Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The House on Wednesday passed the Education Finance Reform Bill, H.911 on a vote of 85-54. The bill provides a comprehensive restructuring of the Education Fund; updates the Vermont personal income tax code to streamline it with the federal changes; and eliminates taxable Social Security benefits from for low and middle-income Vermonters. However, it does not have the support of Governor Phil Scott, who said Wednesday night at the Best Places to Work in Vermont event in Burlington that the bill has no cost containment measure and simply shifts some of the education expense from the property tax to a new personal income tax.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power has announced a new program to partner with customers to reduce costs during high energy use times. During peak times such as cold winter nights or hot summer days, GMP will share access with customers’ home or business battery storage systems, rather than purchasing expensive surplus power. In return, GMP will issue credits to customers based on the amount of energy transferred from the customer’s battery to the grid. The monthly credit starts at $14.50. This is one of the first “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) programs using batteries to be offered by a utility, and provides value to the people or private companies who sell and install the batteries, the customers who sign up, and all customers GMP serves.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency is making grants available for New England communities to support EPA’s “Back-to-Basics” agenda to reduce environmental risks, protect and improve human health and improve the quality of life. EPA New England’s Healthy Communities Grant Program is accepting proposals for projects that will benefit one or more New England communities. EPA plans to award about 10 cooperative agreements.

“EPA is very much looking forward to receiving strong nominations for the Healthy Communities Grant Program,” said Alexandra Dunn, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “By focusing on Administrator Pruitt’s “Back-to-Basics” agenda, we’ll be able to make a lasting positive difference by partnering directly with local experts to advance clean air, clean water, and clean land – ultimately protecting public health and the environment in our communities.”

Vermont Business Magazine Jay Peak Resort today announced it has been recognized as a Gold-level participant in the 3>4>50 initiative, a statewide Department of Health program with the goal of helping people understand and address the impact of chronic disease in Vermont. 3>4>50 represents three behaviors—lack of physical activity, poor diet and tobacco use—that lead to four chronic diseases—cancer, heart disease/stroke, type 2 diabetes and lung disease. These diseases result in more than 50 percent of all deaths in Vermont each year. The initiative aims to unite businesses, schools and communities around a common goal, to make the healthy option the easy option where people live, work, learn and play. Jay Peak is the only resort to have received the Gold-level designation.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Senate passed a bill (S197) that helps Vermonters who have been harmed by toxic chemical contamination and face increased medical expenses, reduced property value, and other harms as a result of the chemical contamination. The Senate vote was 17-13, with several Democrats voting against the bill.

Vermont Business Magazine On March 16, 2018, the Vermont Public Utility Commission approved the release of the 2018 request for proposals (RFP) for 7.5 megawatts of new renewable energy through Vermont’s Standard Offer program. In this year’s RFP, the commission has sought to make it easier for more diverse technologies to participate successfully in the program.

Vermont Business Magazine Global computer hardware manufacturer Logic Supply has unveiled their CL200 Ultra Small Form Factor computer, built to power innovation at the network's edge. Surrounded by an ultra-durable cast aluminum enclosure, and configurable with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4G connectivity, the CL200 has been engineered to bring reliability to the Internet of Things.

Vermont Business Magazine Comcast NBCUniversal today announced that it has awarded approximately $20,000 in scholarships for the 2018 - 2019 school year to twelve Vermont students as part of its annual Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program. The program, funded by the Comcast Foundation, recognizes the best and brightest high school seniors for their community service, academic performance and leadership skills.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center Board of Trustees has appointed two new members who will serve four-year terms – John N Evans, PhD, senior advisor to the president and provost of The University of Vermont and professor emeritus of The Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine; and Joseph F Hagan, Jr, MD, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the UVM Larner College of Medicine and UVM Children’s Hospital.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott issued the following statement on a proposal from the Legislature to add $60 million in new income taxes to pay for the Education Fund. The bill, H911, would trade off an income tax surcharge with lower property taxes. The governor for the last two years has been seeking cost reductions in public education as enrollments have fallen over the last decade. The bill is entitled, "An act relating to changes in Vermont’s personal income tax and education financing system." H911 received preliminary approval in the House on Tuesday.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, March 21, Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos will appear before the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence representing the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) to testify on existing cyber security measures protecting elections, as well as the need for dedicated resources allocated by Congress to ensure the ongoing protection of our elections from foreign interference and other security risks.

In June 2017 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) presented information that 21 states were targeted by foreign cyber-attacks in the 2016 election season. Of those 21 states, only one was notified of an actual breach of a state voter registration system. According to information from DHS, the majority of known activities were scans of voter registration systems. Vermont was not one of the 21 states targeted.

Vermont Business Magazine In an effort to address bullying in American schools, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) joined Senator Bob Casey (D-Penn) and more than 30 other senators to introduce the Safe Schools Improvement Act. Their bill is aimed at ensuring that no child is afraid to go to school for fear of unchecked bullying and harassment.