Vermont S 324: An act relating to prohibiting robocalls

Bill Text

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S.324 1
Introduced by Committee on Government Operations 2
Date: 3
Subject: Legislative operations; government accountability 4
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to create the 5
Joint Government Oversight and Accountability Committee. It proposes to 6
change the default submission date for periodic reports to the General 7
Assembly and to update the legislative reports database. This bill also requires 8
the Agency of Administration to recommend improvements for the State grant 9
processes. 10
An act relating to legislative operations and government accountability 11
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 12
* * * Purpose and Findings * * * 13
Sec. 1. PURPOSE 14
(a) The purpose of this act is to actuate the principle of government 15
accountability by focusing on how evidence is used to inform policy, how our 16
State laws are carried out, and how legislation can best be formed to achieve its 17
intended outcomes. This act strives to systematize government accountability 18
efforts as much as possible with simple, clear, independent, objective, and fact-19

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based processes rather than rely upon individual legislators or individual 1
committees to be effective. 2
(b) Government accountability means the principle of demanding that 3
legislation succeeds in achieving its stated policy goals through the provision 4
of means by which to measure whether the policy goals have been met. The 5
metrics for determining whether success has been achieved are as important as 6
the goals themselves. 7
(c) Government oversight means the mechanisms put into place to ensure 8
that the bodies of government tasked with executing legislative intent are 9
properly doing so. Oversight by the General Assembly is the examination of 10
the processes followed and the information produced by government officials 11
executing the law to determine whether those officials are properly and 12
adequately achieving the policy goals established by the General Assembly. 13
* * * Creation of the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability 14
Committee * * * 15
Sec. 2. 2 V.S.A. chapter 28 is added to read: 16
CHAPTER 28. JOINT GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT AND 17
ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE 18
§ 971. CREATION OF COMMITTEE 19
(a) There is created the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability 20
Committee, whose membership shall be appointed each biennial session of the 21

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General Assembly. The Committee shall work independently and with other 1
legislative committees to assist with matters related to government oversight 2
and issues of significant public concern. 3
(b) The Committee shall be composed of eight members: four members of 4
the House of Representatives, not more than two of whom shall be from the 5
same party, appointed by the Speaker of the House; and four members of the 6
Senate, not more than two of whom shall be from the same party, appointed by 7
the Committee on Committees. In addition to two members-at-large appointed 8
from each chamber, one appointment shall be made from each of the House 9
Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs, the Senate 10
Committee on Government Operations, and the House and Senate Committees 11
on Appropriations. 12
(c) The Committee shall elect a chair, vice chair, and clerk from among its 13
members and shall adopt rules of procedure. The position of chair shall rotate 14
biennially between the House and the Senate members. The Committee shall 15
keep minutes of its meetings and maintain a file thereof. A quorum shall 16
consist of five members. 17
(d) The Committee shall meet as necessary for the prompt discharge of its 18
duties. 19
(e) For attendance at a meeting when the General Assembly is not in 20
session, members of the Committee shall be entitled to compensation for 21

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services and reimbursement of expenses as provided under subsection 23(a) of 1
this title. 2
(f) The professional and clerical services of the Joint Fiscal Office, the 3
Office of Legislative Operations, and the Office of Legislative Counsel shall 4
be available to the Committee. 5
§ 972. DUTIES AND POWERS 6
(a) Duties. The Committee shall have duties as described in this section 7
and elsewhere in law. 8
(1)(A) The Committee shall exercise government oversight by 9
examining and investigating matters of significant public concern relating to 10
State government performance. The Committee shall examine the possible 11
reasons for any failure of government oversight and provide findings and 12
tangible recommendations to standing committees of jurisdiction to prevent 13
future failures. 14
(B) The Committee will select issues of significant public concern to 15
examine and investigate by a majority of the cu