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Green: Legislature enters crucial second half of session

Mon, 03/20/2023 - 11:49am -- tim

by Devon Green, Vice President of Government Relations, VAHHS We’re officially in the second half of the session. Anything that didn’t get passed out of its committee of jurisdiction is dead… unless it’s a money bill; or dispensation is requested; or it is turned into a committee bill; or it gets tacked on to a different bill. Nothing is ever truly dead until the gavel falls for adjournment. Key bills include: Workforce: A lot of movement on workforce this week with the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee passing out a workforce bill; The House Health Care committee is passing out the interstate counseling compact, the physical therapy licensure compact, the audiology and speech-language pathology compact and a psychology interjurisdictional compact; Adult Protective Services Bill: The House Human Services Committee advanced H.171, an update to the vulnerable adult abuse and neglect statute; Cybersecurity: This was the equivalent of a March Madness Cinderella basketball team—H.291 passed out of committee in a flash.

Outdoor recreation is at the center of Vermont tourism

Mon, 03/20/2023 - 11:13am -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine On the heels of one of Vermont’s largest snowfalls of the season, while skiers and snowboarders from neighboring states revel in fresh powder, Vermont will be celebrating Tourism Day at the State House on March 22, 2023. Throughout the day, industry leaders will engage with legislators and the governor to raise awareness to the collective contributions of the outdoor and visitor economy. Whether it’s hiking the Long Trail, biking in the Kingdom, camping at Gifford Woods State Park, skiing at Smuggler’s Notch Resort, or sailing on Lake Champlain, visitors and future Vermonters come to our state to enjoy the world class outdoor recreation landscape, which is at the center of Vermont’s visitor economy.

$14 million proposed to grow the agriculture economy

Mon, 03/20/2023 - 4:33am -- tim

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets As spring approaches, farmers are cultivating seedlings while the Legislature starts to wrap up their work in Montpelier. There will be a flurry of activity; some proposals will grow into law, but many will not. As these bills unfold, the agriculture community continues to advocate for a major initiative in the Governor’s budget that would make significant investments in produce, meat, and maple. We have presented this proposal to lawmakers as they deliberate the budget. This one-time $10 million dollar appropriation will allocate funding to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets to provide competitively awarded grants.

RALLYTHON raises over $102,000 to Support the UVM Children’s Hospital

Mon, 03/20/2023 - 3:14am -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine Hundreds of UVM students, faculty, and staff danced the night away on March 4th to raise funds and awareness for the UVM Children’s Hospital. RALLYTHON, UVM’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon, raised over $102,034.09 by the end of the evening. The total raised continues to grow post-event, and on Tuesday, April 4th, RALLYTHON’s student leadership team will present a check to UVM Children’s Hospital’s Chief of Pediatrics Lewis First, MD. RALLYTHON is planned and executed by a committee of 33 students from across campus.

Major wire fraud case in Addison County

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 5:32pm -- tim

by Mike Donoghue, Correspondent, Vermont Business Magazine A Bristol businessman, who authorities said defrauded more than 100 customers out of $165,000 for custom wood products he never delivered over the past year, has been arrested on federal wire fraud charges. David A. Conrad, 42, pleaded not guilty to the 5-count indictment when he appeared in US District Court in Burlington late Friday afternoon. Federal Magistrate Kevin Doyle agreed to release Conrad despite heavy objection by the prosecution, which noted the defendant had no stable place to live and may have serious mental health issues.  Conrad has been living in his truck in Burlington in recent days and it appeared he would continue to live there if released.

Person struck by Amtrak train in Waterbury dies

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 5:26pm -- tim

Vermont State Police On 03/17/2023 at approximately 1955 hrs., the Vermont State Police along with the Waterbury Fire Department and Waterbury Ambulance Service were called to a report of a person who had been struck by a northbound Amtrak passenger train on the railroad tracks adjacent to the Waterbury - Stowe Amtrak Station. The victim was found to be deceased and was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine Nature and Cause of Death. No passengers or Amtrak employees on the train were injured during the incident.

Vermont DEC seeks lake ice observations from the public

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 4:58pm -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermonters patiently wait for spring temperatures to arrive, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to report when Vermont’s lakes and ponds lose their ice cover. Also known as the “ice-out date,” this date marks when lakes or ponds become ice-free from shore to shore. Tracking ice-out dates helps DEC scientists decide when to begin seasonal water quality sampling efforts. When ice covers lakes, the water below separates into layers based on temperature and density. When the surface ice fully melts in the spring, the heavy cold water sinks and the water column fully mixes. Water samples collected at this time of mixing show the baseline amount of phosphorus a lake will have available to fuel algae and aquatic plant growth during the spring and summer.

Scott cabinet officials visit Lamoille County on ‘ARPA Tour’ Monday

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 1:48pm -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine Scott Administration officials will be visiting Lamoille County on Monday to continue their county tour to hear from community leaders about their unique infrastructure needs and to discuss the many funding opportunities available to them via federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Officials will offer guidance on how communities can apply for assistance with tangible economic development, housing, water and sewer, climate change mitigation measures, and broadband projects. While Officials will be using the day for various one-on-one support meetings in Lamoille County, a list of events open to the media and public are sorted by Agency or Department below.

Colberg, et al: All kids deserve access to nourishing foods in school

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 5:41am -- tim

by Karen Colberg Vermont businesses large and small are pillars of our local communities: providing goods and services, offering local employment opportunities, contributing to the local economy, and advocating for the well-being of our people. Ensuring our current workforce and their families have what they need is more than just good business – it’s about creating a thriving future for our communities and state. By supporting kids’ physical, mental and emotional development today through proper nutrition, we are investing in tomorrow’s workers and leaders. It is our job to care for our state’s students, so students can focus on their job — showing up to class able to concentrate and ready to learn all they need to become the skilled and creative people who will power Vermont’s future. It’s simple: no student should learn what hunger feels like at school.

Lake Champlain Chamber announces call for business and community award nominations

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 4:48am -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Chamber (LCC) has announced a call for nominations for its annual business and community awards. Businesses and individuals are encouraged to nominate candidates for the following awards: Business of the Year; A. Wayne Roberts Business Award; Emerging Leader Award; Workforce Innovation Award; Community Impact Award.

Vermont Law and Graduate School professors recognized as two of 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 4:42am -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine Meg York JD’15, professor and Family Law Project lead attorney and Jill Martin Diaz, professor and Vermont Immigrant Assistance (VIA) lead attorney, both part of the South Royalton Legal Clinic (SRLC) at Vermont Law and Graduate School, have been named as two of the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 in 2023 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Each year, 40 LGBTQ+ legal professionals under the age of 40 are recognized by the LGBTQ+ Bar for demonstrating a profound commitment to LGBTQ+ equality in their field. York and Martin Diaz are among a distinguished group of lawyers receiving this award; both identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, extending their advocacy within this community and respective legal fields.

Lawsuit settlement begins to open access to medical aid in dying

Sun, 03/19/2023 - 4:40am -- tim

Vermont Business Magazine Patient Choices Vermont (PCV) is pleased to announce the settlement of a lawsuit filed last August challenging the constitutionality of the Vermont residency requirement in our medical-aid-in-dying law (Act 39). The settlement means that plaintiff Lynda Shannon Bluestein, a terminally ill cancer patient from Connecticut, will now have access to medical-aid-in-dying services in Vermont. The settlement further stipulates that Vermont officials will support removal of the residency requirement from the law.

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