Tuesday, March 16, 2021
“But from my standpoint, it’s almost like we’re back to where we were pre-pandemic in terms of having businesses open and being able to freely travel throughout the United States,” Scott said of midsummer during one of his twice-a-week COVID-19 briefing.
Tags: COVID-19 , Phil Scott , governor , briefing , coronavirus , business , opening , vaccine , Web Only , Image
The bill, S.15, would require town clerks to mail ballots to all active, registered voters ahead of general elections — the same way the state handled last year's presidential election. Voters could then mail their ballots, deliver them to the polls or vote in person.
The bill passed on a voice vote, with only three of 30 senators opposed: Sen. Brian Collamore (R-Rutland), Sen. Joshua Terenzini (R-Rutland) and Sen. Russ Ingalls (R-Essex-Orleans).
After passage, Gov. Phil Scott said at an unrelated press conference that he supports the bill, though he would prefer to see the mail-in provision expanded to cover all elections. Senators on Wednesday are expected to debate a proposal to do just that. They would then give final approval to the bill and send it to the House.
Presenting the bill on the floor, Sen. Jeanette White (D-Windham) said mail-in voting increases participation without sacrificing security. She noted that 75 percent of more than 372,00 ballots cast last November were sent through the mail.
"Elections are the very cornerstone of our democracy," White said, "and the [basis] of the election is the individual's voice."
Tags: voting , mail-in , elections , Vermont , ballots , Web Only , Image
Friday, March 12, 2021
The bill, S.30, would have initially made it a misdemeanor crime to bring guns into hospitals, childcare facilities and publicly owned buildings. But the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday passed a version that applies only to hospitals while calling for a study of whether there's a need for greater restrictions at the Statehouse Capitol Complex.
The committee advanced the measure by a 3-1 margin, with the lone no vote cast by Sen. Joe Benning (R-Caledonia). The committee's actual split may have been even closer: Sen. Jeanette White (D-Windham) was absent because of an illness but had consistently expressed opposition to the bill.
The bill will next come before the full Senate, where it is expected to pass given that 16 Democrats — a majority of the chamber — signed on to the initial version. It would then head to the House, where its fate is uncertain. Gov. Phil Scott has not weighed in on it.
Tags: guns , firearms , hospitals , legislation , gun control , Vermont , Senate , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Starting next week, BIPOC Vermonters eligible for a vaccine can bring household members to be inoculated, even if they aren’t otherwise eligible. The state employed a similar strategy for New American households.
The move comes in response to data that shows BIPOC Vermonters have been more likely to be infected with COVID-19, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said on Tuesday during one of two weekly briefings on the coronavirus. They are also less likely to obtain vaccinations than white, non-Hispanic Vermonters, he said.
BIPOC Vermonters make up only 6 percent of the state’s population but have had 18 percent of its COVID-19 cases, Levine said, with significantly higher rates of hospitalization. About 20 percent of white Vermonters have received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to 9 percent of Black Vermonters and 3.8 percent of Indigenous Vermonters.
Tags: COVID-19 , vaccine , Vermont , BIPOC , eligibility , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
“Doug, having a real problem with what [House] Commerce proposed,” wrote Sirotkin, the chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, to state Auditor Doug Hoffer. Earlier that day, Hoffer had issued a memo to lawmakers about a proposed $10 million Gap Recovery Grants program. The program is part of a larger coronavirus relief measure that was first proposed by the Scott administration as part of the Budget Adjustment Act.
Hoffer noted that there’s no way for the state to recoup grant money if a business is later determined to have been ineligible.
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
The Senate Government Operations Committee voted 4-1 to support the bill, S.15, which now heads to money committees that will assess the cost.
The measure would require town clerks to mail out ballots to all active, registered voters for general elections, pandemic safety issues or not. Every voter would have the chance to return their ballot by mail, deliver it to the polls, or vote as they always have in person.
A key element of the bill would allow people who make errors when filling out their ballots to fix the problem and still have their votes count. During last year’s dramatic expansion of voting by mail, the rate of defective ballots also spiked.
Tags: voting , vote by mail , election , defective ballots , Vermont , Web Only , Image
Monday, February 22, 2021
The Inn at Water's Edge is one of many Vermont businesses that missed out when the state and federal government were handing out grants to help businesses stay solvent last year. While the inn did receive a $12,500 Paycheck Protection Program loan, it wasn’t eligible for any of the $340 million that the state gave out to businesses. It hadn’t been open long enough under its new ownership to show financial comparisons from the prior year, a requirement of the grant application.
Tags: Vermont , business , Waters Edge Inn , Statehouse , Web Only , Image
Monday, February 15, 2021
Scott McNeil, who took over as executive director of the party in September 2019 after two years in a similar role in North Dakota, will stay on for an undisclosed amount of time to "help ease this transition," the political org wrote in a three-paragraph press release.
The release did not quote McNeil, and he could not be reached for comment Monday night.
Tags: Scott McNeil , Vermont Democratic Party , Resignation , Web Only , Image
Thursday, February 11, 2021
"There is no vision, no plan, and no structure," Kevin Burgess, the director of party affairs and outreach, wrote in a scathing resignation email sent to party officials Thursday afternoon. "Multiple attempts to rectify this, through union representation and staff conversations, have not resulted in any remedies.
"Instead, leadership turns a blind eye to the concerns and needs of staff," he continued. "While I don't mean to speak for anyone else, I am not the only Vermont Democratic Party staffer who feels this way."
Tags: Vermont Democratic Party , Kevin Burgess , Resignation , 'Toxic' , Web Only , Image
Thursday, February 4, 2021
The 22-8 vote by the full Senate follows the Natural Resources and Energy Committee's unanimous vote to reject the order last week.
Scott’s January 14 order sought to shift decision-making power from the nine district commissions that currently review development applications to a professional, statewide Natural Resources Board.
Tags: Act 250 , Phil Scott , executive order , environment , development , Web Only , Image