Home ›

Economy & Business

Senator Peter Welch: Roundtable on Rising Costs of Health Care and Prescription Drugs Ahead of Senate Hearing 05/17/2024

From the Office of Senator Welch:

On Friday, Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) convenes Vermont business owners and employers to discuss the rising costs of health care and prescription drugs. The roundtable comes ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining prescription drug prices, competition, and innovation, and how to ensure medications are accessible and affordable for Americans.

Senator Welch has championed initiatives to lower prescription drug prices for Vermonters. This year, Senator Welch led the introduction of new bipartisan, bicameral legislation to streamline prescription drug patent litigation, encourage fair market competition, and lower prescription drug prices.

Essex Junction Economic Development Conversation with Heather Carrington 05/16/2024

From the organizers:

Community Development Consultant Heather Carrington, Principal, CCDS LLC, presents a variety of economic development projects undertaken by the Town of Hardwick and City of Winooski, and explores what's possible in Essex Junction with City Councilor Elaine Haney.

Ohavi Zedek Lunch & Learn: The Forgotten History of Barre’s Jewish Community 05/16/2024

From Ohavi Zedek Synagogue:

With deep ties to Burlington and Montpelier, Barre’s Jewish families nevertheless forged their own singular identity in a diverse environment of Yankees, Italians, French Canadians, Scots, Spanish, Syrians, and other vibrant ethnic groups.

Dr. (and Rabbi) Carol Harris-Shapiro (who is also a part-time resident of Barre) will share some of the unique stories of Barre’s Jewish residents and the life of their community, based on information she has gathered from interviews, books and articles, and genealogical research.

For more information: www.ohavizedek.org

Burlington Board of Finance 05/13/2024

For more information on current procedures and meeting dates for the Burlington Board of Finance, please visit burlingtonvt.gov/CityCouncil/BOF/Schedule.

Under the Dome: Healthcare: Expansion of Medicaid & Dr. Dynosaur, Addiction Recovery, Mental Health Resources, Flavored Tobacco (Senate) 05/13/2024

Host Bobby Lussier, CCTV's Development Director, speaks with Senator Virginia "Ginny" Lyons and Senator Martine Gulick about healthcare.

To contact your local representative, you can find their contact information on the State's website. 

Under the Dome: Healthcare: Expansion of Medicaid & Dr. Dynosaur, Addiction Recovery, Mental Health Resources, Flavored Tobacco (House) 05/13/2024

Host Bobby Lussier, CCTV's Development Director, speaks with Representative Daisy Berbeco, Representative Rey Garofano, and Representative Alyssa Black about healthcare.

To contact your local representative, you can find their contact information on the State's website. 

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont Senate Committee on Government Operations - Discussion of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law 05/10/2024

Discussion of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law at the Senate Committee on Government Operations.

On Thursday, the Senate Government Operations Committee was scheduled to meet to go over the bill, but they could not get a quorum because most of the members were on conference committees that were meeting at the same time. However, Chair Ruth Hardy and Senator Tanya Vyhovsky met unofficially (and thus, not streamed) to get a walkthrough of the House changes to the bill. Senator Vyhovsky was very upset with a few of the changes and asked if they could have a conference committee. However, they did not want the bill to die because of there not being enough time. Senator Hardy agreed to find out if a conference committee was possible, with the back-up plan of accepting the House changes in order to get the bill all the way through to final passage. On FRIDAY, the Senate concurred officially with the House proposal of amendment, so this bill will be headed to the Governor’s desk sometime soon.

S.55 as Passed by the Senate:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0055/S-0055%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf

All of Us Journey Community Event 05/10/2024

Meghan O'Rourke, CCTV, interviews Jennifer Reyes, Outreach and Engagement Manager at the All of Us Research Program. The All Of Us Research Program is a National Institutes of Health Initiative, with the goal to diversify health research and help create a future where health care is tailored to individuals.

The traveling exhibit, the All Of Us Journey, will be at the Fletcher Free Library from June 4-7, 10:00am to 4:00pm daily.

Learn more at: www.joinallofus.org/learn-more

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont House Committee on Ways and Means - Discussion of H.657 Modernize Vermont’s Communications Taxes and Fees 05/09/2024

Discussion of H.657 a bill meant to modernize Vermont's communications taxes and fees at the House Committee on Ways and Means.

On Thursday, the House Ways & Means Committee reviewed the Senate’s proposal of amendment, and voted unanimously to concur.

Then also on THURSDAY, the House Floor voted to concur with the Senate’s proposal of amendment, sending the bill to the Governor. 

H.657 Amendment:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/House%20Ways%20and%20Means/Bills/H.657/H.657~Gabrielle%20Stebbins~Stebbins%20Amendment~3-26-2024.pdf

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont Senate Committee on Appropriations - Discussion of H.657 Modernize Vermont’s Communications Taxes and Fees 05/08/2024

Discussion of H.657 a bill meant to modernize Vermont's communications taxes and fees at the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

On Wednesday, the bill had second reading on the Senate floor - Senators Chittenden and Wrenner offered amendments. Senator Chittenden’s amendment was adopted and third reading was ordered on a voice vote. The bill now includes an inventory for the right-of-way in Vermont, but scaled back dramatically from the level of thoroughness and detail the Finance Committee had been considering, due to cost and cybersecurity concerns. The updates to the USF fund and the per line charge remain intact.

H.657: Senator Chittenden Amendment Draft 1.1, 5-6-2024:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/Senate%20Finance/Bills/H.657/Drafts,%20Amendments,%20Other%20Legal%20Documents/H.657~Maria%20Royle~%20Senator%20Chittenden%20Amendment%20Draft%201.1,%205-6-2024~5-7-2024.pdf

On THURSDAY, the Senate passed the 3rd reading of H.657 on a voice vote, sending the bill back to the House as amended.

Side-by-Side of House/Senate versions:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/House%20Ways%20and%20Means/Bills/H.657/W~Maria%20Royle~H.657%20House%20Senate%20Comparison~5-9-2024.pdf

Syndicate content