Vermont Statutes Title 30. Public Service, § 11. Pleadings; rules of practice; hearings; findings of fact

(a)(1) The forms, pleadings, and rules of practice and procedure before the Commission shall be prescribed by it.

(2) With regard to the general procedural rules codified in Commission Rule 2.000, notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Vermont Administrative Procedure Act, the Commission is empowered to prescribe and amend from time to time general rules with respect to pleadings, practice, evidence, procedure, and forms for all Commission proceedings.

(3) The rules prescribed or amended shall not abridge, enlarge, or modify any substantive rights of any person provided by law.

(4) The rules, when initially prescribed or any amendments to them, including any repeal, modification, or addition, shall take effect on the date provided by the Commission in its order of promulgation unless objected to by the Legislative Committee on Judicial Rules as provided in 12 V.S.A. chapter 1. If an objection is made by the Legislative Committee on Judicial Rules, the initially prescribed rules in question shall not take effect until they have been reported to the General Assembly by the Chair of the Commission at any regular, adjourned, or special session thereof, and until after the expiration of 45 legislative days of that session, including the date of the filing of the report.

(5) The General Assembly may repeal, revise, or modify any rule or amendment, and its action shall not be abridged, enlarged, or modified by subsequent rule.

(6) The Commission shall adopt rules that include, among other things, provisions that:

(1) The Commission shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the location of each hearing is sufficient to accommodate all members of the public seeking to attend.

(2) The Commission shall ensure that the public may safely attend the hearing, including obtaining such resources as may be necessary to fulfill this obligation.