Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that Secretary of Administration Susanne Young has updated Vermont’s procurement requirements, per Executive Order No. 02-18, to ensure net neutrality protections are included in the State’s internet service contracts.

by Paul Cillo Public Assets Institute While state leaders work on neutralizing a $30 million state income tax increase that would result from federal tax reform, there has been not a word about the much bigger state impact of that reform: the $500 million tax cut mostly for those at the top and the likely cuts in federal support for state services.

Vermont Business Magazine A group of Vermont gun owners held a press conference to advocate for the passage of the gun violence prevention bills currently before the Vermont Legislature Thursday. The gun owners, from around Vermont, gathered at the State House to let elected officials know that they support what they call the common sense gun safety measures being debated.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims last week fell in their recent up-and-down pattern as levels remain just below the same time last year. For the week of March 24, 2018, there were 450 claims, 288 more than than they were the previous week, and 19 fewer than they were a year ago. Altogether 5,887 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 201 from a week ago and 829 fewer than a year ago. For most weeks of 2017 and into 2018 claims have been below the year before.

Vermont Business Magazine Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) will join hospitals and healthcare organizations across the country in celebrating National Doctors Day on Friday, March 30. Observed annually, Doctors Day provides an opportunity to let healthcare providers know they are appreciated. The first Doctors’ Day observance was March 30, 1933, in Winder, Georgia. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, decided to set aside a day to honor doctors. This first observance included mailing greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors.

Vermont Business Magazine In the absence of federal leadership, and building on a string of clean energy policy wins in states across the nation, Vermont Conservation Voters is joining with the national League of Conservation Voters and other state affiliates in the Conservation Voter Movement to double down on the progress that can be made at the state and local levels by launching a first-of-its-kind “Clean Energy for All” campaign to advance clean energy solutions and support leaders in an effort to move the country closer to a goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050.

With an initial investment of over $2 million, the network of organizations is collectively launching the “Clean Energy for All” campaign to engage at the state and local level by:

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and other members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees will meet today and Friday with NATO officials, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, about national security issues facing the United States and its NATO allies. The meetings come as the United States and the NATO allies are acting to counter a variety of security threats, especially from Russia, which include interference in elections, the conflict in Syria, cyber warfare, and the attempted murder on English soil of a former Russian intelligence agent. Great Britain, the United States and other NATO powers attribute the assassination plot to the Russian government. The United States this week joined other NATO members in expelling dozens of Russians with diplomatic passports.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) awarded $74,000 to nine Vermont produce growers making on-farm improvements that prevent or reduce produce safety risks. Prompted by high demand, VAAFM’s Produce Program issued a second round of funding to help Vermont producers continue to grow food safely, efficiently, and economically.

​University of Vermont A 2017 study showing that Black and Hispanic drivers in Vermont were more likely than White drivers to be stopped and searched by state and local police, and less likely to be found with contraband, was welcomed by many in the state’s law enforcement community for providing valuable feedback that could be put to good use in training programs. But questions were also raised about the study's methodology and the reliability of its data.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House yesterday unanimously approved the $159.4 million Capital Construction Bill, H923, appropriating funds to infrastructure improvement projects across the state. It also funds the School Safety and Security Grant Program.

by Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos Data from the census touches nearly every aspect of our lives as Vermonters, from political representation, congressional seats and the drawing of district lines to federal funding allocations and how local government officials make important policy decisions, from the Governor’s office all the way down to our local school boards.

I strongly support any actions taken by Attorney General TJ Donovan in resisting the addition of a citizenship question on the census, and thank him for his leadership on this issue.

Including a citizenship question will significantly reduce participation leading to inaccurate population data, which could have significant negative impacts here in Vermont and across the country. The law governing the Census:

VT Fish & Wildlife The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is holding a free Turkey Hunting Seminar in Guildford, Vermont on April 15, 2018. This seminar is in addition to the two turkey hunting seminars being held on April 7 at Barre Fish and Game Club and April 8 at the Hartland Fire Department. The opening of the Hammond Cove Shooting Range in Hartland, Vermont has been postponed until Thursday, April 5, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. because of poor access road conditions caused by snow and ice. The Shooting Range Improvement Grant Program seeks grant applications from clubs and government agencies involved in the operation of shooting ranges