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Vermont Business Magazine In today’s rapidly evolving world, business leaders rely on timely and accurate data in order to make informed decisions on how to improve their operations, support their employees, and improve the bottom line. That’s why we, as leaders of companies that employ more than 800 Vermonters and account for over $1 billion in sales each year, are so concerned by your refusal to seek new information and analysis to address threats facing our state.

by Dan Monahan Fat Toad Farm, a small business located in Brookfield, has been named the 2018 Vermont Family-Owned Business of the Year. Husband and wife team, Steve Reid and Judith Irving and their daughter Calley Hastings have owned and operated Fat Toad Farm for 10 years. Throughout most of this time, Christine Porcaro, their “almost daughter,” has also been a critical member of this family team.

Fat Toad Farm specializes in producing a variety of caramel sauces made from local goat’s milk. The family is being recognized by the US Small Business Administration for employment growth, financial success, expansion and community involvement.

Leonine Public Affairs This week guns dominated the conversation in the State House once again. Later in this newsletter is a summary of these discussions. Beyond both chambers’ extended debates on gun legislation their respective committees spent time digging into the details on many of the bills that made the crossover deadline. We are now heading into week 13, which theoretically means there are six weeks remaining in the 2018 legislative session, which in turn means committees face a countdown clock to finish their work.At this point in the session no one issue has presented itself as something that would result in the session running longer than 18 weeks. While the gun control bills are very controversial, it appears they have been fast-tracked and are likely to be wrapped up well in advance of adjournment. Last year the legislative session ran long because the House and Senate were involved in a stand-off with the governor over teacher healthcare plans. The House-passed revenue bill could create such a stand-off as the governor does not support it because it creates $60 million in new income taxes to pay for the Education Fund.

by Zach Cockrum and Brian Shupe For anyone paying attention to Congress, it would a significant understatement to say it has not exactly been a pillar of bipartisan cooperation and common-sense deal making the last few years. That is especially the case on environmental issues, where the Trump administration and a majority in Congress have fought tooth and nail to undermine bedrock environmental protections for clean air, water, land and wildlife.

Yet, an appropriations bill passed last week with bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress stands out as a clear lesson that the ability for our elected officials to sit down and craft common sense policy that benefits the environment still exists, and we think Vermont’s elected officials – most importantly Governor Scott ­ – can learn from this example.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department says warm spring weather and melting snows will cause bears to come out of their winter dens in search of food. The department recommends taking down bird feeders on April 1 to avoid attracting them. Bears are very fond of suet and bird seed, especially black oil sunflower seed. Bringing feeders in at night doesn’t work, because bears will still feed on seed that is spilled on the ground.

Bird feeders are just one of the things that can attract hungry bears. Other sources of food that bears find appealing are: pet food, barbecue grills, garbage, household trash containers, open dumpsters, and campsites with accessible food and food wastes.

Purposely feeding a bear is not just bad for the bear, it’s also illegal.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Business Association (BBA) will raffle a Rolex watch, generously donated by Perrywinkle’s Fine Jewelry! A portion of the proceeds from this raffle will go to the Howard Center Street Outreach Team. The winning raffle ticket will be drawn at the BBA Annual Dinner on Thursday April 5th, 2018. It is not required to be present to win.

The winning ticket will receive an Oyster Perpetual Rolex Watch & Watch Winder Package.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday the House held a marathon floor session to give final approval to S.55, a gun safety bill. The bill would ban “bump-stocks,” limit the capacity of ammunition magazines, require background checks for private gun sales and increase the age at which one can purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. After considering numerous proposed amendments the House approved the bill on a 89-54 roll call vote. The bill went back to the Senate and on Friday afternoon after an acrimonious floor debate the Senate signed off on the changes made by the House on a 17 to 13 roll call vote.

Vermont Buisness Magazine In anticipation of a legislative ban on standard capacity rifle magazines, the editors of RECOIL magazine have worked with MAGPUL Industries to facilitate the delivery and distribution of 30-round PMAG rifle magazines free of charge to the citizens of Vermont in an overnight operation dubbed the “Green Mountain Airlift.”

In order to support the law-abiding gun-owners of Vermont and blunt the assault on their Second Amendment rights, RECOIL’s Executive Editor, Rob Curtis, will give away 1,200 30-round PMAGs on Saturday afternoon in front of the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier starting at 2:30pm.

"We invite the public to track the shipment of magazines from MAGPUL’s Cheyenne, WY facility to Vermont using the following FedEX tracking number: 771880807512. Should the shipment be delayed, the distribution will shift to 2:30pm on the date the shipment arrives," Curtis said in a press release.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine It seemed like a good idea at the time, but just six months after the most recent microcell/911 service was rolled out in two rural areas of the state, the service is dying. The Department of Public Service told VBM Friday that it could cease service as early as Easter Sunday.

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.