Original constitutional carry state, no permit ever required. But: 10-round long-gun / 15-round handgun mag limit (2018), red-flag law, 72-hour waiting period (2023). Stand-your-ground via case law. Suppressors legal but no hunting use. Weak preemption.

Recreational cannabis legal 2018 (H.511 - first state to legalize via legislature). Decriminalized since 2013. Strong harm reduction including syringe services and naloxone access. No automatic cannabis expungement statute though sealing available. Psychedelic legislation pending.

State minimum wage $14.42/hr. MIT living wage for 1 adult: $16.66/hr. Ratio 0.87 — minimum-wage workers earn 87% of what's needed to live there alone.

3rd-highest per-pupil spending ($28,818) and highest property tax burden (5% of income). NAEP scores above average and life expectancy strong, but cost-per-outcome is steep. USNews #7 — investment delivers, but not efficiently.

IJ grades VT B+ (Act 51, 2015 - conviction required, equitable-sharing limits). No QI abolition but Act 27 (2022) modified state-level officer liability and created Police Reform Office. Body cam standards via Act 56. Strong ECPA-style digital privacy. Strong sanctuary law (Act 5, 2017). Robust whistleblower protections.

Universal vote-by-mail since 2021 (every active voter mailed ballot). Early voting 45 days. Same-day registration since 2017. Automatic registration. No photo ID. Felons vote even while incarcerated (only with ME and DC). Bipartisan/legislative redistricting with low bias. Top voting access state.

Medicaid expansion adopted 2014. Abortion enshrined in state constitution (Article 22, 2022); no gestational limit. Gender-affirming care shield law. Low uninsured rate. Commonwealth Fund top 3 women's health. Strong rural primary care via FQHCs.

No qualified immunity reform (S.254 of 2020 partial provisions). No statewide BWC mandate. Disciplinary records limited disclosure. VCJC decertifies with public database (Act 56 of 2021). No no-knock ban. Use-of-force statute (S.219, 2020) requires necessity and de-escalation. Chokeholds banned. AG/local prosecution. Per-capita killings below median.

Abortion right added to state constitution (Prop 5, 2022). Comprehensive LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination. Conversion therapy banned. Shield law including telehealth. Gender-affirming care protected. No religious mandates. Strong church-state separation. Public funding for abortion.

Not a right-to-work state. Voluntary paid family and medical leave program (2023). Paid sick leave (Earned Sick Time Act 2017). State OSHA plan (VOSHA). Prevailing wage. Moderate wage theft enforcement. Below-median fatal injury rate.