Governor Phil Scott today announced an additional $1.5 million in funding to further enhance school safety and security. The Department of Public Safety is now accepting applications for grants to further build school security infrastructure. This second round of funding for the School Safety and Security Grant (SSSG) Program was included in the Capital Bill (Act 42), passed during this year’s legislative session and signed by Governor Phil Scott. The $1.5 million will allow Vermont schools and supervisory unions to purchase enhancements to existing security systems or school infrastructure, as well as new school security systems or technology to enhance school safety. Vermont schools can…

Senator Sanders released the following statement on the passage of the Raise the Wage Act of 2019 in the House of Representatives: “Four years ago, when I first introduced legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour it was considered an impossible dream. “But today, thanks to a strong grassroots movement led by millions of fast food workers and the SEIU, the United States House of Representatives just voted to approve legislation to raise the federal minimum wage from the starvation wage of $7.25 an hour to a living wage of $15 an hour by 2025 and to index it to median wage growth every year after that. Today, I am proud to say that a $15 minimum wage has gone from laughable to…

Governor Phil Scott today detailed efforts to increase electric vehicle use in Vermont as part of the state’s emissions reduction goals. “Electrifying the transportation sector will help clean the air and keep millions of dollars within our economy,” said Governor Scott. “While more work needs to be done, Vermont has taken strong steps toward a renewable transportation sector. Accelerating vehicle electrification will continue to be a priority of my Administration.” The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont, accounting for about 45% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan establishes a goal of increasing the…

I recently spent some time asking people on the street two questions: Is health insurance too expensive? And if so, why? I am sure many readers have strong opinions about the answers to these questions. I heard answers like “greed,” “because they can,” “because there is no incentive to cut costs” and “because we have to pay the doctors.” No one told me that they thought commercial health insurance was affordable. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont has proposed to raise rates by 15.6% and MVP Healthcare has proposed an 8.5 % increase for next year in the individual and small group market. We all know that there are real problems with our current health care financing system. When this sys…