Current News

by Bill Schubart “Build it and they will come” is the oft-misquoted meme from the classic movie Field of Dreams. And in the case of the proposal by CoreCivic, a private prison firm, to build and lease back to the State a 925-bed prison in Franklin County, this meme embodies the worst fears of the corrections reform movement.

Many Vermont leaders already oppose the idea, including former head of Corrections, Con Hogan, the Attorney General, the ACLU, NAACP, and Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform. In the face of such headwinds, few believe the prison will ever be built.

Meanwhile, Vermont spends nearly double on corrections what it does supporting our five state colleges, two of which are struggling with declining admissions and rising costs.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) Monday reintroduced their bipartisan bill to curb youth homelessness and support young victims of trafficking. The Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA), which is also cosponsored by Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), would reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and continue authority for grants to communities across the nation to prevent and respond to youth and young adult homelessness.

Vermont Business Magazine Kids in Vermont will unite against tobacco use on March 21 as they join thousands of young people nationwide to mark Kick Butts Day. More than 1,000 events are planned across the United States for this annual day of youth activism, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (See below for a list of local events.)

On Kick Butts Day, kids encourage their peers to be tobacco-free, reject tobacco companies’ devious marketing and urge elected officials to help make the next generation tobacco-free.

This year, Kick Butts Day is focusing attention on the progress the U.S. has made in reducing youth smoking and the actions needed to create the first tobacco-free generation. Since 2000, the national smoking rate among high school students has fallen by 71 percent (from 28 percent in 2000 to 8 percent in 2016). However, the fight against tobacco is far from over:

Vermont Business Magazine The Snelling Center for Government is currently accepting applications to the Vermont Leadership Institute, Vermont’s premier civic leadership development program. Since 1995, the Vermont Leadership Institute has been offering intensive programs for leaders in Vermont’s private, public and non-profit sectors. VLI graduates are making a difference in Vermont: leading innovative businesses, creating award-winning non-profits, serving in the legislature and state government, and volunteering in their communities. With over 500 graduates since 1996, the VLI Class of 2019 will be the 24th graduating class.

VLI associates will meet for a total of 8 overnight sessions with nineteen seminar days, beginning in September 2018 and ending in June 2019. Associates will engage in intensive assessment and self-reflection, study ethics and systems thinking, and become immersed in some of the most important issues facing Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The House today unanimously passed the Lead Poisoning Prevention Bill, H.736. “This bill is a win for our most vulnerable population of Vermonters, children,” said Representative Ann Pugh (D-South Burlington), chair of the House Committee on Human Services. “Lead poisoning is a serious health issue that affects children’s mental and physical growth and development.”

In 2016, over 600 children were permanently poisoned by lead in Vermont. This damage done to children is irreversible but entirely preventable. The damage is prevented by ensuring that children are not exposed to lead-based paint – the primary paint used prior to 1978. Currently, lead paint regulations are split between the state and federal government. This bill will enable Vermonters to be better protect children by creating a single, simple standard for contractors and landowners.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and John Boozman (R-Ark), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, introduced the Veteran and Beginning Farmers Technical Assistance Act. This bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) program to continue educating farmers and ranchers on farming practices and assist veterans in becoming successful producers.

Leahy said, “Farmers are constantly learning and searching for ways to improve their operations and strengthen their profitability. The valuable information and resources that ATTRA provides to Vermont farmers and to farmers across the country -- for free, on a wide range of farm topics -- is vital for American farmers’ survival, particularly as they work to diversify and thrive in competitive markets.”

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today sent a letter to the Legislature to work with his Administration in focusing on pro-growth policies, while ensuring Vermonters are not asked to pay more in taxes and fees. This letter reaffirms the commitment Scott made to prevent new state taxes and fees for the second straight year. Scott highlights more than a dozen existing bills that currently include new or higher taxes and fees and reiterates his opposition for those increases.

“Aside from these new or higher taxes and fees, many of these bills contain provisions I could support,” Scott said in the letter. “Let’s work together to find ways to advance some of these proposals, while ensuring Vermonters can keep more of what they earn again this year.”

Vermont Business Magazine According to the YouMail Robocall Index, which tracks the volume and extent of robocalls in the United States, more than 25,500,000 robocalls were made to the 802 area code in 2017. The industry data comes ahead of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) March 23 policy forum, “Fighting the Scourge of Illegal Robocalls.” Both agencies have taken a strong stance against scam and spoofed number robocalls but have been softer on legitimate businesses making illegal calls to cell phones and without consent. In February of this year, PayPal and Home Depot were among the top five generators of robocalls to Vermont numbers.

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, Attorney Russell Barr made an allegation outside the Lamoille County courthouse that a state official involved in the state EB 5 program had sex with a minor in China. In November 2017, the Barr Law Group made a public records request to the Attorney General’s Office for records pertaining to “an arrest, detainment or holding of any state employee while traveling overseas in promotion of the Vermont Regional Center and its related projects.” In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, the Attorney General’s Office stated that it immediately conducted a document review and responded to the request stating, “the Attorney General’s Office has no records relating to the arrest, detainment or holding of any state employee while traveling overseas in promotion of the Vermont Regional Center and its related projects.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of RuralEdge (RE) has announced the appointment of Patrick Flood as interim CEO, effective April 3, 2018, following the resignation of Trisha Ingalls, in February. Louise Bonvechio, chair of the RuralEdge Board of Directors, announced the transition plans.

Vermont Business Magazine The People’s Health & Wellness Clinic (PHWC), is pleased to announce the appointment of Rebecca Goldfinger-Fein as its new Executive Director. Rebecca, a native of Montpelier, has returned to Central Vermont from Washington DC to lead the Clinic in its ongoing work of providing primary health care and wellness education to Central Vermonters who cannot otherwise afford these services.

“We are pleased to have Rebecca Goldfinger-Fein as the new Executive Director of People’s Health & Wellness Clinic,” said Susan Gretkowski, President of PHWC Board of Trustees. “Rebecca is a native Vermonter who is returning to her home state to work in the field of health care. We look forward to having her continue the excellent work of the Clinic and welcome her warmly.”

Vermont Business Magazine The annual “Big Change Roundup for Kids” raised $331,757.12 to support specialized care provided at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. The Roundup is the largest fundraiser each year for the hospital, and this is the largest preliminary total in the 13-year history of the event, outpacing last year’s mark of $314,600. That number is expected to grow as contributions continue to come in.