Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Gov. Peter Shumlin's budget writers and the Legislature's fiscal advisors identified Medicaid as the cause of most of the money troubles.
Of the $40 million of unplanned expenses in the current budget, $36 million is in Medicaid. That includes $10 million needed to cover a 53rd week of Medicaid payments. The Shumlin administration and the Legislature failed to plan for this expense in the budget bill enacted last spring.
Similarly, $53 million of next year's projected gap of $58 million is in the Medicaid program.
Medicaid is a subsidized health insurance program that has seen its rolls swell and use increase. The state budgeted $1.68 billion for Medicaid this year. The state's share of this cost is about $700 million, with the federal government picking up the tab for the rest.
The Shumlin Administration will present its plan to address the current budget gap on Dec. 14.
Tags: State budget , Medicaid , Justin Johnson , Tom Kavet , Don Turner , Heidi Scheuermann , Sarah Copeland Hanzas , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
"I have personally satisfied my concerns about the process and I am comfortable with continuing with the process," he said. "I think it is safe and well-run and we should continue."
Like fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lisman and more than 30 governors across the country, Scott questioned the security of the program after the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, allegedly perpetrated by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
But as WPTZ's Stewart Ledbetter first reported Tuesday, Scott had a change of heart after taking part in a U.S. Department of State conference call last Friday and meeting with Vermont Department of Public Safety officials Tuesday in Waterbury. The meeting included DPS Commissioner Keith Flynn and Deputy Commissioner Joe Flynn.
"I learned a lot from [DPS officials] about where some of the security risks really are," he said, pointing to student visas and the Canadian border as areas of concern. "I came away being much more comfortable than I was and having a better understanding of what that process is. I've also reached out to the [Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program], hoping to meet with them as well."
Tags: Phil Scott , refugee resettlement , Syria , Matt Dunne , Vermont Democratic Party , Image , Web Only
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Following last week's terrorist attacks in Paris, two Republican candidates — Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and retired Wall Street banker Bruce Lisman — told Vermont Public Radio Tuesday that they would like to temporarily halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States. Authorities have blamed the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for the attacks, which killed at least 129 people, but news accounts have indicated that most, if not all, of the suspects were French and Belgian nationals.
On Thursday, Democratic candidate Matt Dunne accused his Republican opponents of "playing to our worst fears."
"I have to say that when I heard Phil Scott's position on it, I was extremely disappointed," said Dunne, a community affairs director at Google and a former state senator. "I would have hoped that Phil would be someone who would not just fall in line with the right-wing Republicans in Congress."
Meanwhile, Scott appeared to walk back the tone, if not the substance, of his comments.
"When asked what I would do, I probably should have gone a little further to explain that I don't understand the situation and I certainly don't feel like we can pause or stop the refugee program in its entirety," he said. "But I do honestly feel the highest obligation of any government is to ensure the safety and security of every citizen."
Tags: Syrian refugees , Vermont , Matt Dunne , Phil Scott , Sue Minter , Bruce Lisman , Peter Shumlin , Image , Web Only
It's the second time this year that the Office of the State Auditor has pulled the curtain back on one of the most problem-ridden and complicated initiatives of state government.
Vermont Health Connect is an online health insurance marketplace that individuals without insurance from work use to purchase coverage. Launched two years ago, it has lurched unevenly into operation, frustrating thousands of customers with its failed technologies. It was to be the portal for small employers that provide insurance to their workers, too, but that function has never worked.
Tags: Vermont Health Connect , Doug Hoffer , Hal Cohen , healthcare , policy , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
"I am stepping away today because it is the right thing to do," Smith said during a 2 p.m. news conference. He added that it is unlikely he will resume his campaign. He did not endorse another candidate.
In a short, emotional statement, Smith explained that his wife, Melissa Volansky, had received her breast cancer diagnosis earlier in the fall and undergone surgery — which the family had hoped would be all the treatment required. Last week they learned that doctors advised additional treatment.
"We are optimistic that she will make a full recovery, but as so many Vermonters know, a diagnosis like this reshapes one's priorities," Smith said. "This is a time during which Melissa and the kids need me most."
A clutch of Smith's closest supporters watched with glum faces as he announced his withdrawal from the 2016 race.
