Current News

Gov. Peter Shumlin announced today the appointment of a new leadership team for the Vermont Department of Human Resources.

Maribeth Spellman, currently Director of Policy, Outreach, and Legislative Affairs at the Vermont Department of Taxes, will become Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Human Resources, effective September 2, 2014. Prior to joining the Tax Department, Spellman spent over ten years working for the federal government in the areas of personnel, labor, and employment law, including six years providing legal advice and policy development services at the Pentagon.

Company Also Awarded Top Rankings in National Network Study for Overall Performance, Reliability, Speed, Data and Call Performance

RootMetrics today released its second U.S. State RootScore^® Reports and Verizon Wireless received the highest award for overall network performance in Vermont.

In addition to receiving the top award for overall network performance in Vermont, Verizon Wireless also scored highest in the Speed and Data categories and shared the highest score for Reliability and Text. Verizon Wireless won or tied for the RootScore Overall Network Performance Award in 47 other states, and won more awards than any other provider for Overall Performance and in the categories of Reliability, Speed, Data, and Call performance.

Preservation, protection and education lead the list of initiatives that six Vermont towns will soon embark upon due to federal grants recently received. The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation have awarded Certified Local Government (CLG) matching grants totaling $41,000 to support community-based preservation initiatives.

“Vermont’s towns and cities care about historic preservation, and the most successful preservation projects are initiated at the local level,” Housing and Community Development Commissioner Noelle MacKay said. “It is always exciting to see how these grants are being creatively leveraged by communities to broaden their impact.”

Vermont Business Magazine and Morgan True, vtdigger.org Health insurance premiums for Vermont state employees are high compared to other states, according to a report released by the Pew Charitable Trust, and the workers themselves pay a relatively high amount for total health insurance. While the overall national average for the split in employer-employee contribution is the same 20 percent, the average premium paid in the US for a state worker is $963, while in Vermont it is $1,307. This means that the average Vermont employee pays $261.40 per month for health insurance, while the national average is $192.60.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org The fact that consumers have been unable to make changes to their personal information or health care coverage through Vermont Health Connect has been routinely cited as the exchange website’s biggest flaw. But state officials released a report from tech firm Optum on Thursday that identifies something called “834 errors” as the greatest threat to a smoothly functioning website. Form 834 is an electronic file that transmits a customer’s information from Vermont Health Connect to the insurance carrier. It’s how the changes to an application eventually are made.

The errors are increasing the number of consumers who are ending up in the change of circumstance backlog, according to Kyle McDowell, Optum’s vice president of operations and transformation.

by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org The Agency of Human Services is a bureaucratic monster that needs to be split apart, some lawmakers said this week. The shake-up of the agency’s leadership on Tuesday has rekindled discussion of whether the agency is too big for its own good. But advocates warn against creating even more “silos” between department services that are already hard for Vermonters to access.

Vermont Department of Health Commissioner Harry Chen. Photo by John Herrick/VTDigger

The New England housing market experienced a year-over-year (YOY) sales decrease of -3.6%, according to The RE/MAX of New England July Monthly Housing Report.

Pending sales continued to trend upward at 41.9% over July 2013. Month-over-month, sales were down -2.3% across the region and Vermont was the only state in New England to experience a sales increase, up 12.3%.

“While sales are down slightly over last year, we’re still seeing the results of a better economy,” said Dan Breault, EVP/Regional Director of RE/MAX of New England. “Homes are staying on the market fewer days both year-over-year and month-over-month, and pricing remains up over July of last year.”

Mount Snow, Vt. (August 18, 2014) – Following a variety of snowmaking projects that began in the spring of 2013 with the goal of improving the system’s efficiency and output, Mount Snow announces it will receive delivery of 645 new low-energy snow guns this fall. By replacing hundreds of older less efficient snow guns, the resort’s entire fleet of snowmaking equipment will now be comprised of 100% low energy technology.

As a result of this upgrade, Mount Snow will have the ability to produce more snow at one time than it did before thanks to the efficient operating nature of the new technology. On average, the new snow guns will require as little as eight cubic feet per minute (CFM) of compressed air, compared to 200-300 CFM that the older technology required.

Burlington, Vermont, May 24, 2001 Anyone who knows me, knows I love the State of Vermont. It has always been known for its independence and social conscience. It was the first state to outlaw slavery in its constitution. It proudly elected Matthew Lyon to Congress, despite his flouting of the Sedition Act. It sacrificed a higher share of its sons to the Civil War than perhaps any other state in the Union. I recall Vermont Senator Ralph Flanders' dramatic statement almost 50 years ago, helping to bring to a close the McCarthy hearings, a sorry chapter in our history. Today's chapter is of much smaller consequence, but I think it appropriate that I share my thoughts with my fellow Vermonters. For the past several weeks, I have been struggling with a very difficult decision.

Senator James M. Jeffords, I-VT, turned the Washington, DC, establishment upside down when he left the Republican Party on May 24, 2001. Republicans had enjoyed control of the White House after the inauguration of President George W Bush in January; they had a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives; and, by virtue of the tie-breaking vote held by Vice President Richard Cheney, they controlled a Senate composed of 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. By becoming an Independent sitting with the Democratic Caucus for organizational purposes, Jeffords gave control of the Senate to the Democrats. As just about every sentient being in Vermont knows, Jeffords’ switch catapulted him from a virtual unknown on the national scene to the top news item for weeks.

Anne Galloway, vtdigger.org and Vermont Business Magazine

Sen. James Jeffords died this morning at the Knollwood Military Retirement Residence in Washington, D.C.
He was 80 years old. Jeffords had lived at the residence since his wife died of ovarian cancer eight years ago.

The Vermont congressman and senator served 32 years in Congress until 2005 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Jeffords became famous in May 2001 when he left the Republican party to become an independent and began caucusing with the Democrats in the Senate.

[Sen. Jim Jeffords, R-Vt.]

“Single payer” is the buzzword of Vermont’s 2014 election. A candidate’s pledge to support single payer is the litmus test for some. Big money – mostly from out-of-state unions – is flowing into Vermont to support candidates who pass the single payer test.

So, what’s the big deal? If the State delivers on its promise: the same or better health care at a lower cost, we’re ALL going to support single payer! This is really a non-issue.

But, perhaps Vermonters are starting to have doubts. The single payer political action committee, Vermont Leads, has found only 10 candidates out of the 34 contestants to endorse in the 2014 legislative primary races. (Full Disclosure: If I were running for reelection, I assume I would have passed the test and gotten an endorsement, too, because I voted for Act 48.)