Current News

Vermont Business Magazine This week, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and U.S. Representative Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44) introduced the bicameral SNAP Recertification Reform Act, legislation that would give states and qualifying Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants the flexibility to waive the recertification interview, and would direct state agencies to provide the option for a phone or virtual interview to applicants should the agency require an interview for renewal of benefits. In-person renewal interviews for SNAP applicants are often duplicative and pose obstacles to accessing the benefits. Agency caseworker backlogs can also lead to applicants receiving written notice of their interview after the agency-assigned interview date. Of the 33 million total SNAP applications nationally in Fiscal Year 2023, over 12 million were renewals. By requiring both agency and applicant consent to waive a recertification interview, applicants still have the opportunity to speak with a caseworker to get questions answered or update their application paperwork if needed. 

Vermont Business Magazine Barr Hill Gin, the most awarded gin in the United States and #1 selling gin in Vermont, is proud to announce its upcoming Pollinator Week, taking place from June 17-23, 2024. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the crucial role pollinators, particularly bees, play in Vermont's thriving agricultural landscape. Barr Hill Gin has partnered with Vermont brands American Meadows and Thuja Media to drive this important message forward. Pollinators are essential to the health and biodiversity of ecosystems, and Barr Hill Gin has been at the forefront of efforts to protect and expand pollinator habitats. Through its ongoing commitment to sustainability, environmental stewardship, and Bee’s Knees Week campaign, the brand has seen 23 acres pledged and planted. Barr Hill’s goal for this year's Bee's Knees Week is to surpass one million square feet of new pollinator habitat pledged and planted, since the start of this annual sustainability initiative.

Vermont Department of Economic Development Since lawmakers adjourned in mid-May, I’ve had more time to hit the road and visit some of our outstanding Vermont companies and regional partners. Just in the last month I’ve been to Hazelett Strip-Casting, Champlain Cable, and Vermont Nut Free Chocolates in Colchester; Engineered Printing Solutions in East Dorset; Advanced Conversion in Barre; Dynapower in South Burlington; Benchmark Space Systems and Green Mountain Semiconductor in Burlington; Mack Molding in Arlington; and Orvis in Manchester. Their work and dedication are inspiring.

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), announced today that Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jørgensen has reconsidered his position and has agreed to testify voluntarily on a solo panel before the Committee. The hearing will focus on the outrageously high prices that Novo Nordisk charges Americans for their blockbuster drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy. The hearing will be held in early September. 

Vermont Business Magazine In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Thursday, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) questioned U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker about how the FAA plans to address the major shortage in air traffic controllers that currently exists across the country, which has led to cancellation of flight paths and contributed to nationwide flight delays. In October, JetBlue announced that it would terminate service between the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (Leahy BTV) and New York’s JFK International Airport—which accounts for 10% of all passengers flying into Burlington monthly—due to an ongoing shortage of air traffic control personnel at JFK.  

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Garland v. Cargill, overturning the federal ban on bump stocks on semiautomatic rifles—devices used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in history. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) released the following statement: “Today, the extremist Supreme Court has again shown how out of touch it is when it comes to public safety and gun laws – it cares more about doing the gun lobby’s bidding than it cares about how many lives are lost to mass gun violence. Only 166 days into 2024, America has experienced 214 mass shootings. Enough is enough,” said Sen. Welch. “We need more bipartisan, commonsense gun legislation, including a ban on these devices that turn legal firearms into illegal machine guns, and we need it now.”

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, Governor Scott signed H.644 (an act relating to access to records by individuals who were in foster care) into law as Act 173. The passage of this bill marks an important development in the ability for Vermont’s youth who were formerly in foster care to access their state records, allowing them to understand and share their personal histories. “Until now, former foster children have not had access to these files – hampering their ability to process the reasons that may have led to them being placed in care to begin with, and to understand the scope of their experience from their time in state custody,” said Aryka Radke, Deputy Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families, Family Services Division. “This is especially important as we continue to grapple with the legacy of institutions like St. Joseph’s Orphanage, which housed some 13,000 children over more than a century. Many of these former residents have since come forward with horrible accounts of abuse suffered at the hands of those entrusted with their care. While state investigators were able to look at the school’s records during their process, the survivors – hampered by state law – could not.” 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Thursday vetoed the Act 250/housing bill (H.687) and the complex and sweeping data privacy bill (H.121). While he said he supported many of the housing initiatives, he added that the bill would have expanded, not eased, Act 250 measures which would have made it more difficult to develop more affordable housing. Meanwhile, he signed two bills into law, the economic development VEGI update (H.10) and the Uniform Trust Decanting Act (H.279) which updates the alcohol production rules. The Legislature will hold a "veto session" Monday, June 17, which will be headlined by this Act 250 bill, the carbon reduction bill and the property tax "yield bill," which of the three must become law by override or compromise for state government to move forward.

The Vermont State Police is identifying the trooper who fired his service weapon Wednesday in the town of Orange as Adam Roaldi. Trooper Roaldi has been a member of the Vermont State Police since 2019. He has served as a uniformed trooper in the Field Force Division at the Royalton, Middlesex and Berlin barracks. He has worked from the Berlin office since September 2023. His department photograph is attached to this release. The man who was shot and killed is identified as Jason Lowery, 41, who lived most recently in various locations in central Vermont. An autopsy completed late Thursday afternoon at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington determined the cause of Lowery’s death was gunshot wounds to the neck and torso, and the manner of death is a homicide.

Vermont Business Magazine After years of dreaming and hard work, Retreat Farm is unveiling the North Barn and Retreat Farm Market this weekend in Brattleboro at Farm Fest — a celebration of two new community-focused spaces that support connection and encourage broader and deeper community impact. "When we're in connection with ourselves, our communities, and our environment, something magical happens," said Executive Director Kristin Sullivan. "We're excited about all the ways we can harness our mission to lift the actions of others and leverage the power of our collective impact, to improve shared well-being." With over 90,000 visitors from at least 27 states and five countries in 2023, Retreat Farm is uniquely positioned to showcase and support the agricultural, creative, and land-based businesses and experiences that make Vermont unique. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections today released a six-year strategic plan setting the direction for Vermont’s correctional system across four key priorities: Staff & Staffing, Health & Wellness, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a Just System, and Modernization. The plan comes just over a year since the Department launched new Vision, Mission, and Values statements for the first time in more than three decades. Commissioner Deml said the strategic plan is the first of its kind in the Department’s modern history and will prove crucial to the sustainability of Vermont’s correctional system, which reached a 30% vacancy rate across correctional facilities in 2022. Though the Department has since cut that rate by more than half, Commissioner Deml said the plan will aim to further boost staffing and improve workplace conditions.  

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) today released the following statement after the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry published a report on its investigation into the war in Israel and Palestine: "The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry just published a report following their in-depth investigation of the war in Israel and Palestine. The Commission concluded that both Hamas and Israeli authorities have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity."