Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today issued a consumer alert to help Vermonters protect their personal data in the wake of 23andMe’s bankruptcy recent filing. On Monday, 23andMe announced that they had filed for bankruptcy. 23andMe is a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company that collects and analyzes genetic information and health data for consumers. The company announced that it “intends to continue operating its business in the ordinary course through the sale process” and that “[t]here are no changes to the way [it] stores, manages, or protects customer data.” However, the bankruptcy and 23andMe's plan to “sell substantially all of [its] assets” raises the risk that 23andMe may attempt to sell Vermonters’ personal data and other private information in the bankruptcy process. 

Vermont Business Magazine With rates of colorectal cancer rising for adults under the age of 50, experts at University of Vermont Cancer Center are highlighting risk factors, updated guidance and guidelines, and urging people to get screened starting at age 45. While most cases of colorectal cancer still occur in individuals over the age of 50, both the rate of cancer diagnoses and mortality for that age group is falling significantly, said Randall Holcombe, MD, MBA, director of UVM Cancer Center and chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. At the same time, these rates are rising for younger individuals. Rates of colorectal cancer are increasing by about 2% per year in people under the age of 50. Mortality rates for those individuals is rising by about 1% each year, according to data published by the American Cancer Society.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Parks Forever is excited to announce its Park Access Fund Grant Application is open for 2025. Since 2016, Vermont Parks Forever has granted over $85,000 to cover park entry fees and help create a more equitable outdoor experience throughout the state. This year, the Park Access Fund will again provide over 14,000 free days in the parks to community partners across Vermont. Organizations serving Vermonters facing barriers to outdoor experiences can apply for a Park Access Grant at www.vermontparksforever.org/park-access-fund. The deadline for this short application is April 11, 2025. The Park Access Grant is open to Vermont government agencies and non-profits with 501(c)(3) status serving Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) spent the Senate’s first in-state work week of the 119th Session meeting with concerned Vermonters, business owners, farmers, patients, and members of the Vermont State Legislature. On Saturday, March 15, Sen. Welch joined Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak and local legislators for a town hall in South Burlington. Senator Welch spoke about the Trump Administration’s reckless and illegal policies, which are hurting Vermont families, farmers, businesses, and the local economy. 

by Sam Hooper In order to grow our small businesses and better support working families in Vermont, we need to keep making progress on child care. As the owner of Vermont Glove in Randolph, I’m seeing first-hand the positive impact public investment in affordable, quality child care is having on our children, the workforce, and our state’s economy. Here’s the hard truth: We’ve made real child care progress over the past couple years, but we’re far from finished. My ask in this critical moment, when our state faces significant challenges in so many areas, is that we continue building on our child care progress. 

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, Rep. Becca Balint joined Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06) and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) in leading their colleagues in a bicameral letter demanding the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rescind his past statements further stigmatizing mental health treatment. His comments include misinformation such as the use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) can be linked to school shootings and that SSRIs are more addictive than heroin. Both claims have zero scientific evidence behind them and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. SSRIs are one of the leading treatments for depression, anxiety, and other psychological conditions and are used by nearly 32 million Americans each year.

Vermont Business Magazine In the Senate Finance Committee today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) opposed advancing Dr. Mehmet Oz’s nomination to be the next Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides health care to over 100 million Americans.  Earlier this month in the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Welch pressed Dr. Oz about how the Trump Administration plans to eliminate rip-offs for patients and excessive pricing in private equity and Medicare Advantage to lower prescription drug prices. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Police Trooper Michelle Archer has been named a Carnegie Hero for her lifesaving rescue of a girl who plunged through thin ice covering a pond in December 2023. Trooper Archer is one of 17 individuals in the United States and Canada to receive a Carnegie Medal for Heroism after they “risked death or serious physical injury to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others,” the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced this week. The award recognizes Trooper Archer’s heroism and selflessness in saving an 8-year-old girl who fell into frigid water Dec. 17, 2023, in Cambridge. Trooper Archer was on patrol nearby and arrived on scene less than five minutes after a 911 call. She grabbed a department-issued throw rope and flotation device, removed her duty belt, entered the near-freezing pond and swam to the girl.

Vermont Business Magazine Patients experiencing the effects of a wide-reaching affordability crisis in the region will benefit from a plan submitted to the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) proposing a multi-year effort to address health care costs and patient access. The plan is the result of informal conversations between University of Vermont Health Network’s leadership team, members of the health system’s Board of Trustees, and GMCB members. The main goals are to reduce expenses and limit growth of hospital costs, support other key health care providers, including non-hospital primary care, and reaffirm UVM Health Network’s commitment to providing high-quality, sustainable care to the communities it serves in Vermont and northern New York.

Vermont Business Magazine Common Good Vermont has created and is continually updating a webpage, Federal Actions Impacting Nonprofits: Resources & Updates, to help nonprofits navigate and respond to federal actions affecting Vermonters. Common Good Vermont, the only statewide program dedicated to uniting, strengthening, and advocating for Vermont’s nonprofit sector, is providing resources and guidance during this uncertain time, including information on executive orders, the federal funding pause, upcoming events, immigration actions, and more. 

Vermont Business Magazine Evernorth closed Housing New England, Fund VI on March 19, 2025. This fund will provide equity to finance affordable housing in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. 16 investors committed a total of $64,250,000 in equity making Housing New England, Fund VI (HNE Fund VI) a significant financial resource for the region’s critical affordable housing needs. HNE Fund VI’s investors include community, regional and national banks as well as one of the nation’s largest mortgage banking organizations. Evernorth raises equity by syndicating federal Low-Income Housing and Historic tax credits as well as various state, historic, and affordable housing credits. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, State Treasurer Mike Pieciak joined legislative leaders at a press conference to thank the Senate for their unanimous approval of Senate Bill 27, a proposal to eliminate $100 million in medical debt using a one-time investment of $1 million—all without raising taxes or fees. The bill also prevents health care providers from reporting medical debt to credit-reporting agencies, protecting Vermonters’ credit scores in the future. Under the Treasurer’s proposal, the State would partner with a nonprofit to purchase medical debt from providers at pennies on the dollar of its original cost. Once acquired, the debt would be completely forgiven and any negative impacts to the debtor’s credit report would be removed.