Current News

On Friday, June 26, Representative Peter Welch voted to approve a landmark climate change bill which was then passed successfully by the House. The bill, designed to cap carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy, contained several major provisions authored by Welch, including a national energy efficiency program that will retrofit the nation s homes and buildings.
The America Clean Energy and Security Act passed on a vote of 219 to 212. The bill aims to reduce carbon emissions 83 percent by 2050 and will establish a renewable energy and efficiency standard of 20 percent by 2020. Supporter of the bill also say that the legislation will create 1.7 million new clean energy jobs, save the average household $4,000 a year in energy costs by 2030, and slice back the use of foreign oil by more than 5 million barrels a day.

In an effort to enhance their interpreting services, Central Vermont Medical Center has acquired Deaf Talk, a wireless mobile video unit that allows for 24-hour American Sign Language video interpreting. The unit gives patients the ability to communicate directly with clinicians via a certified, medically-trained American Sign Language interpreter on the video screen.
Interpreting services are often necessary when treating patients who are deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired, or with limited English. Community interpreters are continued to be used at CVMC, but systems like Deaf Talk are designed to provide communication when no community interpreters are available. This can be very important in the Emergency Department, when patients need to be seen immediately and delays in communication can be dangerous.

Secretary of State Deb Markowitz is looking for applicants to the 2009 Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Awards program. The program was created to honor nonprofits that have been in operation for at least 100 years, and any nonprofit with a century or more of service is eligible for application. Applicants will be chosen later this year and award recipients will be honored at the historic Vermont Statehouse.
Secretary Markowitz said, The Vermont Centennial Nonprofit Award acknowledges Vermont's oldest nonprofits for enriching our heritage. This program deepens our understanding of how Vermont's nonprofits have enhanced our community life during the last hundred years.
It is important to recognize Vermont's nonprofits for their longevity," added Markowitz. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication to keep a nonprofit active for 100 years.

The following is an op-ed by Senator Bernie Sanders.
by Senator Bernie Sanders
As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, one of two senate committees dealing with health care reform, I want to take this opportunity to briefly update Vermonters about what is happening in the Senate on this enormously important issue.
THE PROBLEM
Our health care system is disintegrating. Today, 46 million people have no health insurance and even more are underinsured with high deductibles and co-payments. At a time when 60 million people, including many with insurance, do not have access to a medical home, more than 18,000 Americans die every year from preventable illnesses.
In the midst of this horrendous lack of coverage, the U.S. spends far more per capita on health care than any other nation, and health care costs continue to soar. At 18 percent of our GDP, the skyrocketing cost of health care in this country is unsustainable.

The Vermont Hospitality Council (VHC), the tourism division of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, is currently seeking nominations for five high-profile industry awards: the Borden Avery Innkeeper of the Year, Chef of the Year, Restaurateur of the Year, B&B Innkeeper of the Year, and Allied Member of the Year. The deadline for nominations is July 30, 2009.
The winners will be honored at the annual reunion of the tourism industry, the Vermont Hospitality Gala. The Gala is scheduled for the evening of September 16 at The Essex, Vermont's Culinary Resort & Spa (formerly the Inn at Essex).
Award winning businesses will:

Demonstrate superior management ability as reflected in a successful business
Display commitment to training, motivating and furthering self-improvement of staff
Promote and support legislation beneficial to the hospitality industry on local, state and national levels, and Provide consistent leadership within the community

Vermont leads the way, yet again. The national spotlight will soon fall on the new "Farm-to-Plate" initiative, which aims to strengthen the "Buy Local" movement in Vermont.
Several hundred politicians, funds, and policy experts around the country will be listening to two Vermont State Representatives on Mon., June 29 through a national webinar. The principal architects of Vermont's new law, Rep. Jason P. Lorber (D-Burlington), and Rep. Christopher Bray (D-New Haven) will share insights of how they developed their program, which leverages federal stimulus funds designed to create new jobs in Vermont.
"Farm-to-Plate is a prime example of how to stimulate the economy in a socially responsible way," said Lorber, who serves on the VT House Commerce & Economic Development Committee. "We designed Farm-to-Plate to not only spur the Buy Local movement and create jobs, but also to strengthen the environment and Vermont's farms and working landscape."

