Current News

by Rob Roper As a result of the November 2018 elections, Vermont Democrats and Progressives achieved veto-proof majorities in both chambers of the legislature. Their first priority flexing this new muscle is to pass a mandatory, government-run Paid Family Leave program that will require a new payroll tax. This proposal demonstrates exactly why Vermont is an unaffordable, unfriendly place to live and do business.

Vermont Business Magazine A delegation of staff and Board members from the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development traveled to the Statehouse on January 16th to hear the official reading of HR 3, a House concurrent resolution congratulating the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development on its 50th anniversary. The resolution was offered by Representatives Mollie Burke, Tristian Toleno, and Emilie Kornheiser of Brattleboro, and Windham County Senators Becca Balint and Jeannette White.

The resolution reviewed The Prouty Center’s History and accomplishments from its founding in 1969 as one of the first preschool programs in the country for children with special needs, to its purchase in 2016 of the campus of the former Austine School for the Deaf to its broad range of programs that support the success of young children, families and early educators.

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe Area Realty announces the launch of its new website at Vermont.RealEstate. Vermont.RealEstate is a county-by-county Network of dedicated real estate agents hand-selected and presented by Stowe Area Realty. The site provides statewide real estate services for those looking to move to Vermont, helping connect prospective buyers and sellers with these preferred affiliates who are active in their communities, build quality relationships with customers and demonstrate professionalism and attentiveness during every sale.

Stowe Area Realty owner/broker Ken Libby said that what sets Vermont.RealEstate apart from other real estate sites is its connectivity to the entire Vermont property marketplace, with comprehensive information about each town from the agents who live and work there. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan announced today that he and 45 other attorneys general reached a $120 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson and DePuy to resolve allegations that DePuy unlawfully promoted its metal-on-metal hip implant devices, the ASR XL and the Pinnacle Ultamet. Vermont will receive over $1.2 million pursuant to the settlement.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott (R) and US Senator Patrick Leahy (D) on Tuesday encouraged Vermont communities struggling to overcome the decline in the forestry industry to consider utilizing a new $7 million grant program to spur new economic opportunities. The NBRC (Northern Border Regional Commission) is seeking grant proposals through its newly launched Regional Forest Economy Partnership from governmental units and non-profit organizations across the four-state region from New York to Maine, including Vermont.

The grant program aims to address the economic shift produced by the consistent decline of the forest products industry that has contributed to the displacement of workers and outmigration in the region. Through his work as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy directed the NBRC to support initiatives related to the forest-based economies and set aside a collective $7 million for this work.   

Vermont Business Magazine VSECU, a credit union for everyone who lives or works in Vermont, is increasing the amount of assistance available for members impacted by the partial government shutdown. Members on federal furlough, or are working without pay, can now take out a low-rate loan of up to $3,000 through the Member Emergency Loan (MEL). VSECU began offering this loan in December 2018 at an amount of $1,500, with the intention of helping to replace the lost wages of furloughed federal employees, including military personnel.

Since the announcement of the MEL, members have utilized the offering and VSECU responded to requests for the Credit Union to provide more assistance.

Vermont Business Magazine Before boarding a flight at Burlington International Airport this morning to return to Washington, Representative. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) unveiled legislation that will put an end to the practice of requiring federal employees to work without pay during the current or any future government shutdown. Welch will introduce his legislation in the House of Representatives later this afternoon. Last Sunday, Welch met during a shift change at the airport with dozens of TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and National Weather Service employees. The idea behind the legislation came from the employees attending the meeting, all of whom are being required to work without pay during the now 32-day partial government shutdown.

by Jack Hoffman Public Assets Institute Governor Phil Scott has initially distanced himself from a plan to abolish local school boards and replace them with a single entity run from Montpelier. But the Greatly Simplified School District (GSSD), as it’s dubbed, is clearly the next logical step for an administration that is determined to drive down education spending and doesn’t trust local school boards to do the job.

“I don’t think we’re ready for anything like that at this point,” Scott told vtdigger reporter Lola Duffort, who first reported on the administration’s plan: “Designing our Future: A Blueprint for Transforming Vermont’s Education System.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announced today that federal workers in Vermont who are required to work without pay because of the ongoing federal government shutdown will be eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits. With the support of legislative leaders, Governor Scott has directed the Commissioner of Labor to treat “essential” and “excepted” federal employees the same as other furloughed employees for the purposes of Unemployment Insurance benefit eligibility.

Vermont Business Magazine A.M. Best Company, the global rating agency for the insurance industry, has once again affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior) for Vermont Mutual Insurance Group. A.M. Best’s Financial Strength Rating is an independent opinion of an insurer’s financial strength and ability to meet its ongoing insurance policy and contract obligations.

Vermont Business Magazine Last month, City Market offered its 21st Annual COTS Tree Sale to benefit Vermont’s Committee on Temporary Shelter. City Market once again sold fresh balsams from Moffatt’s Tree Farm in Craftsbury, Vermont. The Co-op sold almost 700 trees starting on Wednesday, December 5 and the net proceeds were donated to COTS. This year, City Market added a new component to the COTS Tree Sale called “Buy a Tree, Plant a Tree”. For each tree purchased, City Market donated funding for the Intervale Center to plant a tree in Vermont; these plantings will take place in the spring of 2019. City Market staff, Co-op Members, and community volunteers assisted customers with trees throughout the sale.

Vermont Business Magazine Anxiety and depression are surprisingly common among young children – as many as one in five kids suffer from one of them, starting as early as the preschool years. But it can be hard to detect these conditions, known as “internalizing disorders,” because the symptoms are so inward-facing that parents, teachers and doctors often fail to notice them.