Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor-elect Phil Scott today chose the head of the Green Mountain Care Board and an assistant attorney general to fill two key cabinet posts. He also announced additional policy staff on his senior leadership team. Susanne Young will serve as Secretary of the Agency of Administration. Al Gobeille will serve as the Secretary of the Agency of Human Services. These are the two most demanding cabinet posts.HS includes all the social welfare programs, Corrections and Vermont Health Connect. The Administration secretary is the de facto CFO for all of state government.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has launched a new program called the Catamount Commitment guaranteeing that all Vermonters receiving federal Pell grants will pay no tuition and no comprehensive fee to attend the university, beginning with the class entering UVM in the fall of 2017. The program will also provide a range of support services for Pell-eligible Vermont students, many of whom are first-generation college students, designed to help them succeed at the university. To be eligible for a Pell grant, students must have demonstrated financial need. In the fall of 2016, 26 percent of all Vermont undergraduates attending the university were Pell-eligible.

Pell-eligible Vermonters currently pay no tuition to attend UVM, because of  institutional, federal and state grants, but do pay a comprehensive fee, estimated to be $2,259 in the next academic year. They also pay an acceptance fee of $495.

Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of State Jim Condos announces that there will be a meeting of the three Vermont Electors of the President and Vice President of the United States on: Monday, December 19, 2016, 10:00 a.m., Room 11 of the State House in Montpelier, Vermont. At that meeting the Electors will take their oaths of allegiance and oaths of office, organize by electing a President, Clerk, and Messenger, cast official ballots for the President and Vice President of the United States, and complete a Certificate of Vote to be sent to Washington. The three Electors for Vermont are: Martha W. Allen, Canaan; Timothy Jerman, Essex; and Peter Shumlin, Putney.

Vermont Business Magazine During the most recent quarter, the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) approved over $17.4 million in financing for economic and agricultural development projects throughout Vermont totaling $30.2 million.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate Judiciary Committee members led by Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) are calling on all senators to support a bipartisan amendment to benefit consumers and deter pharmaceutical companies from blocking cheaper generic alternatives from entering the marketplace. Leahy, joined by other leading members of the panel, filed an updated version of their bipartisan Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act as an amendment to the 21^st Century Cures Act, which the Senate is debating this week. 

Vermont Business Magazine VSECU, a credit union based in Montpelier, today announced it has been accepted as a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), an independent network of values-based banks, banking cooperatives, credit unions, microfinance institutions, and community development banks from across the world. 


VSECU is the first credit union in the US to earn membership in the global organization, joining 35 other financial institutions in a joint commitment to use finance to promote sustainable social, environmental, and economic development. GABV members work together to ensure that banking is a healthy and productive system of society and to develop a positive, viable alternative to the current banking system. 


Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc (NYSE: BHLB) based in Pittsfield, MA, and Ronald N Lazzaro PC, an independent financial planning and investment services firm based in Rutland announced on Monday the completion of an asset purchase transaction on December 2, 2016, and the launch of a strategic combination between the two firms. Under the terms of the transaction, Berkshire Bank acquired the business assets of Ronald N Lazzaro PC, which will expand Berkshire Bank's wealth management and investment services provided in Vermont. Financial terms were not released.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College has announced that beginning January 2017 active duty service members, National Guard members and members from Reserve Components of the US Armed Forces, and their spouses and eligible adult dependents now have access to its more than 50 nationally ranked, fully online post-secondary undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates at up to 70 percent off standard tuition through its truED program.

by Seth Blanchard It’s no secret that health care becomes a bigger concern for most of us as we grow older. More ailments are likely to develop, which means more money spent to visit health professionals and buy medication. Even if you remain healthy through your later years, the costs of preventative care and preparing for potential unexpected health situations are rising. Health-related expenses will likely be one of the biggest components of your retirement budget. You need to be prepared to pay for comprehensive insurance coverage and potential out-of-pocket costs for care. Here are three strategies to help you manage this critical expense in retirement.

Understand how Medicare works

Vermont Business Magazine Health Commissioner Harry Chen, MD praised the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its approval this week of a new rule that requires a smoke-free environment in public housing residences. According to the announcement made last week by HUD Secretary Julian Castro, the rule will prohibit "lit tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars or pipes) in all living units, indoor common areas, administrative offices and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and administrative office buildings."

"This is a tremendous step forward in protecting children and people with chronic illnesses like asthma from the harm caused by second-hand smoke," Dr. Chen said.

Vermont Business Magazine Community-based, employee-owned Kinney Drugs continues its partnership with Vermont Health Connect to help inform local communities about their options in the insurance marketplace. Kinney Drugs will host a free event at 308 Shelburne Road in Burlington, to educate the public about their health insurance options on Tuesday, December 6 from 10 am-2 pm.

As part of this event, Vermont Health Connect certified navigators will provide answers to questions about the Marketplace and will help the public find the health plan that is right for them.

“Helping our customers make informed decisions about their health and their healthcare coverage is extremely important to us,” said Jim Spencer, president of Kinney Drugs stores.  “We are pleased to partner with Vermont Health Connect to connect customers with informative and accessible resources about the health insurance options and help them find insurance plans to fit their needs.”

by John McClaughry A lot of serious long-term national issues simply weren’t addressed in the recent national election. That’s not surprising. Issues like the alarming growth of the national debt, the rising consequences of opiate addiction,  and unprecedented changes in demography don’t fit easkily into  political campaigns and their 30 second ads.

One such neglected issue is what the President’s Council on Economic Advisers , in a June report, calls “The Long Term Decline in Prime-Age [25-54] Male Labor Force Participation”. American Enterprise Institute demographer Nicholas Eberstadt offers a more concise title in his new book  “Men Without Work”.