Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS) today announced the opening of applications for the new $45 million Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP). To kick-off this initiative, covered municipalities will be eligible to apply for Community Capacity Building Mini-Grants of up to $4,000. The mini-grants are one of many opportunities, including up to $500,000 for energy efficiency and resilience improvements to municipal buildings to increase comfort and reduce operational costs while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and expanding reliable access to critical services for Vermonters. The program is based on the highly successful State Energy Management Program (SEMP) that has been accelerating the efficiency state-owned buildings for nearly a decade, reducing over 21,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and $4.6 million in avoided energy costs.

by Abby Carroll, Community News Service As lawmakers evaluate a bill focused on universal public preschool, they are also considering ways to strengthen Vermont’s fragile network of private child care providers. One proposed way is through a property tax exemption — but some providers say it’s a good start but wouldn’t do much to lower expenses for them or families they serve. The bill, S.56, would give tax breaks up to $10,000 for property used by a child care provider. The two groups that would qualify for this are home-based child care providers, who are using their home to provide child care services, and those renting a space to a child care provider for them to provide those services.

Vermont Business Magazine The unpaid care provided by the 70,000 caregivers in Vermont is valued at $1.23 billion, according to new state data available in AARP’s latest report in the Valuing the Invaluable series. This is a $220 million difference from 2019 increase in unpaid contributions since the last report was released in 2019. The report highlights the growing scope and complexity of family caregiving and highlights actions needed to address the many challenges of caring for parents, spouses, and other loved ones.

by Governor Phil Scott Town Meeting week is not only a good time to get involved in local politics, but also check in on what’s going on in State government. In January, I presented my budget to the Legislature and my priorities haven’t changed. In fact, they haven’t changed much at all since I first ran for governor. I still believe it’s important to focus on the fundamentals, work together to find practical solutions, and follow through to finish what we started. One thing that has changed over the last three years, is the billions in federal recovery aid we’re receiving. This – coupled with historic state surpluses due to responsible budgeting – has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fund our obligations and invest in addressing challenges we’ve faced for decades. If we do this right, we’ll restore the vitality of left-behind communities, help people get ahead and let them keep more of what they earn.

Vermont Business Magazine Tuesday night, Mayor Miro Weinberger shared his reaction to the 2023 Burlington Town Meeting Day election results. With over 10,000 voting, Tim Doherty (D) in the East District and Melo Grant (P) in the Central District were elected to the Burlington City Council, along with Hannah King (D) in a Ward 8 special election following the October resignation of former Councilor Ali House (P). Also elected were incumbent councilors Joan Shannon (D) in the South District, and Mark Barlow (I) in the North District. Notably, in the City’s first city-wide public safety vote, the Community Control Board proposal strongly opposed by the Mayor failed with 63% of Burlingtonians voting No.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) is calling on Vermont-founded Ben & Jerry’s to address reports that milk used in their products are processed using child labor. Balint, like many Vermonters, is proud of the state’s commitment to strong labor standards particularly within the dairy supply. These recent reports raise concerns for Balint, who is requesting a response from Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever to outline how to quickly put an end to these labor practices.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), on Wednesday, March 8, at 10:00 a.m. ET will lead the committee in a hearing titled, “Defending the Right of Workers to Organize Unions Free from Illegal Corporate Union-Busting.” The committee’s Executive Session, previously scheduled for immediately prior to the hearing, has been cancelled following Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz agreeing to testify before the committee at a separate hearing on Wednesday, March 29.

Vermont Business Magazine Power Equipment Direct has partnered with South Burlington-based DR Power Equipment, a manufacturer that first made its mark by inventing the walk-behind string trimmer and now offers a full suite of outdoor labor-saving technologies. The new partnership aims to reach rural and suburban markets with landscaping solutions tailored to their specific needs. Included in the initial DR product offering will be field and brush mowers, chippers and shredders, trimmers, leaf vacuums, stump grinders, log splitters, and power-steer wheelbarrows. "DR offers some of the most extensive and feature-rich product lineups within its core lawn care categories," says Dan Reinhart, senior product manager at DR Power.

by Mike Donoghue, VermontBiz Correspondent The Woodstock Foundation trustees say a law firm hired for an independent investigation was unable to substantiate complaints about systemic discrimination against females or LGBTQ persons working at the Woodstock Inn and Billings Farm & Museum. The trustees, through both a letter to employees and a separate legal filing last week, downplayed the employee allegations raised in a lawsuit filed against them in January and instead maintained there was misconduct by the three main players that sought to address the employee complaints.

Vermont Business Magazine As of Tuesday, March 7th, 100 Vermont municipalities have adopted a Declaration of Inclusion. The Declaration of Inclusion initiative has been underway since October 2020 and began with the adoption by the Town of Franklin. Adoption efforts are led by Bob Harnish, Al Wakefield, and Norman, all longtime residents of Rutland County. Supporting this initiative are the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Vermont Interfaith Action, NAACP, and the legislative Social Equity Caucus.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) issued the following statement after Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz agreed to testify before the committee on Wednesday, March 29: “I’m happy to announce that Howard Schultz, the CEO and founder of Starbucks, has finally agreed to testify before the Senate HELP Committee. The HELP Committee was scheduled to vote tomorrow to subpoena him and I want to thank the members of the Committee who, in a bi-partisan way, were prepared to do just that."

by Aubrey Weaver, Community News Service House legislators passed a bill last Friday that would allow victims of “stealthing” — when someone secretly removes or tampers with a condom during sex — to bring a civil case against their assailant. Despite the resounding 121–12 passage in the full chamber, H.40’s final day in committee, February 28, devolved into a heated debate about whether the bill’s protections would favor one sex over another.