There are quite a number of museums in Vermont, including
the Statehouse itself in Montpelier. For
12 months of the year it is open to the public free of charge and includes guided
tours. However, from January through the middle of May it functions as an
active workplace as well. Besides the 180 members of the House and Senate,
there is a full-time staff of lawyers and clerks who assist the members in
researching and drafting bills, the Sergeant at Arms and her staff, the Capitol
Police, and 30 young people (8th graders), divided into three groups,
who serve as Pages for six weeks at a time.
Visitors to the Statehouse during the legislative session
will also find dozens of professional lobbyists who are paid to represent the
interests of the companies and organizations they represent. They serve a purpose in bringing essential
information to the legislative committees during hearings. This information is
balanced by agency and department representatives and private citizens who have
an active interest in issues under consideration. Most days there are one or
more organizations that set up informational displays in the cafeteria or in
the Card Room adjacent to the House chamber or in the Cedar Creek Room, named
after the Civil War battle depicted in the mural that occupies an entire wall.
Most legislative work is done in the 14 standing committees
of the House and the 11 standing committees of the Senate. This work takes
place generally in the committee rooms.
Visitors to the statehouse are welcome to sit in on the committees at
any time, no invitation necessary. Many non-legislators take advantage of these
open meetings, and it can get pretty crowded in the committee rooms, especially
when there is a topic of great interest.
I especially like when young people visit. Many of the high
school championship teams come to hear a resolution read in their honor on the
floor of the House. Not too long ago, the CVU Boys Volleyball team celebrated
their third consecutive championship with a resolution sponsored by the six
Representatives from the towns in the Champlain Valley School District.
Although they may not yet be old enough to vote, students have also been making
themselves heard on many important issues of the day, like gun safety, climate
change, and equal rights. Last week a group of elementary school students from
Shelburne and Richmond visited the statehouse to advocate for a ban on the sale
of animal parts like ivory and rhino horns in the United States and in Vermont.
They are to be commended for their participation in our democracy even without
the right to vote. In fact, they have the most to lose if we adults in the
legislature fail to do our jobs well, because they are the future. As Abraham
Lincoln said, we “cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it
today.”
