Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Vermont and 19 other states and jurisdictions are challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. The coalition argues that the executive order violates the rights to which all children born in the United States are entitled under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Joining Vermont in today’s filing are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, and the City of San Francisco.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Senator Ginny Lyons, and Representative Alyssa Black announced a proposal to provide medical debt relief to thousands of Vermonters. The proposal would eliminate up to $100 million in medical debt for a one-time investment of $1 million. Further, the proposal would protect Vermonters’ credit scores by eliminating the reporting of medical debt to credit agencies. As the cost of health care grows in Vermont, more and more Vermonters are at risk of accumulating medical debt. Currently, an estimated 62,000 Vermonters hold medical debt, that’s over 1 in 10 adults.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) released the following statement on President Trump pardoning January 6th rioters: “I was in the House of Representatives on January 6th, feet away from the mob as they attacked law enforcement officers, desecrated the U.S. Capitol, and attempted to overturn the results of a free and fair election at the behest of Donald Trump. I heard the shot ring out and the glass break on the House Chamber doors. Yesterday we observed President Trump’s inauguration and the peaceful transition of power—four years later—in the very same Rotunda where President Trump incited an insurrection. The Capitol is home to thousands of workers, Capitol Police Officers, congressional staff and Members of Congress who still have vivid memories of the insurrection and its aftermath. President Trump’s abuse of the presidential pardon system is appalling."

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A U.S. Border Patrol Agent and a foreign national are dead after a shooting in Coventry in Orleans County Monday afternoon, Vermont News First has been told and the FBI and Homeland Security have confirmed. At least one other suspect, believed to be a woman, was wounded in the shootout and is being treated at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.  She is under armed guard by law enforcement. The dead Border Patrol Agent has been identified as David Maland, 44, officials said Tuesday.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations all fell after a spiking to their highest levels since early November. There was 1 fatality since the previous week's report of 6. Hospitalizations fell back to just over 10 after being at their highest levels since October and outbreaks also declined. Hospitalizations and general "syndromic" cases were at 10+ statewide for the week. The number of reported COVID cases fell to 163, down from 192 from 138; they were at 67 in early December. Cases had fallen in April and May and were as low as 31 at the beginning of May 2024, before rising at the end of summer through the early part of the fall. Wastewater monitoring spiked the last few weeks but like the other indices, fell back somewhat but remain relatively high, especially in Montpelier. The pandemic death total stands at 1,242 as of January 11, 2025 (the most recent data available). There are 3 reported deaths so far in January 2025. 

The Vermont State Police on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, arrested a sixth suspect in connection with efforts to assist Scott Mason avoid law enforcement following the Dec. 13 shooting of St. Johnsbury Police Department Capt. Jason Gray. Tracie Largy, 45, of St. Johnsbury was taken into custody Monday morning on a charge of accessory after the fact. She was processed at the VSP barracks in St. Johnsbury and released on a flash citation to appear for arraignment at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury.

Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS The start of the session always feels like going back to school, and even more so during a new biennium. With new committees come introductory and refresher courses on Medicaid, health insurance, and Vermont’s health care system. In our Vermont Hospitals 101 presentation last week, we introduced some of the VAHHS and hospital initiatives we’re undertaking to address affordability and access. We also made the point that while we know hospitals need to do more, we cannot do affordability work alone—all areas of health care and health care coverage must be examined. For instance, in New York, the only other state besides Vermont that has pure community rating, counties with comparative populations have a choice of 27 bronze health care plans ranging from $500 to $850 in premiums while Vermont has 7 bronze plans ranging from $800-$900. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), in collaboration with the Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies (VAPDA) and the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), is announcing the release of new regional targets for housing production across the state and a new tool that allows DHCD to track progress towards those regional housing goals in near real time. The Statewide and Regional Housing Targets report was required as part of the HOME Act of 2023 and ACT 181 of 2024. DHCD and VAPDA coordinated to produce the housing production targets and VHFA was contracted to support the development of the targets.  The report examined the depths of Vermont’s housing shortage and developed a methodology to create regional housing targets for 2030 and 2050 that will enable the state to stabilize housing prices, normalize vacancy rates, help grow its current workforce, and attract new residents.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) voted 3-1, with one Board Member abstaining, to sign the State Agreement with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to enter the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model. GMCB joined Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Human Services (AHS) in signing the AHEAD agreement, provided that certain requirements necessary to properly implement and execute the Model are in place. The primary components of the model are: Hospital Global Budgets, where hospitals will be paid a fixed amount of revenue, or a “global budget,” to provide services to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries; Primary Care AHEAD, which is a voluntary program for primary care practices to receive an additional payment from Medicare to provide coordinated care to Vermonters with Medicare coverage.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (VAMHAR), in collaboration with Recovery Partners of Vermont (RPV), is pleased to announce Recovery Day 2025, scheduled for February 19th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the Governors’ Ballroom at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. Recovery Day is an annual advocacy celebration dedicated to honoring the power of substance use recovery and the diverse pathways individuals undertake on their recovery journeys. This year’s theme, “Recovery Rooted in Community Connection”, emphasizes the vital role that community support and peer connections play in successful recovery outcomes.

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, January 31, Vermont State University Castleton Men’s Hockey team will host the fourth annual Breaking the Ice on Mental Health event as they take on New England College in a 7pm game at Spartan Arena. The Castleton Men’s Hockey team, led by head Coach, Kyle Richards, is made up of a diverse team of players from around the world who are establishing strong ties in our local region.

Vermont Business Magazine This is the third funding cycle under the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, which aims to assist local governments in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing fossil fuel emissions, particularly in the transportation and building sectors. The initiative focuses on creating a sustainable and equitable energy economy, prioritizing disadvantaged communities, and promoting inclusive workforce opportunities. Municipalities are invited to propose projects that align with these goals, selecting from a range of eligible activities designed to improve local and regional energy strategies.