Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Women’s Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2024 annual grant round. A total of $365,180 was awarded to 36 organizations across Vermont. “The work these organizations do improves the lives of women and girls across the state,” said Emily Bush, director of the Vermont Women’s Fund. “These grants will help women advance their careers, find safe and affordable housing, and access high-quality childcare, while also building opportunities for girls to thrive now and in the future.”   

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and a group of bipartisan colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Ensuring Nationwide Access to Better Life Experience (ENABLE) Act to allow people with disabilities and their families a permanent way to save and invest through tax-free savings accounts while protecting eligibility to federal programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Senators Bob Casey (D-Pa.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also cosponsored the bill. 

Vermont Business Magazine Bourne’s Energy has introduced the "Fueling My Future" Scholarship, a new initiative to support graduating high school men and women who seek post-high school training to enter Vermont's skilled trades. Recognizing the vital role skilled trades play in the community, Bourne’s Energy is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a dedicated individual entering a trades program in Vermont. 

Vermont Business Magazine Nurses of Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals announced that their union is holding a strike authorization vote from Monday, June 17 to Sunday, June 23. After a few months of bargaining, the nurses and UVM Medical Center administration are still far apart from reaching a deal before their contract expires on July 9. Among the issues the two sides cannot reconcile are wages, benefits and working conditions that fall short of cost of living benchmarks and contribute to constant staffing holes that are only filled by travel nurses.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) has awarded over $1,600,000 in grants to producers and processors in two industries through the Meat and Produce Agriculture Development Grants (ADG) program. Thirteen operations across ten Vermont counties received funds for projects investing in infrastructural upgrades, increasing operational efficiency, enhancing food and worker safety, and improving climate resilience.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.45 per gallon, down 2.7 cents per gallon from last week's $3.48/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.24/g while the highest was $3.65/g, a difference of 41.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 1 cent per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.41/g today. The national average is down 18.0 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 13.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. 

Vermont Business Magazine Montpelier Alive, the capital city’s downtown association, has coordinated with 14 businesses to act as collection points for the National Life Group Do Good Cupboard, located at 58 Barre Street in front of the Montpelier Senior Activity Center. Established during the pandemic, the Do Good Cupboard is a community resource available 24/7 for those who need emergency, shelf stable items such as nonperishable food and hygiene products. It is not intended to provide on-going assistance but items that could be helpful during a time of hardship. Items in the Do Good Cupboard are often depleted daily.    

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published finalized requirements for pre-harvest agricultural water used by produce farms that are subject to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. Pre-harvest agricultural water is water used during growing that directly contacts produce, such as water used for irrigation, crop sprays, or frost protection using a direct application method. When the new rule takes effect, produce farms will be required to make pre-harvest agricultural water assessments to identify any potential hazards and implement corrective or mitigation measures as appropriate. These revisions replace the mandatory microbial water quality testing that was previously required in the 2015 version of the Produce Safety Rule.

Vermont Agency of Transportation This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will impact traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont - Week of 6/17/24. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it. 

by Brendan Baxter, Senior Vice President for Public Sector Business Development, NBT Bank What do Huber Heights, Ohio (population 43,439), Cullman, Ala. (population 14,775) and Scotland, Conn. (population 1,576) all have in common? Yes, they represent a cross-section of “small town America.” They also were all victims of costly cyber-attacks in 2023. Unfortunately, these municipalities are not unique in their experience with cybercrime. In 2023, government organizations and schools across the nation experienced financial loss and disruption of life-saving services, including first responder services, as a direct result of cyber-attacks, such as ransomware, phishing, denial of service and business email compromise. Municipal services are a key part of America’s critical infrastructure which makes them all high-value targets for cyber criminals. It is imperative that local government officials not only understand the unique risks these attacks pose, but also how they can protect the vital services as smaller entities with limited budgets and staffing.

by Representatives Michael Marcotte, Stephanie Jerome and Monique Priestley Your voice matters more than you might realize — right now, it has the power to impact the lives of not only you and your children, but everyone else in the state. Please reach out to your State Senators and Representatives to urge them to override the Governor's veto of H.121, the Vermont Data Privacy Act and Kids Code. Every time you are connected to the Internet, you’re being tracked. What you search for online, your browsing history, what you buy, and your location are being collected by companies on the other side of your screens, smart speakers, and even your car. Your data is big business. Big Data has been active in our own backyard this legislative session, fighting to stop you from getting the privacy and security protections you deserve to the tune of $1 million in lobbying expenditures. When Governor Scott vetoed H.121, he mentioned the risks of passing protective measures. What he failed to mention were the risks of doing nothing – letting Big Data companies continue to exploit our information for profit.  

Vermont Retail & Grocers Association & Co-Signers H.121, a data privacy bill passed by the legislature and vetoed by Governor Scott, is a well-intentioned attempt to protect consumers’ personal data that misses the mark. In its current form, this bill will create major problems for Vermont’s businesses, consumers, and economy. Our organizations strongly support comprehensive data privacy legislation, but H.121 goes far beyond the measures adopted in neighboring states like Connecticut and New Hampshire, which we support as workable models. H.121 goes far beyond these measures and would make it harder for businesses to serve their Vermont customers than to serve those in other states. Unfortunately, when Vermont businesses tried to provide input throughout this policy-making process, they were routinely dismissed by some in the legislature as misinformed or as being influenced by big tech. This is an inaccurate characterization. Further, it has had a chilling effect on the ability of Vermont businesses to engage in the legislative process for fear of being villainized and of ramifications for their businesses.