Current News

Vermont Business Magazine US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has approved Governor Phil Scott’s request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation in response to the May frost event experienced by many produce growers in Vermont. This Secretarial Disaster Designation from USDA makes farm operators across Vermont eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

Vermont Business Magazine Two additional counties have been added to the federal Individual Assistance Disaster Declaration signed by President Joseph Biden last week. The declaration now allows residents of Orange and Caledonia to apply for federal assistance for personal losses during this month’s storm and floods. Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor counties had previously been approved. Those who have personal losses should report damage to www.vermont211.org or by calling 211. The online reporting tool is preferred. If FEMA does not designate a county, no one in that county will get FEMA funding, regardless of the level of damage. Scott said even a damaged driveway should be reported to 211.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas made clear today that her office is open for business and ready to serve the public. She emphasized, however, that she is empowering the Vermont Secretary of State (VTSOS) agency family to make helping others during this time of need a priority. She also announced some key response efforts the agency is undertaking in the wake of the severe weather and devastation throughout the state in the last week. The agency’s Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) is working on several fronts to assist in storm response. OPR will be issuing temporary emergency licenses, at no charge, to out of state licensed professionals during the declared state of emergency to assist Vermonters.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Supreme Court has rejected the latest appeal by opponents of a proposed affordable housing community on Alice Holway Drive in Putney. The ruling by the state’s highest court affirms the Environmental Court’s decision earlier this year rejecting an appeal to the project’s zoning permit. It marks the latest chapter of a 16-month legal process that began in March 2022 when an appeal was filed contesting the permit and delaying progress of the 25-unit mixed income development. the delay in timing caused by the lengthy appeal process increased the cost of the project 14 percent, from $10.3 million to $11.7 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2024. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) wants to hear from you. VCBB has released Vermont’s Draft BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) Five-Year Action Plan and Draft BEAD Initial Proposal Volume 1 and wants your comments. The drafts are the first set of plans to explain how the state will spend Vermont’s $229 million federal allocation to expand high-speed internet access. It is a key priority, and federal requirement, for VCBB to incorporate public feedback into the plans. Input was gathered through listening sessions VCBB held in person throughout the state and virtually last month, as well as through a public survey, emails, phone calls, and letters. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation announced today that it has raised $2.5 million in flood relief gifts and commitments and this week distributed $330,600 in grants and aid statewide. The money from the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund 2023  will support needs including temporary and transitional housing, clean-up of homes, businesses and downtowns, and aid to farmers who lost an entire season in the devastating flooding earlier this month. Another round of grants will be made next week, bringing the expected total to over $500,000 distributed from the fund, with more to follow soon after.

Vermont Business Magazine On July 20, 2023, the Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announced the availability of federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits for Vermonters affected by severe flooding starting July 7, 2023. Individuals residing, working, or scheduled to work in Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor counties may be eligible for DUA benefits.  All applicants must apply for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) before applying for DUA benefits. 

Vermont Business Magazine As many Vermonters work to get “clean and dry” after the flood, others are hoping to get outdoors and return to their favorite trails, parks, and recreation access points. The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), and officials from across the state, are asking the public to use caution and common sense if they plan to recreate outside this weekend. Keep in mind that it is still not business as usual when it comes to outdoor recreation, and especially on Vermont rivers and streams.

Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor reported today that the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for June was 1.9 percent. This reflects a decrease of two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The civilian labor force participation rate was 63.7 percent in June, unchanged from the prior month. This unemployment rate ties the lowest on record, which was recorded in June 2019. Vermont has the third lowest rate in the nation, behind New Hampshire and South Dakota (1.8%). The comparable United States rate in June was 3.6 percent, a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised May estimate.

Vermont Business Magazine Last month's NPR story on 74-year-old Naum Lantsman, who lost his life savings to a crypto currency scam, illustrates the need for Vermonters to exercise extreme caution and vigilance when using or investing in cryptocurrency.  Cryptocurrencies are not functional equivalents of traditional banking, securities or insurance investment products. There is no lender of last resort, little to no financial disclosures, and usually no insurance protection for losses arising from market fluctuations, theft or scams. Cryptocurrency investments and transactions often lack critical safeguards that exist in the traditional financial system.  

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) addressed the importance of United States Supreme Court ethics reform today in a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. The Committee advanced the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2023, with unanimous Democratic support. The legislation requires the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct, establish a mechanism to investigate breaches of that code, recuse themselves when they have conflicts of interest in cases, and disclose gifts and income, among other provisions.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today introduced the Improving Access to Nutrition Act, legislation that would help more Americans access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as 3SquaresVT in Vermont. The Improving Access to Nutrition Act would lift the time-limit requirement that SNAP-enrolled, able-bodied adults between the ages of 18-49 only receive SNAP benefits for three months over a 36-month period if they do not report 20 hours of work per week. The bill would also repeal additional eligibility criteria imposed by House Republicans during the 2023 debt ceiling deal, which would impose the three-month rule on adults up to age 54 over the next few years.