Current News

The Department of Labor announced today that the state minimum wage will be increasing to $8.46 per hour from $8.15 per hour on January 1, 2012. Vermont’s minimum wage increases at the same rate as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as calculated in August, for the preceding year, or at 5%, which ever is less. In addition, the same increase applies to the basic wage rate for tipped employees and the maximum tip credit allowed, as well as the State allowed rates for employer provided rooms and meals, that may be deducted from an employees pay. All these changes stem from the CPI increase of one and one tenth percent, from 2.7% to 3.8%.

The New York office of Governor Mario Cuomo informed Vermont Governor Shumlin late Thursday afternoon that the ribbon cutting for the new Lake Champlain Bridge will be held on Monday, November 7, at 2:30 pm. New York State is the manager of the bridge construction, though both states share in the cost of its construction.
The central arch of the new bridge is slowly raised into place on August 26, 2011.
New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin will preside over the ribbon cutting of the new bridge. This project was completed in less than two years.
Sue Minter, deputy secretary of the Vernmont Agency of Transportation, said the ceremony will take place on the New York side of the bridge. Jim Boni, the New York Department of Transportation project manager, said the bridge will be open for traffic following the ribbon cutting, "or shortly thereafter."

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that he has tapped Jean O'Sullivan, a long-time Burlington Democrat, to fill the Vermont House of Representatives seat formerly held by Representative Mark Larson, who stepped down in July to serve as head of Department of Vermont Health Access.

"I am very pleased to make this announcement today," Shumlin said. "I was sent three very strong candidates for the post. I believe that Jean brings public service experience that will enable her to hit the ground running at the State House, and she shares my commitment to the issues, particularly on renewable energy and the war on recidivism. She will serve her constituents well."

Attorney General William H Sorrell reports that the major tobacco companies have dropped their charge that Vermont failed to meet its obligations in regulating the smaller tobacco companies that are not a part of the 1998 tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). Had the industry prevailed against Vermont, the State would have lost from $4.7 million to $25 million dollars of the MSA payment owed to the State based on the major companies’ 2003 cigarette sales.
‘This is a very sweet victory for us,’ said Attorney General Sorrell. ‘Vermont held up its end of the bargain and did all the enforcement work required of our State under the MSA.’

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) today helped mark the opening of a solar energy project at the Camels Hump Middle School in Richmond, one of the greenest public schools in Vermont.

Governor Peter Shumlin and the Department of Public Safety today announced a revised policy to strengthen bias-free policing to include direction regarding immigration status.
The new policy (see attachment) states that Vermont State Police troopers should not try to identify people whose only suspected violation is that they are present in the United States without proper documentation, but also makes it clear that officers should continue to investigate suspected criminal activity. The policy includes special provisions relating to law enforcement near the Canadian border, authorizing troopers to take actions concerning unlawful border crossings in progress, as well as to call for support from federal authorities when required to protect officer or public safety.
‘We have the finest state police force in the country,’ Shumlin said. ‘We owe it to our troopers to provide them clear guidance about state law enforcement priorities and parameters.’

Vermont Business Magazine, 41 winners and nearly 200 guests celebrated the Rising Stars recognition award Thursday night at the Comfort Suites in South Burlington. The list is comprised of young professionals under the age of 40. Award recipients were selected by a panel of judges for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities.
SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW or LINK TO FACEBOOK

There were 882 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week. This is an increase of 130 from the week before, as new claims increased again following a decline in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. In looking at the table below, you will see that the summer's historically low claims came to an abrupt end with the storm. While the numbers are considerably lower than the Irene spike numbers, they have been, for the last couple of weeks, nearly double the initial claims observed in July and August. Altogether 5,946 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 50 from a week ago, but 2,112 fewer than a year ago. The Department also processed 1,494 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 66 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 701 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is 12 more than the week before.

The FEMA Private Sector electronic newsletter, E-News Update #8 is pasted below and attached. It covers the most current information from FEMA regarding the ongoing disaster recovery efforts for all who have been affected by Tropical Storm Irene in Vermont. FEMA encourages interested parties to forward this free publication to any others you feel may be interested in our outreach initiative or who may need the disaster related information. This week’s E-Newsletter features:
· Reiteration of the Registration Deadline for Disaster Assistance (NOVEMBER 15th)
· Recovery Update As Of: Close of Business November 2, 2011
· FEMA Disaster Assistance Information for Vermonters with Insurance
· Updated Disaster Assistance Program Overview, Including the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline
· Business Recovery and Small Business Development Center Locations

There is still time to nominate a deserving individual or business for the 2012 Vermont Small Business Awards! All nominations should be submitted to the SBA Vermont District Office on or before November 10, 2011.

If you know someone who deserves recognition for their outstanding contributions to Vermont’s business community and economy, please take a moment and nominate that person. The process is simple and requires minimal effort on your part.

Award categories and easy completion instructions are included in the nomination form.

Nomination Form and Guidelines

If you have questions or need assistance with your nomination, please contact the SBA Vermont District Office at 802-828-4422. We'll be glad to help!

National Small Business Week 2012
7 Tips to Preparing a Winning Small Business Week Nomination Package

The Vermont Retail Association, as part of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), along with 125 business groups and employers from across the country is asking the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to include in their recommendations to the House and Senate a provision that would close the online sales tax loophole that they claim is harming brick and mortar retail businesses and the communities they serve. The private companies involved include Walmart, JC Penney and Barnes & Noble.
RILA Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Katherine Lugar urged the super committee to help Main Street retailers and the states by including e-fairness legislation in the final recommendations made to Congress.

On November 1, NBT Bank held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open its Essex Office. This office, located at 2 Commonwealth Avenue, is NBT Bank’s third office in Vermont.
On hand for the ceremony were NBT Bank executives and employees, local public officials, area business leaders and invited guests. NBT Bank Regional President Matt Durkee said, ‘We are excited about the opportunity opening our third Vermont location provides us to introduce our unique brand of community banking and customer service to residents and businesses in this community.’
The accompanying photo of the ribbon cutting shows (from left): Dan Johnson, vice president and NBT Bank retail regional manager; Tom Torti, president of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce; Robert Provost, NBT Bank of Essex branch manager; Jim Douglas, former Vermont Governor and NBT Bancorp Board Member, and Matt Durkee, regional president of NBT Bank operations in Vermont.