Current News

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.

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.