VT Digger reports. Balint has been Senate majority leader since 2017, and with that position and now president pro tempore, she is one of just a handful of out LGBTQ+ people who have been leaders in state legislatures.
She was elected this month to her fourth term in the Senate.The president pro tempore presides over the Senate when the lieutenant governor is unavailable to do so and sets the agenda for the body.
Balint will succeed Tim Ashe, who did not seek reelection to the Senate and instead made an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor.“I’m really honored to work on behalf of all of you and all Vermonters,” Balint said after her colleagues nominated her during a virtual meeting Sunday, according to VT Digger.