Current News

Contrary to its motto - 'Freedom and Unity' - the state of Vermont is one step closer to tightening its current smoking ban by prohibiting the use of tobacco and other smoking products in all workplaces throughout the state.
The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association says the freedom of all Vermont citizens - smokers and non-smokers alike - is at stake and state legislators should be spending their time on issues that truly matter - like jobs and the economy.
"The United States Constitution gives the right to employers to decide how to conduct their businesses, and that includes whether or not to allow smoking on their premises. The state of Vermont preempted that right by legislating a smoking ban in 1987 and would be adding insult to injury now by tightening those decades-old restrictions," said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

The House vote overriding the governor s veto on same-sex marriage provided a stunning example of how much the debate on the subject has changed in the past nine years. To have 100 representatives vote to override is a remarkable demonstration of the sea change that has taken place.
The adoption of the marriage equality act this year also serves as an example of the wisdom of the Supreme Court in 1999: They had a pretty good feel for the shape of the political landscape a decade ago.
In 1999, when the Supreme Court was asked to declare gay marriage legal, four of the five justices held back, even though they appeared to believe it should be.
The fifth Justice Denise Johnson basically called her colleagues cowards, writing that their decision abdicates this Court s constitutional duty to redress violations of constitutional rights. Johnson wanted to grant gays and lesbians the right to marry immediately.

Senator Shumlin today announced the development of a state of the art health care billing system. The system will include health care insurance cards, a health care payment card and an established network where providers and payers can connect via a central hub. This new structure will fix our broken and confusing collections system by
improving efficiency and saving Vermonters money.
We have the opportunity to lead the nation by becoming the first state to implement an efficient and effective health care billing system, said Senator Peter Shumlin. Vermont has led the nation in health care reform and can continue to lead with the implementation of a health care billing system that will save Vermonters hundreds of millions of dollars.

Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch announced Thursday the release of $24 million in federal stimulus funds to Vermont.
The five grants were authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed into law on February 17. Vermont is expected to receive more than $700 million from the ARRA.
The grants announced this week support a variety of programs, including support for food pantries and shelters, child care, vaccines for children, drinking water improvements and pollution cleanup efforts.
Vermont received the following:

Vermont Public Radio has been honored with the top regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in broadcast journalism. VPR was honored in nine different categories, the most the station has ever received.
The Overall Excellence award was based on VPR News body of work during 2008. The entry included a sampler of the year in news and feature coverage, from election night coverage to Those CCC Boys, a documentary on the Civilian Conservation Corps in Vermont. The entry also included the live broadcast of Vermont Edition from the Tunbridge Fair, Philip Baruth s commentary on Vermont s fertility rate, and VPR s Northeast Kingdom farm family series, among others.
The award was one of nine that VPR received in the competition, which is sponsored by the Radio and Television News Directors Association. VPR was also honored in the following categories:

Rutland, VT--The public is invited to review and provide input on Vermont Electric Power Company s (VELCO) 2009 Vermont Long Range Transmission Plan Public Review Draft at a series of public forums around Vermont.
The forums, hosted by VELCO and convened by the Snelling Center for Government, will include an overview of the plan, information kiosks on key issues, facilitated discussions, and the opportunity to meet with VELCO staff and representatives of local electric distribution utilities. Refreshments will be served. Sign language interpretation will be provided if requested at least one week prior to the event, by contacting: [email protected].
The public forums are scheduled as follows:
Monday, April 27 at 5:30
Holiday Inn, Rutland
Wednesday, April 29 at 5:30 pm
Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee
Tuesday, May 5 at 5:30 pm
Sheraton Hotel, Burlington

The Board of Directors of the High Meadows Fund has named Gaye Symington as its Executive Director. The Fund, a supporting foundation of the Vermont Community Foundation, has awarded grants since 2004 to improve the lives of Vermonters through a better environment. Its grantmaking aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, encourage renewable energy development, and promote sustainable agriculture and land use practices in Vermont.
Symington s twenty years of leadership in energy and rural economic development policy will bring new knowledge and experience to the High Meadows Fund s evolving work. President of the Fund Carl Ferenbach said, We were in search of a leader who is passionate about addressing the environmental challenges we all confront and for whom the specialness of Vermont is second nature. We wanted a person who would be capable of leading Vermont toward solutions, and we are pleased to say that Gaye Symington is that person.

Governor Douglas today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded over $1.2 million in grants to the Vermont Homeland Security Unit to assist with increased interoperability and improvements to the state s emergency operations center. In November of 2008 FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security made available over 3 billion dollars in grant funding for fiscal year 2009. The Vermont Homeland Security Unit, a division of the Vermont State Police and Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) qualified for and applied for several programs.
These funds are critical to our emergency response system, said Governor Douglas. Grants will be used to improve interoperability among emergency responders and ensure that we have the tools we need to handle any emergency.
Based on qualifications, applications were submitted and the following three programs, to date, have been awarded:

Williston, VT Jeff Nick, president of NAI / J.L. Davis Realty, is pleased to announce that as of June, 2009, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will take occupancy of its new 25,450 SF building at 225 Harvest Lane in Williston. The building has been designed by Wiemann ¢Lamphere Architects as a LEED-certified project.
This location is a perfect fit for the USCIS, Nick said. They will consolidate several offices under one roof, which means a more efficient operation. Additionally, the employees will provide a boost to the local economy by taking advantage of the local shopping and dining options.
Taft Corners Associates (TCA) is the landlord for the building, and DEW Construction of Williston is the contractor. NAI / J.L. Davis Realty represented TCA in the transaction.

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is recommending veteran economic development specialist Molly Lambert to President Barack Obama as Leahy's choice to be the USDA's State Director for Rural Development for Vermont and New Hampshire. The senior senator of the President's party recommends candidates for this and other federal leadership posts in his or her home state, subject to approval of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the President. Leahy also is the most senior member of either party on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, And Forestry, which has jurisdiction over USDA and its programs.

Governor Jim Douglas today announced that $300,000 in brownfield grants have been awarded to help revitalize former industrial and commercial properties in Barre, Brattleboro, Burlington, Johnson Village, Springfield and Wells River.
Brownfields are properties where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
“The brownfield program is a great example of our ability to balance environmental protection and economic development,” Governor Douglas said. “Redevelopment of brownfields properties stimulates local economy by getting unproductive properties back on the tax rolls, strengthening downtowns and creating jobs.”
The brownfield reuse program at the Department of Environmental Conservation has awarded almost $1 million in grants in the last three years to 20 projects across Vermont.
The following projects received grants:

Grafton Village Cheese Co., makers of award-winning, handcrafted Vermont cheddar cheese, announced today it will begin paying its local milk suppliers a special premium while milk prices are below the cost of production. The Company is working in concert with its two milk co-ops Agri-Mark and DMS, both of which have given Grafton Cheese permission to send checks directly to the farmers.
Grafton Village Cheese is a major business of the Grafton, Vermont-based Windham Foundation whose mission is to promote Vermont s rural communities. All of the milk used for Grafton Cheese is from Vermont family farms, located primarily in southern and central Vermont.