Vermont State Representative Bob Hooper (D-Burlington) plans to resign from the legislature after the House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel found he violated House rules on sexual harassment, according to the speaker’s chief of staff.
Conor Kennedy, chief of staff to House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), confirmed that Hooper told him he intended to step down on Monday. Kennedy cautioned that the conversation was not definitive, as Hooper indicated he needed to consult with an attorney first. Vermont Public separately reported Friday afternoon that Hooper told a reporter directly that he planned to resign Monday.
The panel’s finding triggered an immediate political fallout. Hooper relinquished his seat on the House Government Operations and Military Committee this week, and colleagues from both sides of the aisle quickly called for him to leave the legislature entirely.
Nearly all House Democrats released a joint statement demanding his immediate resignation. “We commend the impacted member who filed the complaint. It was an extraordinarily courageous action to come forward,” the statement reads. “The House Democratic caucus is committed to providing a professional work environment and has zero tolerance for sexual harassment, discrimination, or any hostile behavior. We call on Representative Robert Hooper to resign from the legislature immediately.”
Speaker Krowinski released her own statement to House members Friday, reinforcing the chamber’s standards. “The House of Representatives is committed to providing a professional work environment that’s free from sexual harassment, discrimination, or any hostile behavior,” she wrote. “It does not matter what party you belong to or what position you hold, we are all held to the same rules and expectations.”
Rep. Kate Logan (P/D-Burlington) added her voice to the chorus calling for Hooper’s departure. “I think he should resign,” Logan said, noting that Hooper had made inappropriate remarks to her personally. Those remarks included comments about her clothing and appearance, often framed as compliments but delivered in ways she described as “just weird.” She cited as one example his writing “cute” on photos of her posted to Facebook. Logan said she did not file a formal complaint.
Kennedy told reporters that Krowinski was aware of at least three additional complaints filed against Hooper by other individuals since 2021. None of those complaints resulted in a formal finding by the panel that House rules had been violated. Kennedy said he had no details about the nature of those complaints or how they were resolved, and it remained unclear how many had gone through the formal complaint process.
The House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel generally conducts its work confidentially, which means the specific details of the complaint that led to this week’s finding have not been made public. Hooper could not be reached for comment and was not present on the House floor late Friday morning.
The situation underscores the persistent challenge legislative bodies face in creating truly accountable workplaces. Sexual harassment in state legislatures rarely generates the sustained attention that national political scandals do, but the human cost falls on staffers, colleagues, and constituents who depend on these institutions to function with basic professional integrity. Logan’s account, offered without a formal complaint attached to it, speaks to a dynamic that researchers and advocates have documented repeatedly: most instances of workplace harassment go unreported because the personal and professional costs of coming forward feel too steep.
The member who did file the formal complaint acted against those pressures, and the panel’s finding validated their decision to do so. The Democratic caucus statement explicitly recognized that courage.
Hooper is a veteran lawmaker, and his tenure makes this week’s events more striking rather than less. Longevity in public office does not grant immunity from basic professional standards, and the speed with which his colleagues moved to distance themselves from him signals that the political calculus around accountability, at least in the Vermont Statehouse, has shifted.
Whether Hooper officially submits his resignation Monday will determine what comes next for his Burlington district. A special election would follow to fill the seat.