Current News

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS Health Care Reform: The House Health Care Committee has advanced all the bills that came over from the Senate and is devoting the rest of the session to S.126, the health care reform bill. The committee is going through the broad ideas of each section of the bill with the promise to return to get into the details. This week, the committee focused on reference based pricing with testimony from Alena Berube, MS, PhD candidate at the Dartmouth Institute and Director of Health Systems Policy at the Green Mountain Care Board and Dr. Christopher Whaley from Brown University School of Public Health. 

Vermont Business Magazine Retired Vermont Mutual President, CEO and Board Chair, William H. Brooks, passed peacefully at the age of 94 on April 12, 2025. Mr. Brooks served as Vermont Mutual’s President from 1986 to 1995. Vermont Mutual grew and strengthened under Mr. Brooks leadership and he earned the respect, confidence and admiration of colleagues, agents, community members and company and state officials throughout the region. Mr. Brooks distinguished career at Vermont Mutual began as Special Agent, later, Assistant to the Vice President, then Vice President, Director, Executive Vice President, President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair. 

Senator Bernie Sanders On Saturday, 160 young Vermonters and their parents joined me and my staff at the Vermont State University in Randolph for our third annual Youth Chess Day. The reason we hold a Youth Chess Day is to encourage young people to learn how to play an intellectually challenging game that is many hundreds of years old and is enjoyed throughout the world. Teachers and parents tell me that as a result of cell phones, TV, the internet and other modern developments, too many kids lack the ability to concentrate on the tasks they face. That’s where chess, a game of strategy, focus, and problem solving can be of help. And it’s a lot of fun.

VermontBiz Attorney General Charity Clark today released 2024 statistics from the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), located in her office, showing an increase in the number of CyberTips, or reports of child sexual abuse materials online. In 2024, VT-ICAC received 1,082 CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a substantial increase from the 853 CyberTips received in 2023. VT-ICAC completed 293 investigations, executed 98 search warrants, and effectuated 41 prosecutions statewide in 2024. The Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Vermont State Police, and other county and state municipal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies participated in this life-saving work.

VermontBiz Average gasoline prices in Burlington have risen 2.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.18/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 100 stations in Burlington. Prices in Burlington are 0.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 38.9 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has decreased 2.7 cents in the last week and stands at $3.519 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Burlington was priced at $3.05/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.29/g, a difference of 24.0 cents per gallon. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.79/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 50.0 cents per gallon.

VermontBiz The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) is excited to announce a variety of spring job fairs taking place across the state during the months of April and May. Each job fair offers job seekers the opportunity to connect directly with local employers.  

These hiring events are free and open to the public. Employers interested in participating in a job fair should sign up at https://labor.vermont.gov/event-types/job-fairs.  

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Vermont has approximately 17,000 available jobs. No matter your skill set, there are opportunities for everyone, and the Vermont Department of Labor is committed to linking job seekers with employers. The Job Fest series is a great way to make connections and take the first step in the job search process. 

by Maggie Lenz and Nick Charyk on behalf of Atlas Government Affairs Early in the session, the common wisdom was that education would be the issue dragging lawmakers into June or even July. But with major components of H.454 now moving and the Senate Education Committee pushing through long days of testimony and analysis, adjournment is increasingly being eyed for mid to late May. That doesn’t mean the work is simple or done, but it does suggest that the path is clearer than it looked a few months ago.

by Maia Segura, Vermont Business Magazine The largest ski resort in the eastern United States — with annual revenues estimated at over $3 million and traditional home to the Stifel Killington World Cup for women’s downhill racing — Killington Mountain Resort is set to undergo a metamorphic redevelopment that aims to solidify its reputation as a world-class, four-season destination. Spearheaded by award-winning North American developers Great Gulf, the ambitious project leans into public-private partnerships, blending hyper-modern architecture and amenities with community-focused initiatives. With a projected investment of $3 billion over 25 years, the development has the potential to reshape not just the mountain, but also the surrounding region by enhancing its appeal to residents, tourists and investors alike.

by Charlotte Oliver, Community News Service Since 2003, mothers in Vermont prisons have been able to visit their children in a room with carpets and couches and stay in touch free of charge through a partnership between the state and a nonprofit. But the same services have never existed for incarcerated fathers. With 64% of the state’s prison population being parents, lawmakers are considering a bill that would change that. The bill, H. 219, would introduce the program at Northwestern State Correctional Facility in Newport. Fathers who partake would be able to virtually attend family court hearings, regularly call their children and visit with them in a plush, child-friendly space.

VermontBiz This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will affect traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.   

by Chelsea Burton, Community News Service For the trio behind Verterra Nursery, selling trees and shrubs native to Vermont is a way to help reinvigorate deteriorating ecosystems. The conservation-focused nursery on the corner of Baldwin and Charlotte-Hinesburg roads has made a mission of restoring natural habitats through shoring up native plants. Flora native to Vermont are adapted to the state’s ecosystems, and their ability to thrive here helps the other species they’ve evolved alongside succeed, too. The team at Verterra has been working with a handful of agencies and nonprofits to grow and propagate those plants. The company kicked off in 2023 when founders David Berg, Sam Gignoux and Nick Kierstead linked through Gignoux’s landscaping business, Imagine Land Care. 

by Beth Parent, Community Engagement and Outreach Manager at CSWD With Earth Day just around the corner (Tuesday, April 22), it’s the perfect time to reflect on the small actions we take that add up to a big impact—like recycling. Have you ever paused before tossing a box or plastic bottle in the blue bin and thought, “Is this really going to be recycled?” You’re not alone. In a world where national headlines question the integrity of recycling, it’s easy to feel skeptical. We certainly cannot speak to what happens in other states, but we can say with certainty here in Chittenden County, your recycling matters—and it works.