Vermont universal school meals bill looks to boost local farm food
As lawmakers aim to make universal school meals a permanent measure, they are also looking to make sure more of those meals are made with local food.
Biden admin opens investigation into Shelburne Community School over alleged race-based student groups
Parents Defending Education, a group focused on parental rights, filed a civil rights complaint against Shelburne Community School in January for allegedly creating exclusive groups specifically for students and staff who were Black, Indigenous, People of Color.
What does S.5 do? Even committee members aren’t sure
As the House Environment and Energy Committee moves toward wrapping up its deliberation of the clean heat standard bill, there is still a serious misconception out there that the amendment added to the bill requiring a “check back” in 2025 effectively makes this a study bill.
Scott: Raising Department of Motor Vehicle fees 20% is ‘regressive’, ‘not needed’
With House Bill 479 sitting with the Senate Committee on Transportation, Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Joe Flynn, who serves as secretary of the Transportation Department, denounced the bill’s efforts to raise Department of Motor Vehicle fees by 20%. The bill passed out of the House of Representatives on March 30 with a 100-39 vote.
House committee weighs income concerns during S.5 greenhouse gas bill review
As Vermont’s push toward net zero emissions in the coming decades goes full steam ahead, the cost of making the transition feasible for the state’s low- and moderate-income residents has become a growing concern. Members of the House Committee on Environment and Energy are looking at ways of offering benefits to residents in both income brackets.
New book ‘Small Farm Republic’ gives blueprint to revive the small farm economy
“Small Farm Republic” is a new book by farmer and former gubernatorial candidate John Klar that challenges government policies that hurt small farms, and provides a blueprint for making local agriculture thrive again.
Vermont Family Alliance shares sobering data with lawmakers on gender-affirming care
On Wednesday, Renee McGuinness of the Vermont Family Alliance testified before the House Healthcare Committee about S. 37, a bill concerning access to legally protected health care activity, including allowing “gender-affirming care” for youth.
S.37 legalizes lower health care standards for abortion/transgender providers
S.37, the gender-affirming/abortion services law, intentionally lowers medical standards for abortion and transgender care providers, Vermont Right to Life policy analyst Sharon Toborg told the House Health Care Committee Tuesday afternoon.
Taxpayer-funded Facilitated Peer Support Group for Kurn Hattin survivors
The legacy of Vermont residential school Kurn Hattin continues to be conflicted, as a legislative effort unfolds to provide an on-line support group for victims of abuse at the controversial school.
Vermont receives federal funding for water infrastructure improvements
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that $47,971,000 in federal dollars from the Environmental Protection Agency will be given in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont. The funding is earmarked for upgrades to wastewater and stormwater systems.
Multiple witnesses testify that the poor will be hurt by clean heat standard bill
The committee heard from several different perspectives, among them a fuel dealer specializing in clean heat options, a home renovation and construction contractor, and a finance expert. They all shared a common thread — this bill will hurt low-income Vermonters.
Illegal entries at U.S. northern border continue to surge
Federal agents patrolling the U.S.-Canadian border in Vermont, upstate New York and New Hampshire continue to apprehend record numbers of foreign nationals illegally entering the U.S. from Canada. These are the highest numbers ever recorded in Swanton Sector history.