Current News

by Joan Goldstein, Commissioner, Department of Economic Development Quoting is underway for Vermont Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI). State employees are already enrolled in the program and, starting July 1st, businesses with two or more employees can offer Vermont FMLI. FMLI is highly customizable and it is voluntary. Employers must opt-in to participate. Vermont FMLI is fully insured and self-funded, meaning it relies on no public money. Also, The Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program run by the Vermont Economic Progress Council released its 2023 Annual Report. Inside you can learn more about this tool that spurs growth in downtowns, including the success of Winooski’s TIF which helped grow the Onion City’s grand list from $25 million in 2004 to $104 million today.

Vermont Business Magazine Spring has arrived and it's the perfect time for some cleaning. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) encourages residents to properly dispose of or recycle unwanted household items. DEC Commissioner Jason Batchelder urges homeowners "to keep hazardous and recyclable materials out of the trash. Proper disposal not only protects our communities but also reduces the risks associated with harmful chemicals and potential battery fires." Unwanted items like old TVs, leftover fluorescent light bulbs, mercury thermostats, leftover paint, and expired batteries can be taken to free special recycling locations across the state. Special recycling collections save natural resources, reduce carbon emissions and waste, and provide materials that are made into new products, like Local Color Paint, appliances, and batteries.

Vermont Outdoor Guide Association While communities are struggling with funding for education and citizens are left hanging with exorbitant property taxes, some elected officials are spending their time attempting to bring down a wildlife management system that has benefited all Vermonters. When I think of Vermont, I think about the wildlife that we have the good fortune to experience. From non-game to game species, from our fisheries to forests that are homes to a wide variety of wildlife we are truly fortunate. This abundance of wildlife has not come about by accident. Sportsmen and women have been involved in planning and funding wildlife management programs for decades. Fish and Wildlife Department's biologists and the Fish and Wildlife Board should be congratulated for a job well done. Instead, the Senate Bill No. 258 proposes to disrupt this system by placing anti-hunting individuals on the F&W Board and stripping the board of its rulemaking authority and instead make it an advisory body to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

Saint Michael’s College celebrated diversity, equity and inclusion during DEI Week, which kicked off on April 1, with events continuing through April 10. During the opening remarks, Omara Rivera-Vázquez, Ph.D., who is the Director of the Center for Equity and Justice at Saint Michael’s, said the mission of the week was to highlight the equity work that is being done at Saint Michael’s. “We aim to inspire students, staff, faculty, to begin to do the work in their own lives and to become more compassionate, educated global citizens. Most importantly, we want to encourage members to take action and become equity practitioners,” Rivera-Vázquez said. Margaret Bass, Ph.D., was the keynote speaker and other events included an Edmundite panel and a presentation from Sefakor G.M.A. Komabu-Pomeyie, Ph.D., on disability.

Vermont Business Magazine This week, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) was awarded the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians’ (NAEMT) ‘Legislator of the Year Award,’ which he accepted at the association’s Annual “EMS On the Hill Day” with EMS professionals and health care advocates. Earlier this year, Senator Welch introduced the Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-scene Care and Support (EMS ROCS) Act, bicameral legislation that ensures EMS providers are reimbursed for care provided on-scene, regardless of whether transportation to the hospital is required. The bill is co-sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and was introduced in the House by Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL). 

Vermont Business Magazine The Miss Vermont Scholarship Organization (MVSO) has announced that two new state titleholders were selected last weekend at the annual Miss Vermont Scholarship Competition held in Stowe at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center. Meara Seery is Miss Vermont 2024 and Charlee Royer is Miss Vermont’s Teen 2024. Seery, is a 24-year-old native of Brattleboro and a 2022 graduate of The George Washington University. She holds a BFA in Photojournalism and currently works as a digital producer for a member of Vermont’s US Congressional Delegation. Royer is a 15-year-old native of Newport, Vermont, who plans to obtain a doctorate in Psychiatry. In addition to receiving a $2,500 scholarship, she is also the recipient of a full academic scholarship to the University of Alabama through the Miss America Opportunity valued at over $100,000. 

Vermont Business Magazine Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, one of the nation’s most accomplished diplomats and the Representative of the United States to the United Nations, has been named as the University of Vermont’s 2024 commencement speaker. In addition to speaking to this year’s graduating students, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield will receive an honorary degree during the UVM’s Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield grew up in Baker, Louisiana, a small town located near Baton Rouge. As a teenager, she developed an interest in international affairs when the Peace Corps opened a training center in her town. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school and earned her B.A. at Louisiana State University. She later obtained a master of public administration degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with the Governor's Office, Department of Public Safety, Office of Racial Equity, and Council for Equitable Youth Justice, has awarded grants totaling $4.75 million to 12 organizations in nine counties to support violence prevention in their communities. The grants are offered through the Community Violence Prevention Program, created last year by the Legislature as part of Act 23. The awards are designed to fund programs that address the causes of youth and community violence, and increase community capacity to implement programs and policies that address topics such as illegal drug activity, human trafficking, gangs, gender-based violence, guns and gun safety, bullying, hazing, and harassment.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that on April 19, 2024, Paul Bateman, 47, a citizen of the United Kingdom who previously resided in Laos, was sentenced in the United States District Court following his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including the opiates Tapentadol and Tramadol, as well as other drugs that required a prescription. Bateman had been extradited from the United Kingdom to face charges. Chief Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford sentenced Bateman, who has spent approximately 20 months in custody, to a sentence of time-served, with no supervision to follow, as the defendant is expected to be deported to the United Kingdom upon the completion of his sentence. Previously sentenced in connection with this case were Bateman’s co-conspirators, Samir Doshi and Rebecca Buckley

Vermont Business Magazine Recognizing this urgent moment for American higher education and our democracy, Bennington College is joining sixty other college presidents of diverse institutions from across the country to advance higher education’s pivotal role in preparing students to be engaged citizens and to uphold free expression on campus. Through College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a unique consortium designed by the presidents and convened by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, participating presidents are dedicated to preparing the next generation of well-informed, productively engaged, and committed citizens; defending free expression, civil discourse, and critical inquiry as essential civic norms; and increasing thoughtful engagement and better understanding by students for the effective functioning of our democracy. The consortium, first announced with 15 members in August 2023, has grown significantly, demonstrating momentum for this movement.  

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute A projected jump in school taxes next year has everyone’s hair on fire in Montpelier. But before taking drastic action, legislators and the administration ought to take the time to assess all of the reforms of recent years to understand what’s really going on. Nobody is saying that the double-digit increases in education spending and likely tax bills this year are sustainable, including many voters. In a normal year, a handful of school budgets get voted down while 90-95 percent of them pass. This year, a third went down, some more than once. The voters spoke and rejected increases that felt too high. But does that mean Vermont needs more funding reform? It’s too soon to tell. Let’s look at how we got here. 

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, US Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) introduced a resolution to recognize the significant ecological and cultural role of lake sturgeon in Vermont and around the country. The resolution emphasizes the need for increased conservation efforts for lake sturgeon sustainability, as a keystone species and indicator of freshwater ecosystem health. Lake sturgeon is one of the largest North American freshwater fish, often considered living fossils with lifespans sometimes surpassing 150 years. Found across the Northeast, the Great Lakes, and Canada, slow reproduction coupled with historical overfishing, invasive species, and habitat degradation have caused declines in local lake sturgeon populations. As a result, many states—including Vermont—have listed the species as an endangered, threatened, or otherwise protected species.