Here is what is in the massive $1.3 trillion spending bill
House Republicans released the text of a $1.3 trillion spending bill that must pass both chambers of Congress in order to avert a government shutdown Friday evening at midnight.
House committee approves slew of gun restrictions despite flood of opposition from Vermonters
Just days after Vermont’s pro-gun coalition issued a joint complaint to House leaders regarding a lack of accessibility to lawmakers, the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed S.55, which includes a handful of significant restrictions on Second Amendment rights.
The well-funded, ongoing campaign for universal pre-K in Vermont
In Vermont, the pros and cons of universal pre-K fall along party lines. Democrats and Progressives largely support it; Republicans and libertarians mostly oppose it. Yet much to the surprise of Vermont conservatives, Republican Gov. Phil Scott has been supportive of state pre-kindergarten expansion.
Trump: Sanctuary state places ‘innocent Americans at the mercy of hardened criminals’
“California put innocent Americans at the mercy of hardened criminals, hardened murderers in many cases,” Trump said Tuesday. “Democrats’ priority is to protect criminals, not to do what’s right for our country.”
New study shows minimum wage puts a damper on long-run earnings
Higher minimum wages actually reduced the long-run earnings of teenagers who were exposed to the higher minimum, according to a new study from the Mercatus Center.
Poverty Council sunsets, at crossroads to regroup or disband
The Vermont Poverty Council began ten years ago and its tenure is up. Now it faces a crossroads, and lawmakers must decide if it has a future, and what that future might be.
Roper: Those sneaky carbon tax supporters
Support for the carbon tax outside the Statehouse is driven primarily by influential big donors from the renewable energy industry. These folks would benefit mightily from a carbon tax.
Scott Pruitt will end EPA’s use of ‘secret science’ to justify regulations
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt will soon end his agency’s use of “secret science” to craft regulations. “We need to make sure their data and methodology are published as part of the record,” Pruitt said.
Student kicked out of Christianity class for challenging transgenderism wins case
The president of Indiana University Pennsylvania confronted recent campus challenges to the First Amendment on Monday and settled the case of a censored student.
Why this California city voted to defy state’s sanctuary law
A small California city has voted to exempt itself from a statewide sanctuary law, making it one of the few jurisdictions to formally reject the state’s resistance to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
Assessment suggests expansion of early education has support, but with some reservations
If the conclusions presented to House lawmakers last week are indicative of what’s to come on pre-kindergarten programs, Vermonters can expect to see increased calls for expanding early education on the taxpayer dime.
Trump backs death penalty for narcotics traffickers to combat opioid threat
President Donald Trump will continue his call to crack down on drug traffickers with the “ultimate penalty” as he discusses his strategy for combating the opioid crisis Monday.