Full Disclosure
Read the stories in VTDigger’s legislative ethics series
Vermont legislators don’t make it easy for constituents to learn about their potential conflicts of interest.
Ethics disclosure forms the House and Senate require their members to fill out ask limited questions. And the forms they file — as well as others filled out by candidates for state office — can be hard to track down. Before VTDigger began publishing this series in April 2023, one had to travel to the Statehouse in Montpelier to obtain some of them.
VTDigger has sought to make that process easier for Vermonters. The news organization compiled — and, in some cases, scanned — ethics disclosure forms filed by Vermont’s 180 state legislators upon taking office, as well as the ones they submitted as candidates. All such disclosures are now available in VTDigger’s searchable, sortable database.
VTDigger also assigned reporters to peruse the database and report out stories based on what they found. Those stories — on the intersection between private employment and public service, the abundance of landlords in the Legislature, and the role some lawmakers play in funding the nonprofits they help to lead — are below.
Update: Nearly nine months after this series was published, the Vermont Senate voted in January 2024 to mandate that its own members disclose additional information about their personal finances and potential conflicts of interest. In February 2024, VTDigger updated its Full Disclosure database to include the information filed by senators the previous month.
VTDigger updates Full Disclosure database with 2024 Senate filings
The Senate voted in January to require its members to provide more information about their personal finances and potential conflicts of interest. VTDigger has now added that info to its searchable, sortable database.
Vermont Senate beefs up financial disclosure requirements in response to VTDigger reporting
Thursday’s vote came nearly nine months after the news organization documented deficiencies in the transparency rules governing Vermont lawmakers.
Full Disclosure: Lawmakers serve on the boards of nonprofits they fund
Vermont’s small size means legislators may “wear two or three hats.” Some argue they bring needed expertise on the issues.
Full Disclosure: The ‘people’s house’ or the ‘house of landlords’?
As lawmakers ponder Vermont’s housing crisis, disproportionately few rent — and many make their money selling or renting out real estate.
Full Disclosure: What lawmakers’ ethics forms reveal about their lives outside the Legislature
Vermont legislators are far more likely to be retired than the average Vermonter, VTDigger’s ethics disclosure database shows.
Full Disclosure: Conflict of interest rule leaves plenty of leeway for legislators’ other jobs
The Legislature’s rules define a conflict so narrowly that they almost never prevent lawmakers from crafting and voting on bills — even when they or their employers stand to benefit financially.
Final Reading: State officials pledge to increase transparency in response to VTDigger’s Full Disclosure series
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth said he was open to revisiting what information senators are asked to disclose on their ethics forms. “I think it’s fair to say, in part because of your reporting, we’ll be discussing this and trying to figure out if the way we’re doing it makes sense,” he said.
Full Disclosure: Vermont’s legislative ethics forms are hard to find, out of date and limited in scope
The state was late to the game in requiring lawmakers to disclose potential conflicts of interest. A new VTDigger database seeks to make that information more readily available to Vermonters.
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