Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Thursday secured language in the Senate Appropriations report on the annual Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that would bring down barriers to low-income families using their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at local farmers’ markets. The language would increase access to local, healthful and fresh food to low-income community members and expand direct market opportunities for Vermont farmers.

Leahy said: “This is just common sense. By expanding access to fresh produce we strengthen our communities’ ties to local agriculture and ensure that our neighbors and their children have access to the healthy food they need to thrive in their schools, their lives, and our communities.”

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims reversed course last week but are substantially lower than they were a year ago. For the week of May 19, 2018, there were 587 claims, 230 more than than they were the previous week, and 313 fewer than they were a year ago. Altogether 3,814 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 49 from a week ago, and 938 fewer than a year ago. For most weeks of 2017 and 2018 claims have been below the year before.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee last Thursday approved $4 million for USDA Acer Access and Development grants in the Senate fiscal year 2019 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The Acer program, created as part of the 2014 Farm Bill that Leahy helped craft and enact, offers grants to organizations conducting research and education related to the maple syrup industry.

The $4 million in funding is a $1 million increase over the fiscal year 2018 for the program and will fund technical research, extension and market development, and increased efficiency for all maple producing states. The bill must now head to the full Senate for consideration.

Isabel Wilkerson, author of the bestselling The Warmth of Other Suns and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, will deliver the 2018 Middlebury College Commencement address on Sunday, May 27. National Humanities medalist, Wilkerson spent 15 years working on her book, interviewing more than 1,200 people to tell one of the greatest underreported stories of the 20th century, that of the Great Migration. From 1915 to 1970, six million African-Americans fled the Jim Crow South in what became one of the largest internal migrations in United States history and one that permanently changed the social landscape of the country.

Vermont Business Magazine A Texas company is contacting local businesses in Vermont, asking for “sponsorships” for materials to benefit South Burlington High School. However, according to a report submitted to the Attorney General by the South Burlington Police Department (SBPD), this company has no real affiliation with the school. Parkway Diner contacted South Burlington Police to report receiving a phone solicitation asking them to sponsor t-shirts for South Burlington High School. Upon further investigation, SBPD determined that this solicitation was not all it appeared to be. The company, calling itself “Sports Media Marketing,” has been the subject of news reports in Texas claiming the company is misleading local businesses into giving them money for schools that they have no formal relationship with.

by Jack Hoffman Public Assets Institute Vermonters know there’s a difference between taxes and tax rates. Especially when it comes to property taxes, a lower rate doesn’t mean lower taxes if the grand list value of a property goes up. It’s important to distinguish between taxes and rates as the administration and the Legislature seek a compromise on education funding for next year.

Vermont Business Magazine On Thursday night, the Shires Young Professionals chose Bennington’s new nightlife hotspot, Miller’s Toll Dinner Club and Lounge, to announce a reinvigorated mission and brand. In partnership with the area Chamber of Commerce, the former Bennington Young Professionals group has been working behind the scenes over the past few months to develop a new look and strategy. A new logo and website have been launched, and a new mission statement, vision, and goals were shared at the event.

Leonine Public Affairs How do you hold the line on statewide education property tax rates without using any “one-time” money, find $300 million in “savings” in the Education Fund all while paying down teacher retirement obligations by $34.5 million to save $100 million in interest payments? Lawmakers and the governor have set themselves up to solve that conundrum during the Special Session. Governor Scott called lawmakers back to Montpelier on Wednesday, May 23.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) and Keene Medical Products announced today that the New Hampshire medical equipment provider will remain a full member of the Vermont Medicaid provider network. Keene will continue to fulfill all categories of service to Vermonters, erasing a late April decision by the company to withdraw from the market effective June 1.

Keene is an important source of medical equipment for the state’s health care providers and Medicaid members. Today’s announcement means that Vermont health care providers and members who use Keene products – including hospital beds, walkers, commodes, ostomy and enteral nutrition – can continue to count on those products and do not have to switch to a new equipment provider.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the two appropriations bills approved by the Committee Thursday include a combined $22 million in Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) grant funding. The grants are part of a continuing effort, long supported by Leahy, to revitalize communities in Northern Vermont.

The $22 million is a $7 million increase for the NBRC, which awards grants in Caledonia, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille and Orleans counties. The grants are often leveraged with matching grants that significantly boost their impact. Past NBRC grants have supported a wide variety of projects, from the snowmobile trail renovations to household energy efficiency grants.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan applauded lawmakers for passage of a new law that protects consumers from credit freeze fees, fraudulent acquisition of Vermonters’ data, and establishes a registry and security standards for the “data broker” industry. Vermont is the first state in the nation to successfully pass data broker legislation.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger on Thursday released a letter from US Air Force Secretary Dr Heather Wilson written in response to the Mayor’s April 9, 2018 letter. The mayor’s letter included the City Council’s March 26, 2018, resolution requesting the Secretary of the US Air Force provide an alternative mission for the Vermont Air National Guard (VTANG) at the Burlington International Airport. This resolution was approved following a public vote in March 2018.