Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House gave preliminary approval to the $6.1 billion Fiscal Year 2020 Budget, H.542, today on a vote of 139-1. The House also gave preliminary approval to the Revenue Bill, H.541, today on a voice vote. 

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Montpelier gave the possibility of more passenger rail service in Vermont a small boost on March 26, when House legislators voted to instruct the Agency of Transportation (VTrans) to conduct a technical analysis of a commuter rail system that would serve the Burlington-St Albans and Burlington-Montpelier corridors. The action came during consideration of the pending transportation bill, which would mandate the analysis as well as authorizing VTrans appropriations and providing other guidance to the agency. In a voice vote, the chamber rejected an amendment advanced by Representative Pat Brennan (R-Colchester) that would have deleted the technical analysis provision from the measure.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for the 2019 inductees. All nominations must be submitted by May 15^th.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that the Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) has released 443,070 pages of records related to the EB-5 and Jay Peak fraud, which occurred between 2008-2016. These newly-released documents are available for download at eb5.vermont.gov/public-records. Additionally, approximately 250,000 more pages of DFR records will be released and made available on the EB-5 website in the coming weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine The leaders of the Distributed Ledger Governance Association (DLGA), have announced the founding members and partners of the DLGA to help drive commercialization of blockchain applications and work with the various State of Vermont agencies to explore the productive uses of distributed ledgers in Vermont business and government.

by John Pelletier, Director of the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College For several years now, there has been discussion regarding the impact of the migration of Vermont’s citizens to other states on Vermont’s tax revenues. For the most part, we have been reassured that nearly as many taxpayers leave Vermont as relocate here. And we have been told that the dollars involved are about the same especially for high income individuals. So, it looks like we have nothing to worry about. Or do we?

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) announced legislation Thursday to extend and expand funding for community health centers and the National Health Service Corps. If Congress doesn’t act by September 30th, community health centers will lose the federal funding they need to keep their doors open. Community health centers provide high-quality primary medical, dental, mental health care, substance use disorder treatment, and low-cost prescription drugs to 28 million people in 11,000 communities in every state in the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Every year, Vermonters throw away 200 million pounds of food and yard debris that could have been composted instead. This unnecessary waste adds up at landfills, contributing to massive greenhouse gas emissions. At the 2019 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit on April 11 in Randolph, leaders and learners from across the state will come together to discuss creative ways to keep food scraps and other organics out of the trash and to transform them into valuable products. The summit, organized by the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, is open to all.

Vermont Business Magazine After a decade operating some of its summer Language Schools at Mills College in Oakland, CA, Middlebury will consolidate all 11 of its schools in Vermont beginning with the 2020 summer session. The change was made possible by a new agreement between Middlebury and Bennington College, which will host several of the Middlebury Language Schools starting next year. Middlebury President Laurie Patton and Bennington College President Mariko Silver announced the agreement today on the Bennington campus.

Vermont Business Magazine Arthur Mathisen, President and CEO of Copley Health Systems, Inc has announced plans to leave Copley, after three years of service with the hospital. Mathisen will be pursuing a new career as the President of Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, a member of MaineHealth. Like Copley, Memorial is a Critical Access Hospital, and Mathisen should be well prepared to handle the challenges of delivering health care in a rural New England community.

by Matt Cota, VFDA Executive Director At 5:30 pm on Tuesday evening, the Vermont House voted in favor of doubling the current Fuel Tax on heating oil, kerosene, dyed diesel and propane. The vote on the legislation (H.439) was approved 81 to 60. How did my lawmaker vote? So what comes next? A decision on exemptions. Non-profits such as hospitals and churches are currently exempt from the tax, as are state and municipal governments. A separate piece of legislation in the House (H.541) would eliminate all exemptions from the Fuel Tax.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House of Representatives gave preliminary approval today to H.531, the Child Care Bill ($10.5 million) and H.513, the Broadband Expansion Bill ($1.5 million). The Child Care Bill received preliminary approval Tuesday on a voice vote.