Check the NEK Day page on our website for an up to date schedule of the day. There will also be printed schedules the day of the event at the NEK Collaborative Table. This table will be located in the Cafeteria from 8-10 AM and in Room 11 from 10 AM- noon. See Statehouse map for these locations.

The Vermont State House is at 115 State St. Montpelier, VT 05633. Your GPS will take you to this address, however there is no public parking at the Statehouse. See below for parking options.

Transportation from the Barton Hub

Our rockstar friends at Rural Community Transportation (RCT) have offered to provide free transportation from the Barton Hub, 17 Village Square. Barton VT, to and from the Statehouse. However we wish to make sure their generous offer will be utilized. Please sign up if you wish to ride with RCT to/from the Barton Hub. Thank you RCT!

Sing Up - Barton RCT Ride

Transportation from St. Johnsbury

RCT also offers the free US 2 Commuter bus route to and from St. Johnsbury and Montpelier. Check out their website for times and locations.

RCT US 2 Commuter Info

If you choose not to take public transportation we encourage folks to carpool. Drive safe! 

There is no public parking at the State House. 

Please see this handy-dandy parking map created by Carrie Stahler, Senior Manager of Government Affairs for the Vermont Food Bank (and fellow NEKer!). Yellow is free parking, Red is handicap parking, and the Blue circle is the State House. Thanks Carrie!

Carrie’s Recommendations for Free/ Paid Parking:

1. Try Court Street first (to the right of the State House on the map) – that will be your closest option. Parking is along the more southern side of the street (not the side where there are houses) and you should see cars on the correct side of the street. You will need to be comfortable with parallel parking to use this parking area. Your walk to the State House will be about 3-5 minutes. Using GPS, enter Court Street but enter on Governor Davis Ave, not Elm Street.

2. The other closest option is on the other side of the State House on Baldwin Street (where the Vermont Natural Resources Council is indicated on the map). Your walk will be about 3-5 minutes. There is parking on both sides of this street on one section. Read the signs!

3. Baldwin Street is ALSO where Handicapped Parking is located. The first two spaces closest to the State House (if you use the address One Baldwin Street, GPS will take you there),  are for people with a handicap placard, so bring yours if you have one and need this spot. It is a first come-first serve situation, but there is also a lot to the right which is for the State House that may be available to those needed handicap parking. That lot is open during the session and it may be open the day we are there, but only try this option if the other spaces are full. I will find out more on Monday and will email those who indicated a need for handicap parking.

4. If parallel parking gives you hives and you don’t mind a brisk stroll, you can park in the Department of Labor lot (far left of the map, circled). You’ll take Memorial Drive, then Green Mountain Drive and will pull into the parking area behind the Department of Labor building. Park farther to the back of the lot and go through the open area in the chain link fence to get on the Montpelier Bike Path (little green line) and enjoy a nice stroll along the river to get to Bailey Ave to get on the sidewalk and head toward the State House. Don’t get on the shuttle bus, you’ll end up at National Life. This walk is about 10-15 minutes, so is a little farther away.

Closer Paid Parking is behind Capitol Plaza hotel – you can access that from the either State Street or Taylor Street. There is also metered street parking. Montpelier ONLY allows two hour parking at metered spaces, so you will need to go out at lunch to move your vehicle.

The Statehouse is generally a formal space, however we are Vermonters! Business Casual is the norm, but most importantly, wear what you feel most comfortable in. This includes comfy shoes. See below info so you don’t have to be stuck in your snowboots all day. 

If you have a business/organizational nametag, please wear it. Stickers to handwrite your name will be available at the NEK Collaborative Table throughout the day.

We are in the thick of a Vermont winter, therefore everyone will be walking into the Statehouse with puffy coats and mucky snowboots. The coat room is on the first floor on the left side in the back of the building. See the map for reference. Consider bringing indoor shoes and leaving boots, along with your coat, in that room.

• Reusable waterbottle

• Little snack so no one gets hangry

• Indoor shoes to change into (Boots can be left in the coatroom, see above)

• Organizational nametag (We will still supply stickies to handwrite names)

• Any info, data, pamphlets, written testimony, etc you wish to give your legislators

• The NEK Collaborative’s shared messaging talking points

The NEK Collaborative will man a table throughout the day. This table will be in the cafeteria 8-10 AM and then be moved to Room 11 from 10 AM-Noon. See Statehouse map for locations.

At this table we will have printed schedules of the day and maps of the Statehouse. There will be stickies to handwrite your name, plus I ♥️NEK stickers! 

This is also a central place to ask questions, reset, and take a breath.

The Statehouse is very windy with lots of rooms and hallways. 

Please see a map of the Statehouse here. Feel free to print it and bring it with you. Maps will also be printed and you can grab one at the NEK Collaborative Table.

Please know everyone is so friendly! If you are confused or lost, just ask.

NEK Day at the Statehouse will build on the priorities lifted up at our NEK Together Conference on November 2025. Regional leaders identified housing, healthcare, affordability, climate resilience, and funding stability as the most urgent challenges facing the Northeast Kingdom. We will also lift our collective voice in support of strong, equitable rural education that sustains our communities and future. Together, we will bring these shared priorities directly to policymakers, highlighting the importance of collaboration in rural Vermont. Read the full NEK Together Report.

See shared messaging talking points.

Email your legislators in advance and invite them to NEK Day, plus request to schedule a brief one-on-one meeting during the day. Sharing YOUR personal story and lived experience helps bring our region’s priorities to life and ensures the voices of the Kingdom are heard where decisions are made. Find your Legislator’s contact by visiting legislature.vermont.gov click Search for: ‘Legislator’ and type in your Town.

Quick Tips & Tricks

• Introduce yourself and share your name, where you live, your organization, business or Occupation

• Thank legislators for their service, support of our NEK communities, and for welcoming you to share

• Share YOUR story! Describe the work or projects you are involved in. What state funding sources support your project? How is this project making an impact (economic, health, environmental) in your community? Who benefits?

• Talk about our legislative priorities from your own perspective. 

• What are the challenges the NEK faces and how could the State help address these challenges? 

• Numbers are powerful! Use data and facts. How are you measuring impact?

• Please answer any questions the legislators have as best you can. And if you cannot, that’s ok. You are welcome to direct them to someone else who may be more familiar with the topic.

Watch Committee Testimony Examples: 

• Corissa Brunell’s & Carrie Stahler testimonies Joint Fiscal Committee

• Andrew Courtney’s 2023 Appropriations testimony 

More Tips

• Vermont General Assembly Tips to Testify for a Legislative Committee Handout

Check out this Testimony Template created by NEK Organizing’s Audrey Grant to help write your testimony

Yes, absolutely! All are welcome to email their legislators, or any legislator, at any time: legislature.vermont.gov. Plus you can email them to schedule a 1:1 meeting during NEK Day to talk to them directly.

Following NEK Day at the Statehouse, continue your engagement by joining our regional legislators for the NEK Chamber’s monthly Legislative Breakfast, held on the last Monday of each month at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided, $5 at the door.

Plus you can email them anytime: legislature.vermont.gov

Thank you for considering a contribution to the NEK Collaborative as we work toward building a strong, vibrant future for Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Donate here.

We welcome all to sign up for our eNewsletter on our website and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.