Current News

Vermont Business Magazine USDA will invest $26.6 million in 45 new, national projects to spur agricultural innovation in rural and urban communities through its Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) in 2016, said Vicky Drew, State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Vermont. One of these projects is located in Vermont and will help reduce greenhouse gases and nutrient loading by providing another option for how dairy farms manage manure. In Vermont, a $1.2 million Conservation Innovation Grant was awarded to NativeEnergy, Inc to implement a mobile manure solids separation project.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House Republican PAC (“VHR PAC”) will pay a civil penalty of $2,000 for failing to register as a legislative leadership PAC and for soliciting contributions from lobbyist employers, according to Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell. In January 2014, the Legislature passed a law requiring legislative leadership PACs to register with the Secretary of State’s Office and prohibiting them from soliciting contributions from lobbyists or lobbyist employers. The Vermont House Republican PAC acknowledged violations of both provisions.

Vermont Business Magazine Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Sue Minter has announced that her campaign raised $374,000 for the October 1 filing period, which spanned from August 30 to September 28, with over $200,000 cash-on-hand. The new numbers bring Minter’s total raised to just over $1.5 million for the cycle.

“Vermonters know that if we come together we can get Vermont’s economy moving again by investing in our downtowns, working to attract and grow innovative businesses, and supporting the next generation of Vermonters with investment in early childhood education, livable wage jobs, paid family leave and two-years tuition free community or technical college," said Minter. "Across the state, I've met thousands of Vermonters who are excited about our vision for the future and they're getting involved in this campaign by contributing, volunteering and early voting."

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund Independent Expenditure PAC (PPVTAF IE PAC) released their complete list of statewide candidate endorsements. At the top of the ticket, the PPVTAF IE PAC Board endorsed Sue Minter for Governor.  Rounding out the statewide slate, the Board endorsed David Zuckerman for Lieutenant Governor, Beth Pearce for State Treasurer, Doug Hoffer for Auditor of Accounts, TJ Donovan for Attorney General, and Jim Condos for Secretary of State.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Sheriff’s Association, representing Vermont’s 14 elected Sheriff’s, voted overwhelmingly to endorse TJ Donovan’s campaign to become Vermont’s next Attorney General. Current President of the Association Orange County Sheriff Bill Bohnyak commented on the endorsement stating: “Throughout his ten years as Chittenden County State’s Attorney TJ has always had an open door to law enforcement and an open mind on how to best collaborate on public safety issues. We look forward to working closely with TJ to tackle Vermont’s number one public safety concern: Vermont’s opiate crisis.  We know that TJ has the knowledge, experience, vision and determination to solve this problem and that is why we endorsed him to be Vermont’s next Attorney General.”

Vermont Business Magazine Since the Affordable Care Act became law, millions of Americans gained coverage or found more affordable options thanks to premium tax credits available through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released data showing that 1,000 Vermont residents who currently purchase off-Marketplace individual market coverage may qualify for tax credits if they shop for 2017 coverage through the Marketplace.  Nationally, the report finds that 2.5 million Americans who currently purchase off-Marketplace individual market coverage may qualify for tax credits.

Vermont Business Magazine Emerging technologies may encourage elderly people with obesity to improve their strength, make them safer in their homes and lose weight by helping them to change their behavior. The first-year grant of $159,000 from the National Institute on Aging will allow Dr. John A. Batsis to focus on strategies for improving health care delivery and wellness in older adults with obesity by using video conferencing, personal monitoring devices and frequent coaching by healthcare providers. The award is expected to total $796,500 over a five-year period and all NIH grants are subject to available funds in the fiscal years following an award. 

Vermont Business Magazine Over the past year, as Vermont farmers and industry supporters have been preparing to meet the State’s new water quality regulations, the Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, has awarded a total of $65,000 in Dairy Improvement Grants to five dairy farmers for water quality improvement projects. All five farms are located in the Lake Champlain Basin.

The Viability program will be accepting applications for the next round of Dairy Improvement Grants this fall, with an upcoming application deadline of December 15, 2016. Two information sessions will be held for applicants on October 17 from 12:00-2:00 p.m., in Middlebury at the American Legion and in St. Albans at the St. Albans Free Library.

Vermont Business Magazine The following public forums will be held with Governor Peter Shumlin, Human Services Secretary Hal Cohen and Al Gobeille, Chairman of the Green Mountain Care Board, to present a draft of the All-Payer Model, Vermont’s innovative health care reform proposal. The draft proposal is under review and is expected to be amended before it receives the final approval of the Governor, Secretary Cohen, Chairman Gobeille, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) . The hearings are designed to present the plan to the public and those involved in Vermont’s health care system, and to take questions and comments from the audience.

STORY: Vermont has draft agreement with feds for all-payer health care model

Vermont Business Magazine Sheehey Furlong & Behm PC, a full service law firm based in Burlington, has announced an expansion of its Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate practice group through a merger with the firm Melendy Moritz in Woodstock and the addition of Leigh Phillips to the firm.

By Michael Bielawski Vermont Watchdog.org Democrat gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter says her proposal to expand the sales tax to services will be aimed at the wealthiest Vermonters. While barbers are apparently safe, she might inadvertently clip a few high schoolers on prom dates or skydivers out for a weekend of fun. Economists say keeping the tax narrow essentially defeats the purpose and means it won't do much except create more red tape for government and business.

“I will not add any new tax or services that will hurt middle-class Vermonters,” Minter said last week. “I will not add taxes on your haircut or mine.”

by Jennifer Nachbur On September 21, 2016, the National Institutes of Health announced $157 million in awards in fiscal year 2016 to launch a seven-year initiative calledEnvironmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). The ECHO program will investigate how exposure to a range of environmental factors in early development — from conception through early childhood — influences the health of children and adolescents. Kelly Cowan, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at The Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine at The University of Vermont, received a $1.84 million four-year grant as part of this program.