The purpose of the Open Meeting Law is to ensure transparent and accountable government. Building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vermont Legislature has updated the Open Meeting Law with Act 133 (S.55) to recognize that hybrid and remote access to meetings can strengthen civic engagement and support transparent, efficient decision-making.
COVID-response legislation that temporarily permitted all public bodies to hold fully remote meetings expires July 1.
Beginning July 1, 2024, public bodies must comply with Act 133 (S.55), which amends the Open Meeting Law as follows:
- Distinguishes among State and local “nonadvisory” and “advisory” bodies.
- A “nonadvisory” body has supervision, control, or jurisdiction over legislative, quasi-judicial, tax, or budgetary matters. For ease of reference, SOS refers to nonadvisory bodies as decision-making bodies.
- An “advisory” body does not have any of the above powers.
- Authorizes remote-only meetings for advisory public bodies, subject to remote public participation requirements, and for all public bodies under specified emergency circumstances (emergency meetings, declared states of emergency, and “local incidents”).
- Beginning January 1, 2025, requires hybrid meetings for State decision-making (nonadvisory) bodies.
- Upon request, provides a limited right to local residents, the body’s members, and the press for in-person or remote access to any regular meeting.
- Requires State and local decision-making (nonadvisory) bodies to electronically record meetings and post the recordings in a designated electronic location. (Includes similar requirements for certain informational meetings and hearings held in advance of a town’s annual and special meetings of the voters.)
- Requires each municipality to post on its website, if it maintains or designates one, the procedures for filing an OML complaint and the text of the relevant statute, 1 V.S.A. § 314.
- Beginning January 1, 2025, requires annual OML training for State chairs of decision-making (nonadvisory) bodies and for local chairs of legislative bodies, municipal managers, and mayors. The Secretary of State will have this training available in the Winter of 2025.
- Establishes a workgroup, chaired by the Secretary of State, to recommend ways to improve access to and participation in meetings of public bodies, meetings of the voters, and elections.
You can read the text of Act 133 (S.55) here.
Joint guidance and FAQs from the Secretary of State, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and the Vermont School Boards Association is available here.
The Secretary of State’s Act 133 Recordkeeping Chart is available here.
Vermont’s open meeting law requires all meetings of public bodies to be open to the public at all times, unless a specific exception applies. The purpose of the law is to promote transparency, accountability, and better decision-making in government.
In general, the open meeting law requires public bodies to:
- Provide advance public notice of meetings, including meeting agendas.
- Discuss all business and take all actions in open meeting, unless an exception in statute applies.
- Allow members of the public to attend and participate in meetings.
- Take meeting minutes and make them available to the public.
Secretary of State Resources:
Other Resources:
