As Vermont transitions from a private insurance system to one that is publicly-financed and universal, it is critical that the daily concerns of our families and small businesses are not swept under the rug. This is a real danger and we need your help to stop it from happening.
In 1998, it became legal to patent various methods of filing taxes, which means you could be sued for simply filling out your taxes correctly. Fortunately, Senator Leahy has been leading the effort to fix this system and the bill is now on the Senate floor.
Town meeting is a rare instance of real, face-to-face democracy that only happens in special places like Vermont. Every year Vermonters gather to debate and make important decisions on everything from the roads we drive on to our energy future. We encourage everyone to attend their local town meeting and make their voice heard.
On Febuary 22nd 2011, the Vermont State Senate voted 20-10 on a bill (S. 31) that would have Vermont join a coalition of other states agreeing to give their Electoral College votes to whichever candidate won the national popular vote. The system would go into effect once enough states pass the bill to constitute a majority of votes in the Electoral College.
On the first anniversary of the Vermont State Senate’s historic ‘no confidence’ vote regarding the problem-plagued nuclear plant owned by Entergy Louisiana, the company continues to blanket the state in false and misleading advertising in an effort to rebuild its tarnished image.
VPIRG has officially launched our Bigger, Better, Bottle Bill Campaign with the release of polling results revealing overwhelming support for the Bottle Bill, the state’s most successful recycling program. It turns out the Bottle Bill is right up there with motherhood and apple pie in terms of its popularity with Vermonters!
Tuesday, Gov. Shumlin laid out his plan for making dependable, affordable health care a reality in Vermont. This is an historic moment for our state and is the most ambitious plan in the nation for implementing the federal health care law passed last year.
We are proud to launch our new website for our campaign to build on the Bottle Bill’s enormous success and not only protect the Bottle Bill, but to update it to include beverage containers such as water bottles, juice containers, and sports drinks. As we move through the legislative session, we will be adding all the new developments here to this blog as they occur. Keep an eye out for what is happening in the State House and the ways you can get involved.
Thursday evening’s webinar on Dr. Hsiao’s three proposed health care plans and the future of health care reform in Vermont went incredibly well. Thanks to everyone who made what was our first ever webinar possible, and everyone who called in to get the inside scoop on where health care reform in Vermont is headed.
On Friday Entergy executives reported that Vermont Yankee’s radioactive contamination is getting worse. A new test well is showing elevated levels of radioactive tritium and our state health department is worried that even more dangerous substances may be in the ground. This means that there is either a new radioactive leak or that the previous contamination is spreading dramatically in the ground water.
