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HCR 175

House concurrent resolution in memory of the Venerable J. Stannard Baker of Shelburne

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Angela Arsenault and 81 co-sponsors

Honors Stan Baker for advancing LGBTQ+ rights, especially via Baker v. State, which helped catalyze Vermont’s civil unions and civil marriage milestones.

Ceremonial Reading
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Bill Summary · HCR 175

Overview

H.C.R. 175 is a Vermont House concurrent resolution honoring the Venerable J. Stannard Baker of Shelburne. The resolution raises awareness of Baker’s life, contributions to LGBTQ+ rights, religious leadership, and public service, and expresses the General Assembly’s condolences to Baker’s family and the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont.

Purpose and Intent

  • Recognize and memorialize Stan Baker, highlighting his personal and professional achievements.
  • Acknowledge Baker’s role in advancing marriage equality through the landmark Baker v. State decision (Vermont Supreme Court, 1999), which helped catalyze subsequent civil rights milestones in Vermont (civil unions in 2000 and civil marriage in 2009).
  • Celebrate Baker’s lifelong commitments as an educator, mental health professional, and religious leader, and his broader contributions to the community and the Episcopal Church.

Key Provisions and Content

  • Acknowledges Baker’s lineage and historical ties to Vermont towns (Green Mountain Boys heritage; names reflected in Bakersfield and Stannard).
  • Documents Baker’s professional background:
    • Co-founder and teacher at Otter Creek School
    • Registered play therapist and licensed mental health counselor
    • Mental health clinical director in Addison and Chittenden Counties
  • Highlights Baker’s advocacy and leadership in LGBTQ+ rights:
    • His and his partner’s pursuit of marriage equality, culminating in the 1999 Vermont Supreme Court decision in Baker v. State
    • The decision’s role as a foundational step toward Act 91 (2000) civil unions and Act 3 (2009) civil marriage
  • Notes Baker’s ordination and leadership within the Episcopal Church:
    • Ordained in 2009 as a deacon
    • Service as chaplain at Fletcher Allen Health Care (now UVM Medical Center), deacon of Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington, and archdeacon of the Vermont Diocese
    • National roles, including clergy deputy to House of Deputies and 2024 election to the Episcopal Church Executive Council
  • Designates formal condolences:
    • The Secretary of State is asked to send a copy of the resolution to Baker’s family and to the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont
  • Status: Ceremonial/expressive resolution (non-binding)

Affected Parties

  • Stan Baker’s family and friends
  • The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont
  • Vermont religious and legal communities, particularly those interested in LGBTQ+ rights history and civil marriage milestones

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Last recorded action: Ceremonial Reading on January 30, 2026
  • The resolution supplements the record as an expression of respect and remembrance; it does not create new law or allocate funds
  • As a concurrent resolution, it requires passage by both the House and Senate in Vermont

Significance

  • Serves as a formal commemorative acknowledgment of Baker’s impact on Vermont’s social fabric, civil rights progress, and religious community leadership.
  • Highlights a historical legal milestone (Baker v. State) and its broader influence on marriage equality in Vermont.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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