Tuesday, April 28, 2015
The gun restrictions present significant legal questions that make them unlikely to pass the legislature, said Rep. Donna Sweaney (D-Windsor), chair of the House Government Operations Committee.
“I have a feeling Burlington would spend a lot of time in court if these pass,” Sweaney said.
Her committee is scheduled to hear from legislative lawyers Thursday morning about the three gun-related charter changes, but the committee's agenda includes no other meetings on the subject, signaling that no further action is planned. Vermont municipal charter changes are subject to legislative approval.
Tags: gun-control , charter changes , Vermont legislature , Burlington , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 27, 2015
Vermont won a partial victory Monday in defending a new law that would require labeling of genetically modified foods.
U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss denied the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s motion for a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the law’s enforcement. It is slated to go into effect in July 2016.
Her ruling also dismissed parts of the case challenging the law, but allows other portions to proceed — setting it on course for a trial.
“Today was a big step in moving this case forward,” said Attorney General Bill Sorrell. “There’s much to be happy about for those who think our foods containing genetic engineering should be labeled."
Key to the state’s case, Sorrell said, was Reiss’ finding that food labeling is within the state’s interests. “The safety of food products, the protection of the environment, and the accommodation of religious beliefs and practices are all quintessential governmental interests," she wrote, as is the intention to "promote informed consumer decision-making."
Tags: GMO labeling , genetically modified ingredients , Grocery Manufacturers Association , Bill Sorrell , Image , Web Only
According to the retirement-incentive plan laid out Monday by Administration Secretary Justin Johnson, the state would allow up to 300 state workers to take the bait. He told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the state has 915 employees who are eligible to retire but have chosen to keep working. The incentive would be based on the number of years worked, and would be capped at $15,000, Johnson said.
Tags: VSEA , Vermont legislature , retirement , Peter Shumlin , Image , Web Only
An inmate from the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield died Tuesday, five days after hanging himself inside the prison, the Vermont Department of Corrections said.
Fennseesy was serving a two-to-10-year sentence for burglary and unlawful trespass. His maximum release date is in 2019. His minimum passed in 2011.
Pallito said the incident has been referred to Vermont State Police. There are no indications of foul play, Pallito said. It has also been referred to the investigations unit of the Agency of Human Services, which can review any potential personnel problems inside the state's largest prison, and the Defender General's Office.
Fennessey was in general population and had a cellmate, the DOC said. He was not subject to checks given every 15 minutes for inmates believed to be suicide risks, Pallito said.
Tags: DOC , suicide , Andy Pallito , Image , Web Only
The trade association, which represents the nation's top soda producers and bottlers, spent far more on lobbying legislators last quarter than any other entity in Vermont, according to filings due to the secretary of state's office on Saturday.
Of the $513,000 the ABA spent in Vermont, more than $378,000 went to advertising aimed at turning public sentiment against the beverage tax, which appears unlikely to pass. The organization spent nearly $42,000 on polling, nearly $23,000 on phone-banking and $16,000 on lobbyist pay. Not included in the half-million-dollar total is another $25,000 that an allied organization, the Beverage Association of Vermont, spent retaining MMR, one of the top lobbying firms in Montpelier.
In total, according to the secretary of state's new, searchable database, 399 companies, nonprofits and trade associations paid 422 people to lobby the legislature during the first three months of the year. Some of those registered lobbyists worked for the 18 lobbying firms based in the state, while others were employed full time by the entities for which they advocated.
Last quarter, those who employ registered lobbyists in the Statehouse reported paying them nearly $3.1 million. They spent another $719,000 on advertising and related activities — and more than $18,000 on gifts, such as free meals and receptions for legislators.
Tags: Lobbying , Vermont , soda tax , American Beverage Association , Vermont State Dental Society , Every Town for Gun Safety , Gun Sense Vermont , Image , Web Only
When Duane Dunston graduated from Pfeiffer University in 1997, he took some time off before attending graduate school to teach English in Thailand. It was in Bangkok that Dunston got his first exposure to human trafficking. Local newspapers ran stories almost weekly about impoverished men, women and children who were forced or coerced into slavery for sex work or other labor under threats of violence to themselves and family members.
“The whole issue really stuck with me over the years," Dunston recalls, "but I was never quite sure what I could do about it because I’m a computer geek.”
Tags: tech , apps , human trafficking , Champlain Colllege , Burlington , Image , Web Only
Friday, April 24, 2015
Sorrell, the state's top law enforcement officer, has refused to appoint an independent counsel to investigate allegations that he took official action in exchange for campaign contributions and violated other campaign finance laws. The AG has denied the allegations and called it a waste of taxpayer money to investigate them.
Democratic, Republican and Progressive members of the Senate Committee on Government Operations say the situation has prompted them to question whether it's appropriate for an elected official to enforce his own compliance with the law.
"The fact that the attorney general is charged with investigating him or herself is clearly ridiculous," says Sen. Anthony Pollina (P/D-Washington), a member of the committee. "And then the idea that the attorney general should decide not to investigate him or herself because he doesn't believe there's any wrongdoing is really absurd."
The committee has invited Sorrell to testify next Tuesday on the idea and other changes it's considering to campaign finance laws. Other invitees include Vermont Republican Party vice chairman Brady Toensing, who filed a complaint against Sorrell last Sunday, as well as Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and his 2014 opponent, Dean Corren.
Tags: Bill Sorrell , Dean Corren , Jeanette White , Joe Benning , Anthony Pollina , Image , Web Only
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Sears (D-Bennington) was blunt that he wanted to avoid prolonging a difficult debate. “It’s a very emotional, very difficult issue,” Sears said. “I think people would just as soon move on.”
Gov. Peter Shumlin signaled Thursday that he’s likely to sign the bill, S. 141, though he didn’t firmly commit.
“The governor recognizes that the bill is a shadow of the original proposal he objected to and now goes a long way toward meeting reasonable concerns on both sides of this debate. But as usual, he will review the final bill after we have received it,” Shumlin spokesman Scott Coriell said in a written statement.
Tags: gun control , Peter Shumlin , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only
Tashiro has also worked at the FairTrade Foundation and at Coca Cola, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“He was a standout candidate in terms of his leadership potential, his character and his track record in a variety of different settings,” said Rachel Jolly, who chairs the City Market board of directors. She said the search committee, which interviewed four finalists, was impressed with Tashiro's background in retail sales and branding. Jolly also noted that he has experience managing a wide array of projects.
Tashiro, who could not immediately be reached for comment, has a bachelor’s degree in international business and economics from Sophia University in Japan.
Tags: City Market , South End , John Tashiro , Pat Burns , Image , Web Only
Johnson updated the House Appropriations Committee Thursday morning on the status of negotiations between the administration and the Vermont State Employees Association to achieve $10.8 million in labor savings requested by the governor in January.
The administration expects to cut $2 million by reducing the number of temporary workers it hires and trimming pay increases to exempt employees and other managers. It hopes to save another $2.5 million by encouraging those already eligible to retire to do so later this year, as VTDigger's Elizabeth Hewitt first reported.
That leaves $6.3 million to be found.
Johnson told the committee he expects to eliminate 300 positions through retirements, vacancies and involuntary reductions-in-force. But, he said, "I think that the RIFs are gonna ultimately be a relatively small part of that."
Tags: Peter Shumlin , Vermont State Employees Association , Justin Johnson , RIFs , Image , Web Only