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Bonnie Rutledge announced today that effective July 1st, 2009 the DMV will issue just one registration sticker to all vehicles. Currently, the DMV issues two stickers, one for each license plate. The new one-sticker system calls for the single sticker to be applied to the rear plate of the vehicle to be legal. A vehicle, however, is still required to have two license plates: one attached to the front and one attached to the back.
The move from two registration stickers to one registration sticker is a cost-savings measure adopted by the Vermont Legislature as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation Bill. Starting July 1, vehicle registration renewals will be issued with one registration sticker printed with the vehicle s registration information and the second sticker will be printed with the word VOID.

The Fourth of July weekend in Vermont offers many ways to celebrate, but to truly appreciate the meaning of the holiday the state s historic sites are the place to start.
Special events at the Bennington Battle Monument, Mount Independence in Orwell, and the Calvin Coolidge Historic Sites will range from a reading of the Declaration of Independence and Colonial-era music to a ceremony honoring Calvin Coolidge, the only U.S. President born on the Fourth of July.
The many fun and unique activities at the state s historic sites can help visitors and residents alike discover the stories of Vermont s contributions to early American history, said Governor Jim Douglas.
On Saturday July 4th, the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site celebrates the birth of the nation as well as its 30th president.

Customers and members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) may take advantage of special discounts and offers for selected events at the Burlington International Waterfront Festival from July 2 to July 14, the company announced today.
The Burlington International Waterfront Festival will include an array of events and activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the expedition led by French explorer Samuel de Champlain to the waters now known as Lake Champlain. BCBSVT will host several events as part of the company's sponsorship of the festival.
Information about the exciting events is listed below.
400 Years of Healthcare in Vermont Exhibit

Senate President Pro Tem Shumlin and Speaker Smith commented today on the loss of over 200 jobs at the Ethan Allen manufacturing plant in Beecher Falls, Vermont.
The loss of so many jobs is a devastating blow to the economy of the Northeast Kingdom, said Senator Shumlin. I have reached out to the plant manager and let him know that our thoughts are with the workers and their families as they deal with the loss of their jobs during such difficult economic times.
I was saddened and frustrated to hear of the job losses at the Ethan Allen plant, said Speaker Smith. Addressing the faltering economy as well as the unemployment insurance system will continue to be among the legislature's top priorities."

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin and Speaker Shap Smith moved forward today on addressing the challenge of unemployment insurance by appointing the Unemployment Trust Fund Reform Study Committee.
Vermont s unemployment insurance system is in desperate need of reform, said Speaker Smith. The Fund has been in decline for many years and without reform will go bankrupt. I am pleased that we have put together a strong committee who will continue the work we did on this issue, over the summer and fall months.
The Committee will undertake a comprehensive study of all the issues that affect the solvency of the trust fund and develop recommendations for reforms to make the fund more sustainable. These issues will include negative balance, seasonal and reimbursable employers, taxable wage base and the rates that are applied to those bases, benefit levels and others.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) today announced the results of its mid-year financial audit, showing an increased budget deficit of $17.3 million for the six months that ended on March 31. Based on audit results, senior management projects a substantially higher deficit of $22.1 million by the end of the fiscal year in September.
"The current and projected shortfalls in our operating budget are intolerable," said hospital CEO Dr. Mark Novotny. "After my appointment as the interim CEO by the Board of Trustees in March, it quickly became clear that fiscal 2009 budget projections were seriously flawed. The board, former and current executives, and the senior management team all share responsibility for the outdated fiscal management practices, ill-informed decisions, and lack of adequate oversight that led to this serious financial situation."