Current News

There were 889 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 764 from the week before. Altogether 11,520 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 733 from a week ago and 1,931 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 1,990 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 18 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 834 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is a decrease of 27 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc
Vermont's unemployment rate continued to fall. The March 2011 rate was 5.4 percent. See story HERE.

by Anne Galloway, www.vtdigger.org May 5, 2011 After several days of intense negotiation, leaders of the House and Senate agreed to a tax package last night that the Shumlin administration can apparently live with.
The proposal raises $27.48 million in new taxes to help fill the state’s $176 million budget gap. The agreed upon increases include $5.85 million in new taxes on hospitals; a 38-cent hike on cigarettes (bringing the total tax per pack to $2.62); and a new 0.8 percent ‘claims assessment’ on the number of medical claims processed for Vermonters that will generate about $11 million. The miscellaneous tax bill does not increase income, sales or property taxes.
Sen. Jane Kitchel, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. VTD/Josh Larkin

A bill promoting renewable energy development in Vermont and clean energy jobs won final approval by the Vermont Legislature late yesterday.
Martha Staskus, Chair of the Board of Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) says the bill helps keep Vermont on the map as a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency. ‘The bill will spur the development of new local renewable energy, produce economic growth, and continue to grow clean jobs.’
H.56, The Vermont Energy Act of 2011 continues Vermont’s efforts to promote a green economy and energy independence. It expands and improves Vermont’s successful net metering program and prevents a gap in funding for the successful Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF). This fund leverages private investment to create renewable energy projects.

Governor Peter Shumlin has declared a State of Emergency for the state of Vermont. This declaration allows the state to utilize assets from the Vermont National Guard in responding to the flood. The governor said some 500 homes have been severely damaged or destroyed. Lake Champlain is expected to crest at 103.2 feet above sea level Friday, or more than a foot above the previous record high.
Agency of Transportation Road Update ‘ 5/6/11 Noon

Governor Peter Shumlin and Vermont Troopers’ Association (VTA) President Michael O’Neil announced today that the Administration and the VTA have reached an agreement on a new labor contract, subject to ratification by the VTA membership.
The new contract is designed to address problems in recruitment and retention that were highlighted by a study conducted by the parties last year. That study concluded the starting pay and pay scale for Troopers were no longer competitive with other law enforcement agencies in Vermont or other states in the Northeast.
‘These positions are critical for the safety of all Vermonters, and we need to be able to recruit the best and the brightest and make sure we retain them,’ Shumlin said. ‘This new Pay Plan should do just that.’
O’Neil agreed, adding, ‘I am happy that the parties were able to address a problem critical to the long term safety and security of Vermonters.’

Vermont Law School, the nation’s premier environmental law and policy school, will launch two online degree programs on May 16, including the first online master’s degree program in environmental law in the United States.
The online format is designed to deliver a robust educational experience that is flexible and accessible for professionals who need to continue working while completing their degree. Students enrolled in the inaugural online Master of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) and the online LLM in Environmental Law, for post-JD attorneys, will develop the expertise to address the world’s increasingly complex environmental issues.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is working to stay ahead of the weather to keep roads open and safe for the traveling public. VTrans has shored up roads wherever possible and implemented detours where needed in response to continuing rainfall and rising lake levels. (BELOW ARE THE VTRANS UPDATES AS OF 4 PM THURSDAY.)

Governor Peter Shumlin and Transportation Secretary Brian Searles visited areas on Lake Champlain Wednesday, including the causeway connecting Milton and South Hero, to track flood damage along the shoreline.
‘The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is working to stay ahead of the weather to keep roads open and safe for the traveling public,’ Gov. Shumlin said. He visited the causeway site, where stone was being dropped to protect the structure, and said efforts to protect home and property owners are also underway in many communities that line the lake.

The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) are pleased to announce the 20011 grant cycle for the Deerfield River Enhancement Fund, which was established in 1999 for the environmental preservation of the Deerfield River Watershed. Letters of inquiry are due no later than June 1, 2011 and approximately $15,000 in grants will be awarded from the Deerfield River Enhancement Fund. The Fund is a partnership between the VCF, CFWM, and TransCanada. TransCanada operates and maintains 13 hydroelectric stations and owns over 30,000 acres of land associated with our hydro facilities in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The majority of these lands are open to the public for passive recreational uses and the facilities are managed to ensure safe public access and the protection of natural resources.

by Anne Galloway, www.vtdigger.org May 4, 2011 After months of struggle over big questions and mind-numbing minutiae, the leaders in the Vermont House and Senate celebrated a moment of triumph on Tuesday: They came to final agreement on the single-payer health care legislation.
Sen. Claire Ayers and Rep. Mark Larson shake hands just following H.202 being signed out of conference committee. VTD/Josh Larkin
Over the last few days, the six members of the Health Care Conference Committee ‘ three House members and three senators ‘ worked through the details of the final draft of H.202. The tone was congenial as they crossed off their to-do list with remarkable efficiency, despite the necessarily nitpicky nature of the process.

Leaders of four diverse business organizations in Vermont have found general agreement over some of the most important economic issues facing the state, including on nuclear power and health care access. The Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation, Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Vermont Business Roundtable and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility communicated their shared policy goals around energy, health care, and telecommunications infrastructure in a joint statement released Wednesday.
It comes as no surprise that all four organizations support broadband and mobile telecommunications coverage across the entire state. But they were also able to agree that nuclear power could be a source of electricity in what they see as a diversified energy solution, which would also include renewables. And they agreed that the health care system should be reformed to the extent that a solution would include universal access.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) is working to stay ahead of the weather to keep roads open and safe for the travelling public. Lake Champlain has reached historic levels following continued precipitation throughout April and melting snow pack from the very snowy winter, and numerous rivers and streams are at flood level across the state. VTrans has maximized its resources to shore up roads wherever possible, and implement detours where needed, in order to keep the travelling public safe.
In an effort to keep the public aware of the road conditions across the state as of Wednesday, the Agency of Transportation reports the following state road conditions across Vermont (note that this report does not cover the status of town roads):
State Road Closures:

Five out-of-state companies that charged local consumers and businesses on their telephone bills for services that many of the affected Vermonters claim they did not agree to buy have entered into settlements with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, bringing to eight the total of such settlements since mid-March. Together, the five firms billed Vermont consumers and businesses over $419,000, all of which must be refunded, if that has not already been done. In addition, each will pay the State of Vermont $10,000.
Attorney General William H. Sorrell noted that the settlements are among a series of enforcement actions designed to combat ‘cramming’‘the placing of unauthorized or inadequately-noticed charges on consumer and business telephone bills. ‘Most consumers don’t expect that they will be charged for non-telephone services on their local telephone bills, and we don’t want companies taking advantage of that,’ said Attorney General Sorrell.