Current News

Vermont’s Blueprint for Health is working to bend the curve in health care costs, saving up to 19 percent in annual, per-capita costs while delivering better care, according to the Blueprint for Health annual report released today.In 2012, participants in the Blueprint model tended to have lower total health care expenditures compared to those not included in the model. Total annual expenditures were 19 percent lower for each commercially insured Blueprint participant in the 1-17 age group and 11 percent lower for each participant in the 18-64 age group.

The $6.5 million allocated last Legislative session to create lending opportunities that encourage residential energy efficiency projects is already being put to work. State Treasurer Beth Pearce announced Wednesday that significant progress is being made as the financial processes needed to start the initiative are now in place.
‘Construction is currently underway in Shelburne and Rutland on multi-family home projects that will reduce energy costs and provide more comfortable living space for Vermonters,’ said Pearce. ‘We’ve also provided support to enable a home energy loan program to expand statewide. Homeowners have already secured loans through the program and have begun work that will result in lower fuel costs this winter.’

Governor Peter Shumlin has joined the Vermont Student Assistance Corp to announce new, lower program management fees for the state’s 529 college savings plan, potentially saving more than $100,000 annually for account holders.
‘Vermont has one of the most competitive and well-run 529 plans for its size, including strong performance on the investments and the some of the lowest management fee among our peers,’ Shumlin said. ‘Thousands of Vermonters have made long-term, prudent investments for the educational future of loved ones and the state has encouraged millions in these savings with the tax credit ‘ an added incentive to make higher education more affordable.’
Since it started in 1999, VHEIP has grown to 14,000 accounts with more than $225 million in assets, qualifying it for a reduction in program fees of 5 basis points.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org Lawmakers are wrestling with how to best spend the state’s limited workforce training money. At issue is whether the money should be used to help people who have jobs increase their skills or to help businesses fill vacancies.
The House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development is proposing to move the Vermont Training Program and the Workforce Education and Training Fund more toward job creation than job retention and wage growth. The consideration comes as part of broader workforce development strategy in H.852.
Currently, some programs are geared toward improving workers’ wages and skill levels, said Rep. Michele Kupersmith, D-South Burlington. Committee members are concerned that the strategy is not solving a problem they’re hearing about from businesses: Unfilled positions.
Kupersmith said the state’s limited resources demand more focus.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin quietly signed the controversial campaign finance bill, S.82, into law on January 23 (it was the first bill of the session that he has enacted), but it turns out lawmakers will get another bite at the apple.
There was a drafting error ‘ the effective dates were incorrect ‘ and so House Government Operations must address the problem with Act 90 in H.640, a technical corrections bill that will be up for action in the coming days. The bill, however, has not yet been voted out of committee.
Rep. Cynthia Browning, D-Arlington, wants to use this opportunity to propose an amendment that would reinstate lower donation and contribution limits in line with the original bills passed by the House and Senate.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE DATABASE

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org When I wrote my first stories about money in politics, I ran up against the roadblock every political reporter in Vermont has faced: The difficulty of finding out just how much money individuals and their companies and family members give to candidates for office.
The Vermont Secretary of State’s office uses an arcane system for tracking donations, and without investing many hours in the review of hundreds of spreadsheets, it’s nearly impossible to figure out which contributors donate the most to politicians.
Candidates are asked to download an excel form, which they fill out and return to the Secretary of State as paper spreadsheets. The office then scans the reports and puts them on the office website in an unsearchable PDF format.
VTDigger’s Campaign Finance Database

by Morgan True vtdigger.org A bill that would delay the implementation of Green Mountain Care, the state’s planned universal public health care program, won’t make it out of committee. The bill was sent to the House Health Care Committee, which voted Wednesday on bills it plans to work through before crossover. H.858, which would push the governor’s single payer plan to 2019, didn’t make the cut.
‘It’s disappointing but not surprising,’ said Rep. Patti Komline, R-Dorset, the bill’s primary sponsor.
Though H.858 had picked up a bipartisan group of sponsors, it was essentially dead on arrival.
One of those sponsors was Rep. George Till, D-Jericho, an obstetrician, said the proposal makes good sense, but he recognizes it is largely a symbolic gesture.
‘Moving to GMC is a massive change in our medical system,’ he said.

by Lori Fisher, LCC Executive Director Drugs are making their way from our medicine cabinets into our waters, and traces of pharmaceuticals have been found in the environment. Drugs may pass through our bodies unchanged or unused pills may be dumped down the toilet. Wastewater treatments systems were not designed to remove pharmaceuticals, and their ultimate environmental fate is unclear.
The first broad look at the pharmaceuticals in the United States occurred in 2002. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey sampled for traces of 95 widespread chemicals from 139 rivers in 30 states, and found evidence of the substances in 80% of the waterways. The average river contained seven different chemicals. Since then the number of potential contaminants has increased, but little else has changed.
Americans’ pills are ending up in our waterways. Photo via morguefile.com.

Rural Vermont has released the 2013-2014 Report on raw milk production and sales. For the fifth year since the passage of Act 62, which enables the direct sale of raw milk by farmers to consumers, Rural Vermont has presented to the legislature an overview of how the current law is working for farmers and the economic impact of raw milk sales. Although, there is growing consumer demand for raw milk, Vermont famers consistently report that current regulations need to be amended to make raw milk production more economically viable for farmers and practical for consumers.

A coalition of 34 advocacy organizations and the Vermont legislative Climate Caucus is pushing the Legislature to continue to fund the Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program at its current level of $12 million. The governor's proposed budget would decrease the program's capacity by failing to maintain the funding level that has been bolstered by 5 years of "one-time" funding - first ARRA stimulus funding, and then funds from the GMP-CVPS merger.
The ARRA funding allowed the program to build infrastructure and purchase equipment that allows for best practices in weatherization. The five years of increased capacity also coincided with the State of Vermont setting a goal of weathering 20,000 low income homes by 2020. Although progress has been made, 14,000 homes still need to be weatherized to meet this goal.

After about a week of speculation by IBM employees and managers in Vermont, the union representing some IBM workers announced Wednesday that the technology giant will announce another round of layoffs on February 26. The Alliance@IBM website, which is run by the Communications Workers of America union, has accurately predicted layoffs in the past, including the large one in June 2013 in which 419 Vermont workers lost their jobs.
According to a report in the Burlington Free Press, the cuts will affect Vermont and New York plants. IBM employs about 4,000 at its sprawling facility in Essex Junction.
A Alliance@IBM post states: "Comment 02/05/14: From the Alliance: Sources have told us to expect job cuts Feb. 26th. Organize and fight back now! -Alliance-"
http://www.endicottalliance.org/jobcutsreports.php

by Tim McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc shares rose rapidly in after hours trading Wednesday to over $110 per share on the news that Coke would buy 10 percent of the company. The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc (NASDAQ: GMCR), based in Waterbury, Vermont, announced today that the companies have signed a 10-year agreement to collaborate on the development and introduction of The Coca-Cola Company's global brand portfolio for use in GMCR's forthcoming Keurig Cold at-home beverage system.