Current News

by Betsy Bishop, President, Vermont Chamber of Commerce Today, the Vermont Chamber circulated the following message with the Vermont business community: “Your Voice Matters: Inform Legislators How $461 Million of New Taxes and Fees Would Impact You." Right now, legislators are considering a sweeping influx of new taxes and increased fees without reflecting on the long-term impacts it will have on their constituents. We are deeply concerned that Vermonters will be unable to weather the nearly half a billion in increased costs over the next two years that the Legislature is poised to pass this session. We want to be sure you understand what is being proposed.

by Bill Schubart A measure of the Vermont legislature’s commitment to Vermonters’ well-being is the extent to which it commits the money earned from licensing and taxing addictive substances and behaviors into education, prevention, treatment and recovery programs. As the legislature considers an act projected to harvest millions from online sports betting, it should also assess the damage gambling addiction will cause, what the State’s moral obligation to its citizens is, and how it might prevent or remediate that damage. As many as 10 million Americans live with a gambling addiction. The act of gambling itself is legal in most jurisdictions. 33 states have now legalized online sports betting, including 24 jurisdictions that allow online betting, which often makes it easier for people to rationalize risky gambling behaviors. Most people who have a gambling addiction don’t see it as a problem, however. For example, only 21 percent of incarcerated individuals diagnosed with a gambling addiction ever thought their gambling was a problem.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark on Monday joined a multistate coalition to challenge the decision issued by the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas that could restrict medication abortion access nationwide. The amicus brief, filed in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, urges the court to stay pending appeal of the district court’s ruling, which if allowed to take effect would halt the over two-decades old approval from the US Food and Drug Administration of the medication abortion drug mifepristone. Attorney General Clark and the coalition of 24 attorneys general warn that revoking federal approval for mifepristone will drastically reduce access to safe abortion care and miscarriage management for millions of people across the country, endangering lives, and trampling states’ authority to protect and promote access to abortion.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced the recipients of more than $4 million in federal funds for municipal grant projects through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). “These projects will further enhance and expand our state’s transportation infrastructure,” said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn. “Improvements to sidewalks, bike paths, and shared-use paths provide Vermonters more transportation options and improve their quality of life.” This year’s funding will be used for all TAP category types throughout Vermont. The TAP committee includes representatives from AOT, the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), and the Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies (VAPDA).

Vermont Business Magazine As more people start raising their own backyard chickens — whether to enjoy the ultimate in local eggs, or just for fun — it’s important to know the health risks associated with poultry so you can take basic steps to protect yourself, your family and your flock. Any domesticated bird kept for producing eggs or meat can carry harmful bacteria, including Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli, that make people sick. Backyard flocks can also be breeding grounds for viruses, such as avian influenza, also known as bird flu. Whether you are building your first coop or are a seasoned poultry owner, take precautions to protect yourself, your family, and your flock.

Vermont Business Magazine Signs of spring are appearing across the state, which means it’s time to think about which fruits, vegetables, and herbs to grow this season. Vermonters can buy seeds and seedlings that produce edible foods with 3SquaresVT benefits. 3SquaresVT is Vermont’s name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides eligible people monthly benefits to help pay for groceries. 3SquaresVT can be used at more than 600 retailers and 40 farmers’ markets across the state, many of which sell seeds and seedlings come springtime. Benefits can be used to buy seeds and plants at any retailer or farmers’ market that accepts EBT cards, which are mailed to 3SquaresVT participants once they enroll in the program. At most farmers' markets, shoppers with 3SquaresVT can use a program called Crop Cash to double their dollars and buy produce, seeds, and plants – and even get some gardening tips from expert farmers and growers.

by John McClaughry Every time a disturbed or hate-filled individual embarks on a murderous shooting spree, as at the Covenant School in Nashville last month, politicians rush to the media to urgently announce “we’ve got to do something” to stop “gun violence.” When pressed, they either propose that the government somehow “keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them”, or ban the private possession of some or all types of guns altogether. Over the years I have written half a dozen columns assessing the merits of such proposed remedies. At the risk of repeating myself, here are the most important insights.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont health leaders, including the Vermont Medical Society, the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, the Vermont Psychiatric Association the American College of Physicians Vermont Chapter and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Vermont Chapter, strongly believe that everyone should have access to reproductive care that includes safe and legal abortion. “We vehemently oppose regulations, restrictions, or mandates that impede access to evidence-based care. Our organizations denounce the decision by the federal District Court in Texas issued last Friday that intends to restrict access to mifepristone and interfere with the ability of health care clinicians to deliver the highest quality evidence-based care for their patients."

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations Going into this week, the big thing on my mind is the House Judiciary Committee’s discussion on the violence against health care workers bill, S.36. The Committee has had wide-ranging discussion and is grappling with how best to protect health care providers and patients. This is a difficult topic, and VAHHS appreciates their work. Workplace Violence: The House Judiciary Committee heard from several witnesses with concerns over how S.36, which allows for warrantless arrest for certain misdemeanors would apply to a patient who is not stabilized. Advocates testified that patients might not seek treatment if they are in fear of being arrested. The committee is interested in narrowing the scope of the bill. There will likely be an amended version and further discussion this week.

by Executive Director Jill Mazza Olson The legislative session reached an important milestone with the passage of the Budget by the House. Policy committees are taking up bills that “crossed over” from one body of the legislature to the other in advance of a deadline imposed by House and Senate leaders. While there are procedural mechanisms that can allow a bill that failed to meet the crossover deadline to pass in the same legislative session, in general bills that failed to meet the deadline will not be finished this session. Because this is the first year of a two-year biennium, some policy bills may pass only one chamber this session with the expectation that they will be taken up by the other chamber next year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Yoga Place, located on 532 Main Street in downtown Bennington, held free yoga classes during heart health month to benefit Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s Cardiology Services. The Valentine’s Day weekend classes attracted many new faces to the practice of yoga. Those who attended graciously donated $535 to benefit SVMC’s Cardiac Rehabilitation.