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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and the Congressional delegation announced that Vermont has been awarded $6.2 million through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help address homelessness across the state. Vermont has the second highest rate of homelessness in the nation, according to the 2022 HUD Annual Homelessness Assessment Report. Awarded through HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program, this funding was competitively distributed throughout the country to quickly rehouse and support individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness. Almost 50 percent, or $2.9 million, of the overall funding awarded to Vermont will go to the Vermont State Housing Authority for rental vouchers and support services for those experiencing homelessness; while $986,552 will go to Washington County Youth Service Bureau.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today signed the following bills into law: H.89, An act relating to civil and criminal procedures concerning legally protected health care activity; S.37, An act relating to access to legally protected health care activity and regulation of health care providers. When signing the bills, Governor Scott issued the following statement: “Today, we reaffirm once again that Vermont stands on the side of privacy, personal autonomy and reproductive liberty, and that providers are free to practice without fear.”

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announced today that Vermont will receive more than $3 million from the National Housing Trust Fund. Sanders first introduced legislation to create the National Housing Trust Fund in 2001, based on the success of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund. Sanders succeeded in establishing the program nationwide in 2008. This year’s more than $3 million award is the second largest for Vermont in the fund’s history. The purpose of the fund is to build, preserve, rehabilitate, and operate affordable housing for low-income people in Vermont and across the country.

by Aubrey Weaver, Community News Service Essex resident Brianna Yarnell is mother, sports fanatic and celebrated blogger for the parenting website Vermont Moms. She is also a survivor of domestic and sexual violence and, this legislative session, has used her story to advocate for a new survivor protection bill in the Statehouse. H.45 proposes a specific protection many might not be familiar with: protection from abusive litigation. That’s when someone filing a suit against another person has been convicted of stalking, abusing or sexually assaulting the other party. The same applies to members of the plaintiff’s household or family. H.45 allows for lawsuits to be dismissed if the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that a party is engaging in abusive litigation as characterized by the plaintiff’s history of abuse against the defendant.

Vermont Business Magazine VT Dry & Cure Technologies, the makers of Cannatrol, a Vermont-based provider of innovative cannabis drying, curing and storage technology, has announced a $1.5 million seed funding round led by the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) and The Dudley Fund. Cannatrol’s patented Vaportrol Technology enables its dry, cure and storage systems to maximize potency, preserve terpenes, increase yields and produce superior cannabis buds, while also helping cultivators reduce labor. Much focus has been placed on genetics, strains and cultivation methods while discussing cannabis flower, but Cannatrol understands that effective drying, curing and storage are key to producing high quality products and driving profitability. Leading brands such as In Good Health, Elevate Missouri, and Nimbus Cannabis already leverage Cannatrol to gain full control of the post-harvest process.

Vermont Business Magazine Junapr has been named to Inc. Magazine’s annual Best Workplaces list. Featured in the May/June 2023 issue, which hits newsstands on May 16, and prominently featured on Inc.com, the list is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or a virtual facility. Junapr is a Vermont-based communication and public relations firm working across sectors including consumer packaged goods, juvenile, non-profit, higher education, business services, and hospitality. The firm recently acquired the event management company Standing O.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the House of Representatives granted final House approval to S.100, also known as Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone (HOME), with a vote of 135 to 11. This critical legislation increases the availability of affordable housing, promotes homeownership, and expands housing opportunities for all Vermonters. The bill now goes back to the Senate for further consideration. You can learn more about S. 100 - an act relating to housing opportunities made for everyone, here.

Vermont Business Magazine This week, Vermont’s Congressional Delegation announced that the University of Vermont (UVM) would receive a $20 million award through the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. The award will support continued data science research through the Harnessing the Data Revolution for Vermont: The Science of Online Corpora, Knowledge, and Stories (SOCKS) project – a joint initiative of UVM, Champlain College, Middlebury College, Norwich University, Vermont Technical College, and Saint Michael’s College.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont babies born on May 29, 2023 will receive $100 deposits into Vermont 529 college savings accounts opened by the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC). Plus, one lucky Vermonter – baby or not – will be chosen to receive $529 in a college savings account in an online month-long drawing. To enter, visit vsac.org or vheip.org before May 29. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems is joining VSAC, which administers Vermont’s 529 college savings plan, to help educate Vermont families about saving for college for their children.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, during Mental Health Awareness Month, Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-Vermont) and Congressman Brian Steil (WI-01) introduced the Protecting Young Minds Online Act, legislation to require the Center for Mental Health Services to develop and disseminate a strategy to address the effects of new technologies, like social media, on children’s mental health. In recent years, there have been a significant increase in mental health disorders in youth, including depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth age 15-24. Approximately one out of every 15 high school students report attempting suicide each year. In total, approximately 900,000 youth aged 12-17 and 1.7 million adults attempted suicide and 12.3 million had serious thoughts of suicide in 2021.

by Eleanor Miller, Ellen Kaye and Rachel Wallace-Brodeur Union-busting is a tradition as old as organized labor. Historically, the managerial class attempts to disrupt and divide its workforce through stalling, intimidation and manipulation. The goal is for employees to return to their jobs as quickly as possible without management being forced to improve working conditions. The less impact to the bottom line, the better. So what if workers are unhappy? While union-busting in America is commonplace, it’s traditionally been a tactic in the corporate realm. Under the administration of President Garimella, however, the University of Vermont, a public university, has come to resemble a corporation in its leadership and governance.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Senate voted 20-10 today to override Governor Phil Scott’s veto of S.5, the Affordable Heat Act. The bill, entitled An act relating to affordably meeting the mandated greenhouse gas reductions for the thermal sector through efficiency, weatherization measures, electrification, and decarbonization, now heads to the House of Representatives for another override vote. The Legislature hopes to wrap up business this week. They have already scheduled an override session for June if needed. Other possible gubernatorial vetoes include the budget (H.494) which is typically the last item on lawmakers' agenda.