, especially those pertaining to conflicts of interest, gifts, and post-government employment. In November, in response to a request from the Senate Government Operations Committee, the Commission prepared a memorandum regarding potential policies and procedures to ensure compliance with an eventual statutory code of ethics.
2021: Act 44 (H. 135) amended 3 V.S.A. Chapter 31 to change the financial disclosure requirement for Executive officers and State Ethics Commission members from a biennial disclosure to an annual disclosure.
2022: A statutory Code of Ethics, applicable to all State employees and public servants, was passed by the legislature in April 2022, and signed into law by the Governor on May 3, 2022. The law went into effect on July 1, 2022. In addition to creating a baseline for ethical conduct in State government, the Code established an ethics training requirement for all State employees and public servants. The does not give investigatory or enforcement power to the Ethics Commission and each branch of government is responsible for enforcement of the Code.