"Sad, very sad," said Selene Hofer-Shall, a fundraising and operations consultant for his campaign. When asked who she might support in the gubernatorial race instead of Smith, she said, "That is a tomorrow problem."
Tags: Shap Smith , Image , Web Only
Monday, November 16, 2015
“The trend of rising incarceration has been reversed,” Shumlin said in a press conference outside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington. “That’s not only right for our hearts, it’s right for our pocketbooks and our heads.”
Shumlin, Attorney General Bill Sorrell and other officials credited programs that divert non-violent offenders from the court system into treatment programs, including a DUI Court in Windsor and the Rapid Intervention Community Court in Chittenden County. Shumlin said 800 defendants are enrolled in such programs.
The governor also touted laws that reduce inmate recidivism, decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and ban government agencies from asking job applicants about their criminal history. Shumlin said he would support similar legislation banning the practice by companies in the private sector in Vermont.
Vermont is down to 1,734 inmates, a level that was last reached in the early 2000s, and a reduction from around 2,100 inmates one year ago. It costs $62,000 a year to incarcerate someone in a Vermont prison.
Tags: cannabis related , criminal justice reform , DOC , Lisa Menard , Peter Shumlin , prison , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
David Scherr, a 33-year-old former chair of the Chittenden County Democratic Party, emailed friends and supporters to say that he would run for Senate in 2016.
The Burlington attorney, who specializes in juvenile, family and criminal law, says his work defending those struggling to get by has inspired him to seek public office.
Tags: David Scherr , Chittenden County , Vermont Senate , Image , Web Only
Sen. David Zuckerman (P/D-Chittenden) joined a growing roster of candidates running for lieutenant governor Tuesday, announcing that he plans to seek the Democratic nomination.
“I bring a lot to the table, having worked with Vermonters on a lot of issues,” Zuckerman said, adding that he wants to promote a strong, rural economy and address climate change. “I have a lot of experience and connections across the state.”
Zuckerman, 44, served 14 years in the Vermont House, representing Burlington. He took a two-year hiatus from politics while moving his organic farm to Hinesburg. Zuckerman won election the Vermont Senate in 2012 and reelection in 2014. He and his wife, Rachel Nevitt, have one daughter, Addie.
The Massachusetts native, a University of Vermont graduate, was an early advocate for same-sex marriage and, in 2013, successfully pushed to require the labeling of genetically modified foods. He is lead sponsor of a bill to legalize marijuana. Earlier this year, he fought unsuccessfully to preserve the state’s philosophical exemption for childhood vaccination.
Tags: cannabis related , David Zuckerman , lieutenant governor , Vermont , Image , Web Only
Monday, November 9, 2015
The 34-year-old Montpelier native said last week he plans to return to Vermont after a decade living in the Washington, D.C., area and that he was exploring a run for lieutenant governor as a Democrat in next year’s election.
Monday morning, however, Secretary of State Jim Condos said that after studying residency requirements for candidates in the Constitution of Vermont and consulting with the Attorney General’s Office, “We are not sure how Mr. Graff could meet this.”
Condos said he has not spoken with Graff and emphasized his statement was based on reading the law and hearing a description of Graff's living situation from the news media. "We're not saying he can't run, but here's what the law says," Condos said.
The constitution states: “No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor or Lieutenant-Governor until the person shall have resided in the State four years next preceding the day of election.” Condos, who last week called that wording unclear, said Monday that he and the Attorney General's Office have interpreted that to mean a candidate has to live in the state at least four years leading up to the election.
Tags: Brandon Riker , Garrett Graff , Kesha Ram , Randy Brock , Vermont elections , Jim Condos , Image , Web Only
“The idea of the Legithon matches up with the way a lot of creative people work these days,” Botzow said. He persuaded legislative leaders to join the law school in sponsoring a weekend during which up to 200 people will collaborate on suggestions for making it easier for entrepreneurs and makers to be successful in Vermont.
The event begins Friday evening, November 13, with a dinner at the Statehouse and runs until midday Sunday. Sponsors hope to attract students, young adults just starting careers, and folks with extensive business and professional experience.
Botzow said the theme of the event fits with the focus of his committee and its Senate counterpart in recent years. He cited legislation that made Vermont one of the first states to allow corporations to keep all records electronically.
Tags: Bill Botzow , Legithon , Oliver Goodenough , Vermont Law School , Image , Web Only