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.

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.

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.

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.

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.