Current News

by John McClaughry A year from now Vermont state government will almost certainly look quite a bit different than it does now. We will hopefully have worked through much of the economic destruction of the COVID- 19 pandemic. State government will have pocketed and allocated $1.25 billion in Federal funds to cushion the pandemic’s impact, but that pot of gold will not be continually replenished.

Vermont, facing a $250 million shortfall in General Fund revenues for the fiscal year that starts a month from now, will have to rethink what it is and what it does. To undertake that task intelligently we must bravely launch a thorough-going Performance Review.

A Performance Review is not merely a process for squeezing out waste from the current operations of our $6 billion state government. Every administration proposes to take aggressive action to improve operational efficiency and squeeze out waste.

Vermont Business Magazine Two organizations focused on reducing hunger in northern Vermont – the Johnson Food Shelf and a mobile food effort in the Northeast Kingdom known as the Lunchbox - were awarded grants recently by the Vermont Electric Co-op’s Community Fund.

Green Mountain Care Board The Board will be holding its meetings in April, May, and June 2020 via conference call/Skype web presentation due to the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Per Act 92, signed by Governor Scott on March 30, 2020, public meetings are not required to have a physical location during this state of emergency. All members of the public are welcome to call into the Board Meetings (the call-in information will be listed on the agenda, meeting materials will be listed below, and presenters will clearly state what slide they are on) or they can attend via Skype video.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported two new cases of COVID-19, no deaths, and none hospitalized. But Governor Scott began his remarks at today's press briefing by talking about the death of George Floyd in Minnesota at the hands of police, the reactions, and the justifiable outrage it sparked across the nation. He announced the formation of a Racial Equity Task Force. He also supported the call for charging all four police officers in the case with murder. Scott said he was proud of how Vermonters protested peacefully in response. VDH Commissioner Levine urged protesters to maintain the social distancing and the wearing of facial coverings even as he acknowledged the necessity of crowd sizes being larger than the health guidance would otherwise warrant.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) today announced a restart plan for resuming driver’s license tests and a new service for Vermonters to receive their learner’s permit online as the state begins limited resumption of services paused due to COVID-19. Starting today, Vermonters can take the learner’s permit test online at the DMV website, dmv.vermont.gov. Those who pass will receive their learner’s permit in the mail within three weeks. This new online test is for a standard learner’s permit only and does not include motorcycles or commercial vehicles. Additionally, the DMV will resume offering driver’s license examinations next Monday, June 8. Starting today, customers who had a driving exam cancelled due to COVID-19 during March or April will be contacted by the DMV to reschedule their exam.

Vermont Business Magazine Laura R Walker has been selected to be the next President of Bennington College. A pioneering media executive and leader in the arts, Walker has a long record of empowering prominent non-profit institutions to realize their creative potential and strengthen their impact. Walker is widely recognized for leading the transformation of New York Public Radio (NYPR) into an independent media powerhouse -- effectively setting and supporting an entirely new paradigm for public media -- and for spearheading highly successful, innovative initiatives at Sesame Workshop and Carnegie Hall.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released a statement on the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate today that US GDP will lose nearly $16 trillion over the next 10 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Don Turner As the Vermont Legislature is deep in its budget-writing stages, the Vermont State Colleges (VSC) situation should be at the forefront of their minds. After hearing of the VSC crisis myself a few months ago, I stumbled upon a portion from the FY2010 budget proposal submitted by then-Governor Jim Douglas. It called for a 20 percent increase in funding for VSC, UVM, and VSAC.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) Interim Chancellor Sophie Zdatny today announced the creation of a new system-wide task force charged with developing plans and advising the Chancellor’s Office and Board of Trustees on how to move the organization forward to ensure quality, financial viability, and access to programs for students across Vermont. The 15-member task force, called VSCS Forward, is comprised of diverse and highly skilled individuals representing all VSCS entities, as well as faculty, staff, students, and trustees.

Each college and full-time bargaining unit was asked to select participants. An outside professional facilitator will be hired to lead the group discussion and support the team’s work.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power customers would see no base rate increase if regulators approve the company’s request to hold them flat for the new rate year beginning on October 1, 2020. GMP filed its request with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) Monday afternoon. The PUC must approve rates before they go into effect.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University welcomes Colonel Mark Anarumo, PhD, USAF, (Ret) on his first day as 24th president of the nation’s oldest private military college. President Anarumo comes to Norwich most recently as the Director and Permanent Professor for the Center for Character and Leadership Development, US Air Force Academy, Colorado, a presidentially appointed position.

Vermont Research News Anthropology professor Teresa Mares discusses the exploitation of the 1000–1200 Latinx immigrant farmworkers laboring in Vermont’s dairy economy; a recent survey aimed at better understanding the early food insecurity impacts of COVID-19 (between March 29-April 12), finds a 33% increase in household food insecurity since COVID-19; 10.7% of women in the sample from Vermont experienced postpartum depressive symptoms, a common complication of pregnancy that can be addressed at multiple levels when diagnosed; and more.