Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark continued her efforts to protect medication abortions and reproductive health care yesterday by joining a pair of multi-state actions. In the first case, Attorney General Clark announced that she joined with 23 other attorneys general to file an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit arguing that the decision issued by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas would do serious harm to Americans’ access to the medication abortion drug, mifepristone. In the second multi-state action announced today, Attorney General Clark joined with 23 states to support reproductive health care as provided by the Title X program, the sole federal program dedicated to family planning services.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont Senate passed H.230, the gun violence prevention bill. This bill seeks to reduce gun violence and prevent deaths by suicide by instituting a negligent storage provision, expanding eligible petitioners for Extreme Risk Protection Orders to family or household members and creating a 72-hour waiting period for firearm transfers. The 19-9 vote would be one vote short of a veto override, should it come to that. There were two senators absent. "H.230 is the most far-reaching and comprehensive gun safety legislation since S.55 was signed on the steps of the Vermont State House in 2018. It will reduce suicides, it will reduce homicides, and it will not in any way infringe on self-defense, or traditional hunting and target shooting,” said Senate President Pro Tem Philip Baruth (D/P-Chittenden).

Vermont Business Magazine Although the day started with a steady rain, by the time the gates opened for the thirteenth Homebrew Festival produced by the Southwestern Vermont Chamber and Hopridge Farms, the weather had turned and the rain had stopped. Cloudy with a high of 50 degrees, the loyal crowd enjoyed a large variety of amateur brew at the festival in downtown Bennington, Vermont this past Saturday. The festival topped out at over 500 attendees, brewers, vendors, sponsors and volunteers. The festival opened its doors at noon to exclusive VIP ticket holders for a private tasting of both regional food and brews. The general ticket holders were able to attend from 1pm - 4pm.

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS Hold on tight. This is when being in the building matters most. Language changes come in at the last minute and the addition or deletion of one word can make a big difference. See below for what we’ve been following. Workplace Violence: The Senate concurred with the House changes to S.36, the workplace violence bill with one change—adding “tumultuous” back into the definition of disorderly conduct. The House will likely consider the amendment this week. Budget: The Senate budget maintained several rate increases and funding to assist the health care system. Workforce: The Senate-passed budget has several workforce development proposals. Mental Health: The mental health initiatives in the Senate-passed budget include $1.15 million for mobile crisis response expansion.

by Jared Duval As a kid, I grew up in a working class, lower-income, single-parent family and saw my Mom struggle to find reliable and affordable childcare options. More recently, like many other Vermont parents, my wife and I experienced the challenge of finding affordable childcare for our son. This long-standing, intergenerational challenge is long overdue to be addressed. That is why I am deeply grateful to the legislature for their work to improve and expand access to childcare via Senate Bill 56. The bill would accomplish this primarily by expanding the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP), which would reduce the cost of childcare for many Vermont families. But there’s a catch: to help fund the proposed childcare expansion, the bill passed by the Senate would repeal the Child Tax Credit.

Vermont Business Magazine A report released in April recognized the University of Vermont Health Network as one of the most transparent health systems in the country based on its efforts to make pricing available publicly. Turquoise Health analyzed more than 5,300 hospitals and health systems based on how well they are following a federal requirement to publish their negotiated rates with private insurers. The top score was assigned to hospitals and health systems that complied most completely with federal requirements by posting a machine-readable pricing file with negotiated, cash and list rates for a significant quantity of items and services. The UVM Health Network was one of 59 hospitals or health systems to receive the top score.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, April 26, the Environmental Justice Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School, on behalf of Lumber River Waterkeeper Jefferson Currie, environmental organizer Donna Chavis and Friends of the Earth, filed a complaint with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Civil Rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 alleging that North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) failure to adequately regulate the dry litter poultry industry illegally discriminates against Native, Black and Latino communities in Robeson, Duplin and Sampson Counties.

Vermont Business Magazine The VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, (VNAHSR), one of the state’s largest providers of skilled home health and hospice services, is proud to announce the recognition of two exceptional employees of the quarter, Francetta Tice, RN, as Clinical Employee of the Quarter and Angela Whitehead, Case Manager as Non-Clinical Employee of the Quarter. Employees of the Quarter are selected from nominations submitted by peers and acknowledge employees who go above and beyond their typical job duties and best reflect the agency values of honesty, excellence, accountability, teamwork, leadership, and helpfulness.

Vermont Business Magazine Before hitting the road this summer, Walmart wants you to know there is a day dedicated to your health: Wellness Day on Saturday, May 6 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Customers can receive free health screenings for things like glucose, cholesterol, BMI and blood pressure, as well as affordable immunizations like flu, COVID-19, shingles, tetanus, measles and others at pharmacies nationwide. Customers will also find an array of product offerings ranging from allergy relief options to vitamins and more. Walmart Wellness Day encourages families to prioritize their health by providing tools and resources to seek care, improve healthy lifestyles and maintain successful habits. Knowing your health numbers is just a start, but additional information allows people to make decisions and track progress.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) met today, on International Workers’ Day, with Julie Su, who has been nominated by President Biden to serve as Secretary of the Department of Labor. Su, who is currently Acting Secretary of Labor and served as Deputy Secretary of Labor prior to the departure of former Secretary Marty Walsh, advanced out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee last week.