Current News

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org The House Appropriations Committee voted out the school district consolidation bill, on Friday morning. The committee supported H883 in a 7-4 vote. Two Republicans (Reps Bob Helm and Chuck Pearce) and two Democrats (Reps Ann Manwaring and Kitty Toll) cast dissenting votes.

The bill would eliminate 270-plus school districts and create 45 to 55 supervisory districts that would have unified management of personnel and coordinated best practices for teachers and district-wide curriculum. A design team would collect information from local communities and then create a redistricting plan for schools. The creation and implementation of the plan would take six years. School districts also have the option to voluntarily merge.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org House and Senate lawmakers reached an agreement Friday on a bill setting new permitting standards for shoreland development starting July 1. A conference committee unanimously approved H525, which is designed to preserve aquatic and shoreline habitat along Vermont’s lakes and large ponds.

“It will abate people from just clear-cutting and not paying attention to runoff that goes into the lake,” said Rep. Bob Krebs, D-South Hero, who served on the conference committee. “It will in some cases, I really think, help the aquatic biota, which is really the functionality, if you will, of our lake systems.”

by John Herrick vtdigger.org The Senate Economic Development Committee passed a Shumlin administration proposal to encourage growth in downtowns and limit urban sprawl. The legislation amends the state’s land use and development permitting process under Act 250.

The committee voted 4-1 Friday to approve H.823 with minor changes.

Committee Chair Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, voted against the bill. He opposed a provision that places new requirements on development in strip areas, such as Shelburne Road in Burlington or Putney Road in Brattleboro.

by Laura Krantz vtdigger.org The Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to compromise on a bill about driving under the influence of drugs after wrestling all week with how to keep unsafe drivers off the road without infringing on civil liberties. Although the committee did not vote, it plans to see a draft next week that sets the standard for drugged driving at a level that “interferes with safe operation of a vehicle in the slightest degree.”

Senators said they object to the House version of the bill, but have wrestled for several weeks with how to modify it.

The House version lowered the drugged driving standard to align it with the “under the influence” standard for alcohol.

James J Gozzo, PhD, President of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, has announced that Harry L Chen, MD, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health, will be the commencement speaker at the second graduation ceremony of the school’s Colchester Campus. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 1 pm at the Champlain Valley Exposition.

“As someone who has served as a practitioner, an academic, an elected official, and now Commissioner of Health, Dr. Chen has a unique perspective on the practice of health care and the future of the U.S. health care system. His insights will greatly benefit our graduates as they prepare to begin their own careers in this rapidly changing field,” said President Gozzo.

Vermont Business Magazine Tiny bubbles and children's voices filled the air at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington today as the statewide campaign, Let's Grow Kids, officially launched. Business leaders, early childhood professionals, public officials and many others attended the event, which also featured several hands-on activities for children - who represent the very heart of the campaign.

"Giving our children a solid start in life is a value we all share," said Robyn Freedner-Maguire, campaign director for Let's Grow Kids. "These children will be our community leaders, our teachers, our doctors...we want all Vermonters to understand how very important the earliest years of our children's lives are not only to their future, but to our state's future as well."

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) has selected two vendors to complete projects that will significantly expand cellular coverage in unserved areas of the state. The expansion will include at least 450 miles of coverage along many state highways plus some well-traveled town roads. The VTA focus is on roadways with no cell service at all or where drop zones are significant.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org News spread quickly — within hours of testimony on Wednesday — that the Senate Finance Committee is considering an increase in the employer assessment. Nothing draws a crowd at the Statehouse quite like the rumor of a tax — of whatever size — on any item, service or income.

Sen. Tim Ashe, D/P-Chittenden, is chair of the Senate Committee on Finance. Photo by Roger Crowley/for VTDigger

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Key senators Thursday agreed on their own version of the state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The Senate Appropriation’s Committee voted unanimously to move the $1.4 billion General Fund spending plan to a full Senate vote next week. The panel’s proposed amendments to the House-passed budget include, most notably, increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for healthcare providers from 0.75 percent to 2 percent, on par with Gov. Peter Shumlin’s recommended budget increase. (The total cost of the rate increase is roughly $4 million.)

by Tom Brown vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin made it clear Thursday that passage of a bill reducing the number of school boards in the state is one of his major goals for the waning legislative session. The governor told reporters that the administration would fight for H883 down to the final gavel. “We have to take the burden off property taxpayers that are seeing increases that their wallets can’t sustain,” he said at a Statehouse news conference.

The bill would eliminate 270-plus school districts and create 45 to 55 supervisory districts that would have unified management of personnel, coordinated best practices for teachers and district-wide curriculum, was stalled in the House Appropriations Committee this week.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org Developers are opposing the Shumlin administration’s proposal to create tight-knit downtown areas surrounded by rural countryside, and have been lobbying against what they say is an anti-development bill. But the administration pushed back Thursday, defending lawmakers’ current proposal, H823, as a “balanced, thoughtful way to move forward with development in this state.”

Governor Peter Shumlin and Deb Markowitz, Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources, today announced the 2014 Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence. The recipients will be recognized in May at a ceremony in Burlington. Environmental excellence awards have been given since 1993 to recognize efforts and actions of Vermonters to conserve and protect natural resources, prevent pollution, and promote environmental sustainability. To date, more than 200 efforts have been recognized.

“These projects contribute significantly to Vermont’s environmental quality and encourage others to take similar actions to protect our resources,” said Sec. Markowitz. “They demonstrate the importance of innovation and partnerships in enhancing and sustaining Vermont’s environmental quality.

Award winners will be recognized at the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility Annual Spring Conference on May 14 at the Davis Center on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington.