Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Thursday, June 15 will hold an Executive Session to mark up legislation at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Vermont Business Magazine Few birding experiences rival hearing the haunting call of the loon or seeing them glide by in protected coves on a lake.  However, for the birds’ protection, Vermont Fish and Wildlife is asking boaters and anglers to enjoy loons from a safe distance this summer. “Loons were removed from Vermont’s endangered species list in 2005, but they face continued threats from human disturbance during the breeding season and ingestion of fishing gear,” said Rosalind Renfrew, wildlife biologist with Vermont Fish and Wildlife.

Vermont Business Magazine The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge Junior Waterfowl Hunter Training Program is being offered to young hunters who want to learn more about the sport of waterfowl hunting and experience a high-quality waterfowl hunt. The program is offered to youngsters 12 to 17 years of age who have an adult waterfowl hunter to serve as a mentor. 

by Mike Donoghue, VermontBiz Correspondent A Northfield man, who officials say embezzled about $560,000 from an Upper Connecticut Valley non-profit, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Burlington on Wednesday to three counts of wire fraud. John Van Vught, 72, defrauded ValleyNet Inc., a non-profit that had a contract to operate fiber-to-home internet networks serving customers in east-central Vermont and Lyme, N.H., the indictment said. He worked under a contract and served as the bookkeeper for ValleyNet. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott signed five bills into law, including the capital bill and sports betting as expected, and despite reservations allowed two others -- universal school meals legislation and the cannabis bill -- to become law without his signature. For the several bills that the governor previously vetoed, like the budget (which eventually must be passed) and the child care bill, lawmakers will hold a "veto" session beginning Wednesday, June 21. 

Vermont Business Magazine As millions of Americans face uncertainty around their federal student loan debt, the College for All Act of 2023, as introduced today by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), allows students to attend public colleges and universities tuition free. It also ensures that the vast majority of students who enroll at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) can attend tuition- and debt-free.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) joined Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Tom Carper (D-DE) to support the Stop Fentanyl Overdoses Act last month, legislation to advance a public health-oriented approach to the substance use crisis by expanding testing for fentanyl and related substances, promoting information sharing and data collection across public health departments and public safety officials, and advancing other public health initiatives to address the substance use crisis. The bill follows recent reports from the State of Vermont that fatal overdoses involving opioids have reached their highest point since the state began tracking them more than a decade ago. 

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) yesterday introduced two pieces of legislation that would close eligibility gaps to ensure millions more veterans regardless of income, as well as the National Guard and Reserve service members, can access health care through the VA. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined Sanders on the Department of Veterans Affairs Income Eligibility Standardization Act, and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Welch joined Sanders on the National Guard Health Care Access and Expansion Act. Currently, 4.7 million veterans across the U.S. cannot access health care through the VA because of inconsistent enrollment policies for a category titled Priority Group 8 – a grouping currently determined by whether the veteran’s gross household income is above the VA national income threshold of $43,834. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living (DAIL) is proud to join the international community in observing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on June 15th. WEAAD, launched by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations in 2006, aims to unite communities globally in raising awareness about elder abuse and promoting justice for older adults. Elder abuse is a pervasive issue: An estimated 1 in 10 older Americans experience elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation each year. 

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger and Burlington Electric Department (BED), joined by partners from CarShare Vermont, Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), and Vermont Low Income Trust for Electricity (VLITE), announced today the annual update to the City’s Net Zero Energy (NZE) Roadmap from newly installed electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot of the Old North End (ONE) Community Center. Burlington emissions remain lower overall by 11.2 percent compared to the 2018 baseline.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today introduced the E-Access Act, legislation to facilitate the clean energy transition by helping consumers access their utility data and share that data with third parties. Families and businesses rely on home energy usage data to make decisions about energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades—but that data is difficult to access, making it harder for consumers to reduce their energy consumption, switch to new energy sources, and take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act programs to facilitate those upgrades.   

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Basin Program, in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and Québec Ministry of Environment, will host a meeting to provide an update on the condition of Missisquoi Bay and efforts to improve water quality in the bay. All stakeholders and interested members of the public are invited to attend the meeting in St. Albans, Vermont on June 13, 2:30-4:00 p.m. Vermont and Québec share Missisquoi Bay and its watershed. The bay's water quality has consistently exceeded standards for phosphorus concentrations in recent decades. Excess phosphorus pollution fuels cyanobacteria blooms in the bay nearly every summer.