Terms Used In Vermont Statutes > Title 17 > Chapter 61 - Campaign Finance

• Accept: means to solicit, receive, or agree to receive. See
• Action level: means four parts per billion (ppb) of lead. See
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Affidavit: means the Vermont campaign finance affidavit required under section 2982 of this chapter. See
• Alternative water source: means :

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Annual meeting: when applied to towns shall mean the annual town meeting in March or an adjournment thereof. See
• Anything of value: means , without limitation, tangible or intangible property, money, commercial interests, or governmental employment. See
• Asbestos: means the asbestiform varieties of chrysotile (serpentine); crocidolite (riebeckite); amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite); anthophyllite; tremolite; and actinolite. See
• Asbestos abatement: means the repair, enclosure, removal, encapsulation, or any other activity for the evaluation or control of any material which contains more than one percent asbestos by weight. See
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Building: means any structure, facility, addition, or wing that may be occupied or used by children or students. See
• Campaign: means any organized or coordinated activity undertaken by two or more persons, any part of which is designed to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of any candidate or the passage, defeat, or modification of any public question. See
• candidate: includes the candidate's committee, except in regard to the provisions of section 2947 of this subchapter. See
• Candidate: means an individual who has taken affirmative action to become a candidate for State, county, local, or legislative office in a primary, special, general, or local election. See
• Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Health or the Commissioner's designee. See
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Health. See
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contribution: means a payment, distribution, advance, deposit, loan, or gift of money or anything of value, paid or promised to be paid for the purpose of influencing an election, advocating a position on a public question, or supporting or opposing one or more candidates in any election. See
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the Department of Health. See
• Department: means the Department of Health. See
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Election: means the procedure whereby the voters of this State or any of its political subdivisions select a person to be a candidate for public office or to fill a public office or to act on public questions, including voting on constitutional amendments. See
• Electioneering communication: means any communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for office and that promotes or supports a candidate for that office or attacks or opposes a candidate for that office, regardless of whether the communication expressly advocates a vote for or against a candidate, including communications published in any newspaper or periodical or broadcast on radio or television or over the Internet or any public address system; placed on any billboards, outdoor facilities, buttons, or printed material attached to motor vehicles, window displays, posters, cards, pamphlets, leaflets, flyers, or other circulars; or contained in any direct mailing, robotic phone calls, or mass electronic or digital communications. See
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Expenditure: means a payment, disbursement, distribution, advance, deposit, loan, or gift of money or anything of value, paid or promised to be paid, for the purpose of influencing an election, advocating a position on a public question, or supporting or opposing one or more candidates. See
• Fees: shall mean earnings due for official services, aside from salaries or per diem compensation. See
• filed: means deposited in the regularly maintained office of the official with whom the filing is to be made. See
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
• Four-year general election cycle: means the 48-month period that begins 38 days after a general election for a four-year-term office. See
• Full name: means an individual's full first name, middle name or initial, if any, and full legal last name, making the identity of the person who made the contribution apparent by unambiguous reference. See
• General election: means the election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, in even-numbered years. See
• General election period: means the period beginning the day after the primary election and ending the day of the general election. See
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Give: means to offer, present, confer, pay, or deliver; also to agree or promise to do any of the foregoing. See
• Grace period: The number of days you'll have to pay your bill for purchases in full without triggering a finance charge. ^{Source: Federal Reserve}
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Health officer: means Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner's designee, or a local or district health officer. See
• Independent expenditure-only political committee: means a political committee that conducts its activities entirely independent of candidates; does not give contributions to candidates, political committees, or political parties; does not make related expenditures; and is not closely related to a political party or to a political committee that makes contributions to candidates or makes related expenditures. See
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Legislative leadership political committee: means a political committee established by or on behalf of a political party caucus within a chamber of the General Assembly. See
• Local board of health: means the local health officer, with the selectboard of the town or city council of a city. See
• Local election: means any election that deals with the selection of persons to fill public office or the settling of public questions solely within a single municipality. See
• Mass media activity: means a television commercial, radio commercial, Internet advertisement, mass mailing, mass electronic or digital communication, literature drop, newspaper or periodical advertisement, robotic phone call, or telephone bank, that includes the name or likeness of a clearly identified candidate for office. See
• maternal death: means :

• Municipality: shall include a city, town, town school district, incorporated school or fire district or incorporated village, and all other governmental incorporated units. See
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Outlet: means a drinking water fixture currently or reasonably expected to be used for consumption or cooking purposes, including a drinking fountain, an ice machine, or a faucet as determined by a school district, supervisory union, independent school, or child care provider. See
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Party candidate listing: means any communication by a political party that:

• Permit: means any permit or license issued pursuant to this title. See
• Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
• Person: means any individual, business entity, labor organization, public interest group, or other organization, incorporated or unincorporated. See
• Person: means any individual, company, corporation, association, partnership, the U. See
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Political party: means a political party organized under chapter 45 of this title and any committee established, financed, maintained, or controlled by the party, including any subsidiary, branch, or local unit thereof, and shall be considered a single, unified political party. See
• Pregnancy-associated death: means the death of a woman while pregnant or within one year following the end of pregnancy, irrespective of cause. See
• Pregnancy-related death: means the death of a woman while pregnant or within one year following the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by her pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes. See
• Primary: means any election that precedes a general or special election, for the purpose of permitting political parties to nominate, from among all of the candidates for any office, only that number of candidates equal to the number of persons to be elected to that office at the succeeding general or special election. See
• Primary election period: means the period beginning the day after primary petitions must be filed under section 2356 of this title and ending the day of the primary election. See
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Public health hazard: means the potential harm to the public health by virtue of any condition or any biological, chemical, or physical agent. See
• Public health risk: means the probability of experiencing a public health hazard. See
• Public office: means any office in the U. See
• Public question: means an issue that is before the voters for a binding decision. See
• School district: means town school districts, union school districts, interstate school districts, city school districts, unified union districts, and incorporated school districts, each of which is governed by a publicly elected board. See
• School officers: shall include all persons, other than teachers, who have to do with matters pertaining to public schools. See
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Education. See
• Secretary: means the Secretary of State. See
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Single source: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons that is not a political committee or political party. See
• Special election: means an election that is not provided for by law to be held at stated intervals. See
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
• State office: means the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor of Accounts, and Attorney General. See
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• sworn: shall include affirmed. See
• Telephone bank: means more than 500 telephone calls of an identical or substantially similar nature that are made to the general public within any 30-day period. See
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Town: shall include city and wards or precincts therein; "selectboard members" and "board of civil authority" shall extend to and include the mayor and aldermen of cities; "trustees" shall extend to and include bailiffs of incorporated villages; and the laws applicable to the inhabitants and officers of towns shall be applicable to the inhabitants and similar officers of all municipal corporations. See
• Town: includes "city. See
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Two-year general election cycle: means the 24-month period that begins 38 days after a general election. See
• Vermont campaign finance qualification period: means the period beginning February 15 of each even-numbered year and ending on the date on which primary petitions must be filed under section 2356 of this title. See
• Voter: means an individual who is qualified to vote in an election in this State or a political subdivision of this State, and whose name is registered on the checklist of a political subdivision of the State. See
• Year: means a calendar year. See