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by Emily Bradbury Pablo first met Mary Sell, an English Language Specialist, when his family moved to Randolph, Vermont from Mexico. For the next eight years, Sell worked closely with Pablo to ensure language was not a barrier to his education and coached him on advocating for himself at school. Interested in medicine, Pablo enrolled in Early College at Vermont Technical College while in high school but sometimes found it difficult to know how to access the same kind of support on a larger, less familiar campus. Recognizing that students like Pablo could use a little extra support, Kara Merrill created an innovative new program that pairs college-bound seniors with an adult mentor of their choosing through their first year of college. Unsurprisingly, Pablo chose Sell, with whom he had a high degree of trust and familiarity. Now a first-year student at the University of Vermont, where he is thriving, Pablo credits Sell with helping to navigate the transition to university.

Vermont Business Magazine Ahead of this morning’s hearing in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on the retirement crisis in America, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the committee, released a new report exposing the depth of the crisis, while also exploring solutions that will allow all Americans to retire with dignity and security – not just the very wealthy. Key findings from the report include: Nearly half of Americans 55 and older have no retirement savings; 52 percent of Americans 65 and older are living on less than $30,000 annually and one in four survive on less than $15,000 per year. 

Vermont Business Magazine Public Assets Institute in Montpelier this week released its State of Working Vermont 2023. PAI said in the report that Vermont is facing challenges old and new—from housing shortages and a child mental health crisis to more frequent floods and pandemics. The new problems are far more costly to fix than anything we’ve seen before. The good news, PAI said, is that the state has the resources to address its problems and invest in its future. Policymakers need to tap that capacity by changing the way Vermont raises and spends money. While still not totally progressive, Vermont’s tax system is less regressive than it was five years ago and less regressive than most other states’ systems. Any tax increase should take fairness among taxpayers into consideration.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) today introduced the COLAs Don’t Count Act, and the Student Loan Deduction Act of 2024, bills that would exempt annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) and student loan payments from impacting the benefits of the families and individuals who utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for food assistance. This would help ensure participants of SNAP are not losing benefits to the added costs of inflation and can more accurately report their available income after the expense of student loans is paid. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement regarding H.289, which could cost Vermonters $1 billion over the next decade. “As Vermonters stare down an enormous increase in property taxes that I’ve worked to get ahead of for years, a $100 million payroll tax passed by the Legislature, a 20% increase in DMV fees, potentially hundreds or thousands of dollars more a year for the Legislature’s clean heat standard, and more, the last thing Vermonters can take is the risk of another billion dollars of costs being imposed on them by this Legislature. There is clearly a more affordable and equitable alternative to H.289. We can and should do better.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Common Good Vermont is now accepting applications for this year’s Nonprofit Training and Consulting Certificate. This program supports nonprofit consultants, facilitators, and community builders. It is designed for: employees of nonprofits or public entities who provide training to nonprofit organizations or bring together community members, legislators, or nonprofit professionals to connect, engage, or problem solve and independent consultants and/or trainers working with nonprofits or individuals interested in working with nonprofits as a trainer or consultant.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is alerting customers about a sudden surge of scam calls today. Dozens of customers have reported a caller threatening immediate power shut off unless they pay up right away. This is a scam, and GMP is urging customers to be safe and hang up. “We work with our customers, we’re here to help, and we would never threaten immediate shut off or demand payment over the phone. If someone is claiming to be GMP and demanding payment, just hang up. It is a scam,” said Liz Hart, Manager of Customer Care for GMP.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) and its partners invite eligible community partners to apply for the Region 2 Vermont Prevention Lead Organization (VPLO) grant. Funds from $10,000 to $50,000 will be awarded through a competitive process with the objective of expanding prevention efforts for all substances and all ages/populations. As the Prevention Lead, Rutland Regional is guiding substance use prevention activities and sub-granting funds to community partners located in Addison and Rutland counties. Funding will start July 1, 2024, and must be used by June 30, 2025, there will be no carryover of funds. All written applications are due by 12pm on March 26, 2024. A funding workshop overview will be held on February 28, 2024, from 1pm-2:30pm. This workshop will be recorded and available for review and reference.

Universal Health Care Caucus The untenability and unaffordability of our current healthcare system is undeniable. An estimated 44% of Vermonters under the age of 65 are underinsured and cannot afford to use the insurance benefits for which they pay exorbitant premiums. It has been difficult to both increase access and control cost in a system designed for the few to profit off of the suffering of the many. Regardless of income, assets, health status, or any other social determinant, all people deserve affordable, high-quality, comprehensive health care as a public good. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Federal Credit Union has again secured its position as a Top Performing Lender by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) in 2023. Tim Daniska, Chief Lending Officer at Vermont Federal Credit Union, expressed his enthusiasm about this achievement, stating, "Our mortgage team is committed to helping Vermonters achieve their dream of owning a home, and this recognition is a testament to our dedication." 

Vermont Business Magazine VMEC, Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center, has released its annual impact report.  As Vermont’s only singularly-focused resource for manufacturers, VMEC is the official representative of the MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) National Network in the Green Mountain State. Since its inception in 1995, VMEC’s federal partner, NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has used an independent third-party organization to conduct surveys of VMEC clients as well as other MEP Centers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Human Services is pleased to announce the launch of the Medicaid Data Aggregation & Access Program (MDAAP), which is designed to support eligible providers in implementing health information technology to better manage records and to facilitate care coordination through data sharing electronically with the Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE). MDAAP is tailored for Vermont mental health providers, substance use disorder treatment providers, and long-term services and supports providers who were ineligible for previous federal electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs.