Those voting yes believe the bill would encourage and help landlords who own blighted or vacant rental properties to bring them up to code, increasing the overall amount of rental housing available in the state. Those voting no believe this would cripple Vermont’s short-term rental industry, such as Airbnb’s.
There have been 219 new COVID cases in Vermont in the past week, down 130 from the prior week and down 85% since April. Cases are also falling significantly all through the northeast region.
After receiving at least $5.4 billion in federal relief over the past year to ease shutdown-induced economic hardships, Vermont is now “digging out and building back” its economy, according to the Public Assets Institute.
This year’s legislative session saw two gun-control bills pass their respective chambers, but neither bill advanced beyond that, and both are expected to advance further next year.
The purpose of the bill is to mandate that construction contractors register with the state and conform to certain regulatory requirements in order to legally do business on residential homes in Vermont.
The Vermont Senate finished the 2021 legislative session Friday much the way it began, focusing on social justice themes, including one resolution condemning anti-Asian hate, and another marking the anniversary of the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd.
The Vermont Senate on Thursday adopted J.R.H.6, a joint resolution originating in the House that declares racism is a public health emergency.
During a forum Tuesday evening, several critics of the Secretary of State’s office took aim at what they describe as a lack of security protocols in Vermont’s current mail-in voting system and also lamented a lack of media coverage on the topic.
Those voting yes believe low-income children living in rural areas do not have adequate access to medical care, dental care, housing or nutritious food. A lack of any of these can hamper a child’s capacity to learn, making it the obligation of the Legislature to provide them what civil society has not.
A family member of an elderly woman in the care of Barre Gardens, a nursing home in Barre City, says the state’s COVID-19 policies for patients and their families are violations of their rights.
At least 100 Vermonters gathered Saturday on the steps of the Vermont Statehouse to show their support of police and to protest government COVID restrictions.
During Monday’s meeting committee members additionally emphasized the importance of — and discussed methods for — identifying and interrupting biases in the hiring process to create a more level playing field for people of all class backgrounds and racial and gender identities.