Montpelier, Vermont – On Tuesday, Campaign for Vermont Prosperity (CFV) issued a statement regarding a bill they say represents a step backwards on ethics reform. “It’s unfortunate,” said CFV Executive Director Ben Kinsley, “we have been making progress on ethics reform for nearly a decade now, but this bill moves us in the wrong direction.”

The issue they point to with the bill, H.1, is that it would remove the requirement for House and Senate panels to consult with the Ethics Commission when a complaint is referred. Later drafts of the bill also excluded the judicial branch and municipalities from this requirement to avoid the appearance of favoritism towards the legislature.

Despite prior progress, Vermont still ranks in the bottom ten states for anti-corruption measures, according to the Coalition for Integrity. The lack of enforcement powers for the Ethics Commission is cited a key reason for this ranking. “Really, we should be giving more authority to the Ethics Commission, not less,” stated Kinsley.

Proponents of the bill have argued that the separation of powers provision in the Vermont constitution prohibits independent oversight over legislators. National ethics experts that testified on the bill disagree with this assessment. Despite having similar constitutional provisions, 43 other states have given enforcement powers to their Ethics Commissions according to the National Council on State Legislatures.

“At a time when faith and trust in government is at an all time low, it is unfortunate to see the legislature stepping away from independent oversight that could improve the situation,” concluded Kinsley.

Campaign for Vermont has been involved in ethics reform since issuing a report in 2013 titled “Achieving Vermont Ethics Standards and Accountability in state Government.” In 2017 they successfully led a coalition in support of passing Act 79, which created the Ethics Commission. They also supported Act 102 in 2022 and Act 171 in 2024, which added to the ethics framework in the state.

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CFV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization comprised of over 20,000 Vermonters and dedicated to the vision of a more prosperous Vermont and growing middle class. They seek to accomplish these goals by reconnecting Vermonters to their government and advocating for more transparent and accountable policymaking.