Prop 2 passes Vermont House!
Friends -
On Friday February 4th, the House voted 139 to 3 to pass Proposal 2, the constitutional amendment clarifying the prohibition of slavery and indentured servitude in Vermont. While many of us have heard the story that Vermont was the first state to abolish slavery, that story is only partially true - Vermont’s constitution named specific conditions under which slavery would be allowed, and gave a framework for constitutional exceptions for slavery across the country.
Prop 2 prohibits slavery and indentured servitude in any form. A constitutional amendment is no small thing. It is a multi-year process, and the story of Prop 2 began with the advocacy of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance. In 2018, a multi-partisan coalition of 64 co-sponsors, including the entire Progressive Caucus, introduced HR. 25, a “House resolution encouraging the Senate of the State of Vermont in 2019 to initiate a proposal for a State constitutional amendment to remove from the Vermont Constitution all language authorizing slavery or indentured servitude.”
A constitutional amendment is a four year process. The proposal must first pass both the House and Senate in one biennium, and pass through the House and Senate again the following biennium. Then, the proposal goes to the voters for final approval, to be decided on Election Day. People all over Vermont will be voting on Prop 2 in November 2022. With its passage, the Vermont constitution will be amended to prohibit slavery and indentured servitude in any form.
Vermont’s exception clause created a legal framework, used in other states and in the 13th amendment to the US Constituion, that allows slavery and indentured servitude for those who are convicted of a crime. As we vote to prohibit slavery and indentured servitude in Vermont, we are not only coming to terms with our history and acknowledging the wrongs of the past so that we can move forward; we are also dismantling a legal framework that has been used to harm, exploit, and control people. This can be a first step toward changing laws like this all over our country.
While constitutional scholars testified that this proposal was an unnecessary change, many people of color and people who had been incarcerated talked to us about how important this amendment was to them. This acknowledgement does matter, and is an important step toward transforming our criminal justice system from punishment and exploitation to restoration and healing.
“The race to freedom has been a marathon. Sometimes we run slow, sometimes we run fast. Many times, we stop to catch our breath. Today, as we bring this proposed amendment across the finish line, Iet’s recognize the long history of abolition that exists from the northern border of Vermont to the heart of the Deep South. We stand on the shoulders of the ancestors who made tremendous sacrifices with courage and bravery. Working to protect and aid fellow humans during times of great peril. Meeting the poison of hate with the antidote of love. Guided by the stars and by a deep faith in the fundamental goodness within all people.”
-- Rep. Brian Cina (Chittenden 6-4)
Join us this November in voting YES on Prop 2 to finally and fully abolish slavery in Vermont!
And please help us support these bills for racial justice, reparations, and criminal justice reform:
H.273: An act relating to promoting racial and social equity in land access and property ownership
H.660 An act relating to creating municipal and regional civilian oversight of law enforcement
With H.660 we are asking people to email or contact members of the House Committee on Government Operations to ask that H.660 get a hearing.
Progressives in the Media:
Bill Would Make it Simpler to Amend Birth Certificates to Reflect Gender Identity
House Committee Takes Up Trio of Drug Reform Bills
Vermont Bill Could Create a Permanent AI Commission
Thank you for your support!
-Jesse
Legislative Assistant
Vermont Progressive Party
