Issues
VT Senate Passes Bill to Make Child Care a Campaign Expense
In a unanimous final vote on Thursday, April 1, the Vermont Senate passed H.10, a bill that allows candidates to use campaign funds to cover the expense of dependent care while running for office. Having passed final reading in the House on March 17th, H.10 will now head to the Governor’s desk. While Vermont …
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PUC Extends Halt on Utility Disconnections
On Monday, the Vermont Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued an order that would extend the moratorium on involuntary utility disconnections due to nonpayment of electricity, natural gas, and landline phone through May 31st, 2021. Under the previous order, it would have expired this Wednesday. This is good news. We are grateful that the PUC has decided …
House Passes Transportation Modernization
Going into this legislative session, one of our key priorities was a set of policies designed to advance modernizing Vermont’s transportation infrastructure – to give Vermonters better access to affordable transportation, and to cut our climate pollution. Just past the halfway point in the session, we just hit a major milestone in advancing that goal. …
Senate Passes Campaign Finance Reform Bill
On March 24, the Vermont Senate gave its final approval by a vote of 22-8 to legislation (S.51) that would make important changes to state campaign finance law. Most significantly under S.51, only individuals, political committees, and political parties would be allowed make political contributions to candidates. The bill would increase transparency in campaign finance as well, by requiring political committees (a.k.a. PACs) to include the name …
About that Whopper from Casella…
H.175 is the best opportunity we’ve had in decades to modernize Vermont’s popular Bottle Bill. Recently, hundreds of our VPIRG members responded to our call to action and sent an email to their representatives in the Legislature. This added a burst of momentum to our campaign and apparently scared the bejesus out of the corporate opponents of the Bottle Bill. …
VT House Approves $150 Million Community Broadband Bill
The Vermont House voted 145-1 Tuesday to give initial approval to H.360 – the community broadband acceleration bill. The bill uses federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to make the most significant investment ($150 million) in state history toward delivering high-speed internet to every Vermonter. If enacted, this VPIRG-supported legislation will make significant …
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Vermont Senate Advances Bill to Ban Toxic PFAS Chemicals
Today, the Vermont Senate gave initial approval to legislation (S.20) to ban PFAS and other toxic chemicals from certain products. The bill is supported by firefighters, business groups, educators, public health and children’s advocates, and environmental groups. The bill will be up for its final Senate vote tomorrow, before being sent to the House for …
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Legal Aid and VPIRG lead push to prevent utility shut offs
No Vermonter should have to worry that their utilities could be disconnected during this pandemic because they are unable to make bill payments. Last March, the Vermont Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued an order halting all involuntary utility disconnections in the wake of the emerging COVID crisis. That order is set to expire in just over a week, but …
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VT Senate Approves “Vote by Mail” Legislation
The Vermont Senate gave initial approval today in a voice vote to legislation that will make permanent the policy that was put in place as an emergency measure in 2020 to mail all active registered voters a ballot for the general election. In addition to making universally-mailed ballots permanent for all general elections, the bill …