Title: Merriless v. Treasurer

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

ENTRY ORDER

                       SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 91-114

                              APRIL TERM, 1992


 David Merrilees, et al.           }          APPEALED FROM:
                                   }
                                   }
      v.                           }          Washington Superior Court
                                   }
                                   }
 Treasurer, State of Vermont,      }
 et al.                            }          DOCKET NO. S29-89WnC


              In the above entitled cause the Clerk will enter:


      At issue is whether passage of Senate Bill 39 (1985), codified at 13
 V.S.A. {{ 7281-7283, levying a $5.00 surcharge on certain penalties and
 fines paid to the State, violated the origination clause of the Vermont
 Constitution, Chapter II { 6 (revenue bills must originate in the House of
 Representatives).  The issue was raised in a class action brought by
 plaintiff Merrilees on behalf of all those against whom the surcharge had
 been levied.  The trial court found that the contested measure was not a
 revenue bill and entered summary judgment in defendant's favor.  This appeal
 followed.  We affirm.

      Following our policy of deciding cases on nonconstitutional grounds, we
 asked the parties to brief an issue which they had not raised, that is,
 whether this appeal is controlled by Chittenden Trust Co. v. MacPherson, 139
 Vt. 281, 284-85,