Current News

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS I’ve summarized just a few bills that advanced last week, but they’re the big ones. They signal a willingness to significantly change Vermont’s hospitals to achieve affordability. They will all be on the “floor” this week for full votes and then back to their original chambers for concurrence or conference committees. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee advanced H.266, the 340B protection bill, out of its committee in a 5-0-0 vote. Despite quality and safety concerns raised by VAHHS and the Office of Professional Regulation, the bill will allow for “white bagging” until January 1, 2030 to contain prescription drug costs. Expansion of Green Mountain Care Board Powers: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee passed H.482 on a 3-2-0 vote. This bill allows the Green Mountain Care Board to adjust reimbursement rates for certain hospitals if a domestic health insurer is near insolvency; adjust reimbursement rates if hospitals are not meeting their budgets; and appoint an independent observer if hospitals are in violation of their budget orders or misrepresent information to the Green Mountain Care Board.

Vermont Business Magazine CPR Therapeutics Inc of Putney announced Monday that the company has received a continuation U.S. patent for technology that underlies its multimodal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) system: AUTOMATED RESUSCITATION SYSTEM INTEGRATING HEMODYNAMIC AND DEFIBRILLATORY CAPABILITIES (US12,285,621). CPR Therapeutics Inc. is an early-stage start-up supported by funding from the NSF and NIH. The company is developing the first advanced automated CPR system that integrates multiple clinical innovations into a single device that can be easily applied under emergency conditions. 

Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) is sponsoring a free veterinary clinic through The Mitzvah Fund at Meals on Wheels of Lamoille County on Tuesday, June 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Income-eligible individuals who are 60 or older can sign up to have their cat or dog seen and treated free of charge. Contact Kimberly Lipinski, CVCOA Director of Nutrition and Wellness, at 802- 476-2739 to reserve an appointment. Please get in touch before June 3. This service is open to adults age 60+ who meet the income qualifications or express special financial need. Available services include exams, vaccinations, nail trimming, flea/tick products, heartworm products, blood and lab tests, dental care, small surgeries, and medications.  

Vermont Business Magazine Late Friday, the Vermont Legislature passed H.339, a bill to permanently allow cocktails to-go in the state in support of local businesses and adult consumers. The bill now heads to Governor Phil Scott’s desk for signature. The temporary measure is set to expire on July 1, 2025. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 29 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to permanently allow cocktails to-go, and five others, including Vermont, have enacted laws that allow cocktails to-go on a temporary basis.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and Chief Administrative Officer Katherine Schad held a press conference today to outline the City’s progress in closing an $8 million gap and balancing the FY26 budget. The Mayor and CAO presented details on a range of solutions, including modest tax increases, savings from program, service, and staff reductions, and more.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) will hold its 2025 commencement ceremony at Norwich University’s Shapiro Field House in Northfield, Vermont on Saturday, June 7. The ceremony will begin at 2 pm. More than 500 students will be awarded associate degrees. The College is pleased to announce that this year’s keynote speaker will be Sara Byers, co-owner & president of Leonardo’s Pizza. In addition to oversight of her family’s business, Sara has served on multiple boards, published two poetry collections, and is also co-host of the Collecting Insight podcast.   

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University (VTSU) shared preliminary deposit data today, noting an overall increase in deposits for the 2025-2026 academic year of 15%. This early enrollment cycle data signals good news for the university and compares May 1, 2025, deposits to May 1, 2024, deposits. Notably, first year deposits are up 20% and deposits of CCV students moving on to VTSU at this time are up over 30% year-over-year As VTSU enters its third year as a unified institution, this shows remarkable and continued progress in enrollment recovery for the institution. 

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today released the following statement regarding President Trump's executive order from this morning, which claims it will slash drug costs by tying the prices of some medicine in the U.S. to the significantly lower ones abroad: "I agree with President Trump: It is an outrage that the American people pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. It is beyond unacceptable that we pay, in some cases, ten times more for the same exact prescription drugs than people in other major countries. But let’s be clear: The problem is not that the price of prescription drugs is too low in Europe and Canada. The problem is that the extraordinarily greedy pharmaceutical industry made over $100 billion in profits last year by ripping off the American people."

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.05/g, down 1.2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.06/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.73/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 56.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.08/g today. The national average is down 8.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 50.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. 

Vermont Business Magazine Leading with compassion and standing with those on the margins were central messages delivered to members of the Saint Michael’s Class of 2025 during the College’s 118th Commencement on Sunday. Approximately 370 students obtained bachelor's and master's degrees during the ceremony. The Class of 2025 graduates who received bachelor's degrees represent 24 U.S states territories and 11 countries, while those who received master's degrees represent 12 states and five countries. Sixteen students were also recognized for completing graduate certificate programs. The Class of 2025 is one of several that applied to and entered college amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, throughout their time at Saint Michael’s, the students overcame that initial challenge to create a tight-knit community full of kindness, compassion, and resilience. Several speakers said that despite the current state of the world – divided politics, wars and other violence, and many people on the margins – the Class of 2025 is ready to face whatever comes its way.   

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont will hold its 224th commencement ceremony this Sunday, May 18, celebrating just under 3,000 graduates on the historic University Green in Burlington. Friends, families and well-wishers will also have the opportunity to celebrate graduates at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, where eight UVM colleges will hold additional ceremonies for the first time this weekend. This new indoor venue will bolster the experience for graduates and families with improved access, parking, air conditioning, and food offerings.

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets Are you interested in alternative land access or alternative business structures? Join NOFA-VT and guest presenters from around the country and Canada for monthly discussions exploring alternative land access models and business structures. Each monthly discussion will feature an agricultural project actively engaged in land access or land tenure outside of conventional mechanisms, with a specific focus on first-generation, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ farmers and land stewards. Presentations will provide an overview of the land access story and business model, sharing details and mechanics of each project, with time devoted to participant questions.