Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Arthur Mathisen, President and CEO of Copley Health Systems, Inc has announced plans to leave Copley, after three years of service with the hospital. Mathisen will be pursuing a new career as the President of Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, a member of MaineHealth. Like Copley, Memorial is a Critical Access Hospital, and Mathisen should be well prepared to handle the challenges of delivering health care in a rural New England community.

by Matt Cota, VFDA Executive Director At 5:30 pm on Tuesday evening, the Vermont House voted in favor of doubling the current Fuel Tax on heating oil, kerosene, dyed diesel and propane. The vote on the legislation (H.439) was approved 81 to 60. How did my lawmaker vote? So what comes next? A decision on exemptions. Non-profits such as hospitals and churches are currently exempt from the tax, as are state and municipal governments. A separate piece of legislation in the House (H.541) would eliminate all exemptions from the Fuel Tax.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House of Representatives gave preliminary approval today to H.531, the Child Care Bill ($10.5 million) and H.513, the Broadband Expansion Bill ($1.5 million). The Child Care Bill received preliminary approval Tuesday on a voice vote.

by Samantha Sheehan, Communications Manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility The creation of a universal Paid Family Medical Leave system in Vermont would give security to workers who require time off to recover from an illness or welcome a new child, and to businesses who rely on qualified and experienced employees. This is a common-sense business-friendly solution that will strengthen our local labor force.

Universal Paid Family Medical Leave helps employers by providing predictable employment conditions, and is a critical tool for recruiting and retaining high-quality workers of all ages. In states that have passed Universal Paid Family Medical Leave, studies show a decrease in both employee turnover rates and average per worker payroll expenses.

Vermont Business Magazine Fermentation, cheese, bread, mushrooms and more are on the menu at the School of the New American Farmstead (SNAF) at Sterling College this summer. The Summer 2019 season kicks off with two natural cheesemaking courses, Raw Milk Cheeses and Specialty Goat & Sheep Cheeses, with the world-renowned cheesemaker David Asher. In June, New York Times bestseller author Sandor Katz returns for his third season to teach his trademark course, The Art of Fermentation. Tradd Cotter will also return to teach his ever-popular course in Organic Mushroom Farming & Mycoremediation.

As part of a partnership with the Cellars at Jasper Hill, the School will also offer a unique intensive training in Affinage: The Art of Ripening Cheese with Eric Meredith. For those interested in stretching their taste buds, the School of the New American Farmstead will also offer two courses at Brunnenburg Castle & Agricultural Museum in the Italian Alps.

Hickok & Boardman Financial Planning & HR Intelligence, Johnson Lambert LLP and Edward Jones top lists

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today filed a lawsuit against two distributors of opiates, Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corporation. The lawsuit, filed in Chittenden Superior Court in Burlington, alleges that defendants committed unfair and deceptive acts in violation of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act and alleges claims of negligence and public nuisance. The state also contends that these distributors fraudulently concealed their unlawful conduct.

“Cardinal and McKesson sold out their duty to the public in exchange their bottom line,” Attorney General Donovan said. “They ignored the fact that opioid sales in Vermont were far out-pacing legitimate need. These distributors were obligated to identify and report this problem. Instead, they just kept on selling.”

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott joined Governors Steve Bullock (Montana), David Ige (Hawaii) and Phil Murphy (New Jersey) in a joint letter dated Monday urging Congress to restore protections afforded by net neutrality at the federal level. Each of the four signatories have previously enacted Executive Orders to preserve net neutrality within their states.

The letter (see full letter below) says in part:

Vermont Business Magazine At a meeting on March 15, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board awarded $731,500 in VHCB funding, $127,500 in federal funds, and $1,130,000 in Housing Revenue Bond funds for the development of 24 new homes in St Albans, predevelopment work on a neighborhood revitalization project in Windsor, and a pilot program to support the development of accessory apartments in Burlington. Additionally, 250 acres of farmland will be conserved in Orange and Chittenden Counties, and 287 acres of forestland in Dummerston with public access for hunting and walking will be conserved.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently released its 2018 Enforcement Report, which details how DEC responded to citizen complaints and summarizes how the Department enforced environmental regulations to protect Vermonters and the lands and waters of the state. “Last year, DEC received over 2,700 complaints of alleged environmental harm. We investigate every complaint our division receives,” said Kim Greenwood, Director of the Environmental Compliance Division for DEC. “Citizens reporting alleged violations to DEC are a critical source of information and we take those complaints seriously. Whether you’re sure there’s a violation or only suspect it, call us and one of our Environmental Enforcement Officers will investigate it.”

Vermont Business Magazine Late yesterday, the House passed legislation introduced by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) that closes a loophole in the Medicaid program benefiting drug companies. The loophole allows the companies to minimize drug discounts they are required to provide to state and federal Medicaid programs. Welch’s legislation was included in the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act, a package of bills aimed at improving the Medicaid program. It was unanimously approved by the House.

by John McClaughry The House Health Care Committee has brought out a bill (H.524) that at best has nothing to recommend it, and at worst, would make Vermont’s health care situation worse for thousands of innocent people. The main impetus for this bill seems to be the determination of Chairman William Lippert (D-Hinesburg) to defeat, in Vermont, any effort by Republicans in Washington to relax some of the restrictive and compulsory features of the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

A key feature of the ACA was a mandate to purchase Federally-approved health insurance, enforced by taxing persons for not buying such insurance. The penalty tax was the greater of $695 or 2% of household income. This was so unpopular that the Obama administration created fourteen classes of exemptions, including vaguely defined “hardship”, to keep from having to levy its own tax on vulnerable families.