Thursday, March 10, 2016
Though legislators were already barred from raising such money for their personal campaign accounts until the end of the biennium, they had long skirted the rule by doing so through so-called leadership political action committees. Those PACs would invite lobbyists to mid-session fundraisers — featuring legislative leaders — and then direct the proceeds to legislators' reelection campaigns.
Last year's law banned the practice.
But as former U.S. Supreme Court justices John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day O'Connor once wrote, "Money, like water, will always find an outlet."
Last month, according to Vermont Democratic Party executive director Conor Casey, the House Democratic leadership PAC was dissolved, and its sole staff member, Katherine Levasseur, was absorbed by the state party. Levasseur is still working to elect House Democrats, but because she now reports to the party, which was not affected by last year's law, her salary can once again be paid with lobbyist contributions.
Tags: campaign finance , Shap Smith , Conor Casey , Sarah Copeland Hanzas , Kurt Wright , Patti Komline , Image , Web Only
The bill would also require retailers to display e-cigarettes in places accessible only to sales personnel — such as behind counters or in locked displays.
Their action means that the bill will come up for a vote in the House next week. It still has to be considered in the Senate.
Tags: Rep. Ann Pugh , Rep. George Till , Rep. Paul Dame , e-cigarettes , R.J. Reynolds , smoking , Rep. Jill Krowinski , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
"I think that's my last recourse," he told Seven Days .
But four of the five members of that panel, the Senate Rules Committee, said Wednesday that they oppose McAllister's request.
"We made a decision on this," said Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell (D-Windsor), who chairs the committee. "The Senate vote was very clear about suspension, so I don't think anything changes."
McAllister, who is facing criminal proceedings for multiple sexual assault charges, thinks something has changed. At the time of his suspension, he was scheduled to go on trial in February. That trial has since been delayed, and jury selection is now scheduled for May.
Tags: Norm McAllister , Vermont Senate , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Sanders picked up the support of three superdelegates Tuesday. Vermont Democratic Party chair Dottie Deans, party vice chair Tim Jerman and Secretary of State Jim Condos all announced their support for Sanders.
At a Statehouse press conference, Condos and Jerman cited Sanders’ margin of victory in Vermont’s March 1 primary. Sanders won nearly 86 percent of the vote, outpolled Clinton in every Vermont town and won all 11 of the state’s district delegates to the convention.
The state’s 10 superdelegates don’t have to base their support on the primary’s outcome, but Condos and Jerman said it was a factor for them.
“It's unprecedented for a candidate to win their own state by such an immense margin,” said Condos, who is a superdelegate because he serves as vice chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.
Tags: Senator , Jim Condos , Tim Jerman , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , presidential campaign , Image , Web Only
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Her hesitance was understandable. Many of Minter's top allies — including EMILY's List, whose support she was courting at the time — were squarely in Clinton's camp. Sanders, however, was the home-state senator and the choice of most Vermont Democrats whose votes she will need in August.
In an interview two weeks ago with WCAX's Kyle Midura, Minter disclosed that she was leaning toward voting for Sanders, saying, "I believe Bernie, uh, is going to be my candidate." But she declined to offer an explicit endorsement, explaining that she was focused on running her own campaign.
"Who I vote for is my business, but since you asked, I will let you know," she told Midura.
So it came as a surprise when Minter took the stage Tuesday at Sanders' election night rally in Essex and delivered a passionate speech calling on his supporters to "keep the fire Bern-ing."
"I'm here to tell you that I am so happy to be here tonight to support my senator, your senator, our senator, the next president of the United States!" she yelled to a crowd of roughly 4,000 potential voters.
Tags: Senator , Sue Minter , Matt Dunne , Bernie Sanders , presidential campaign , Recommended Reading , Image , Web Only
Monday, February 29, 2016
Gilbert, a mild-mannered former newspaper reporter, has become Vermont's leading advocate for civil liberties and privacy. He is a frequent presence in the Statehouse, where he often squares off against law enforcement, and a go-to guy for quotes for members of the media.
“It’s not enough to be outraged by an action taken by the government that you think is unfair or even unconstitutional,” Gilbert told Seven Days in a 2013 profile. “You have to be able to take that outrage and win your point, whether it be by legislation or litigation.”
Tags: Allen Gilbert , ACLU , police , law enforcement , Image , Web Only
Friday, February 26, 2016
The resolution supports the call for divestment that Gov. Peter Shumlin made in his State of the State address in January. He appealed directly to the Vermont Pension Investment Committee earlier this week.
Treasurer Beth Pearce has argued that decisions about how pension money is invested should be based on financial factors, not politics. But after Shumlin addressed the investment committee, she and VPIC agreed to look into possible divestment of coal and ExxonMobil stocks.
The House resolution focused on both the climate change and financial arguments for divesting from fossil fuel assets. It noted, for example, that a growing number of coal companies are filing for bankruptcy.
Tags: divestment , Gov. Peter Shumlin , Beth Pearce , Rep. Mary Sullivan , Vermont Pension Investment Committee , ExxonMobil , Image , Web Only
Thursday, February 25, 2016
The words “Governor Shumlin’s Anti-Drug Legacy” appeared in large type at the top of the full-page ad. Then, over an image of the governor: “SELL-OUT.”
What made the ad so mysterious was that its sponsor was not identified.
“Paid for by concerned Vermonters,” was all it said — in fine print, near the bottom of the page.
That had Shumlin wondering who paid for the ad — and whether it was legal.
“We’re trying to find that out,” he said Thursday morning. “You shouldn’t be able to run ads like that without saying who you are.”
Tags: Cannabeat , marijuana legalization , Peter Shumlin , Tim Trevithick , Image , Web Only
Shumlin clearly wanted to contrast his administration’s quick action with the slow response that Republican Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan had to the lead contamination of the drinking water in Flint.
Prompted by news that contamination had been detected in water sources in nearby Hoosick Falls, N.Y., the Department of Environmental Conservation took water samples from the municipal water source in North Bennington, and from wells at three homes, a business and the wastewater treatment plant. The test looked for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used to make Teflon. North Bennington was home to a Teflon manufacturer, and the company, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, still operates a plant in Hoosick Falls.
No PFOA contamination turned up in the town water supply, but levels exceeding what the Vermont Department of Health considers safe were found in the other wells, Shumlin said.
Tags: Gov. Peter Shumlin , PFOA , Department of Environmental Conservation , Alyssa Schuren , Sen. Dick Sears , drinking water , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Now the House Committee on General, Housing & Military Affairs is considering a bill that would ban private employers from requiring job applicants to disclose their criminal history on the initial job application. The bill would allow employers to query applicants later in the process, such as during interviews. That approach would let applicants explain their records and possibly provide character references.
Tags: ban the box , Dismas of Vermont , Gov. Peter Shumlin , Maribeth Spellman , T.J. Donovan , Image , Web Only