Vermont Statutes Title 20 Sec. 181
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 20 Sec. 181
- catastrophic incident: means any natural or manmade incident, including an incident of terrorism or a pandemic, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or any governmental entity. 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
- unavailable: means either that a vacancy in office exists and there is no deputy authorized to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office or that the lawful incumbent of the office (including any deputy exercising the powers and discharging the duties of an office because of a vacancy) and his or her duly authorized deputy are unable to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office. See
§ 181. Statement of policy
Because of the existing possibility of a catastrophic incident in the United States of unprecedented size and destructiveness, and in order, in the event of a catastrophic incident, to ensure continuity of government through legally constituted leadership, authority, and responsibility in offices of the government of the State and its political subdivisions; to provide for the effective operation of governments during an emergency; and to facilitate the early resumption of functions temporarily suspended, it is found and declared to be necessary to provide for additional officers who can exercise the powers and discharge the duties of Governor; to provide for emergency interim succession to offices of this State in the event the incumbents of those offices, and their deputies, assistants, or other subordinate officers authorized, pursuant to law, to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of such offices (deputies) are unavailable to perform the duties and functions of such offices; and to provide for special emergency district judges who can exercise the powers and discharge the duties of such judges in the event regular judges are unavailable. (Added 1959, No. 13, § 2, eff. March 4, 1959; amended 1965, No. 194, § 10; 2007, No. 47, § 17; 2021, No. 20, § 131.)