News & Updates

The House Energy and Technology Committee advanced legislation (H.360) Wednesday aimed at accelerating the development of community broadband in Vermont. If enacted, this VPIRG-supported legislation will make significant resources available to the state’s Communications Union Districts (CUDs) – public, municipal entities formed to provide universal, affordable, world-class broadband to their regions. Notably, the legislation would 1.) fund ...

According to a new poll released Tuesday, Vermont voters are overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the practice of mailing a ballot to every voter, a policy that was put in place by state leaders on a temporary basis last year. The poll, conducted by the independent firm Lincoln Park Strategies on behalf of the nonprofit organizations ...

This past week, VPIRG’s own Kate Lapp joined former Gov. Howard Dean, Councilor Zoraya Hightower, Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s, Rob Richie of FairVote, and Anna Kellar of the Maine League of Women Voters for a fun, informative virtual event on ranked choice voting. Catch this replay of the event! Featured are remarks from expert ...

This morning, the House Committee on Government Operations took testimony on H. 196. This legislation, proposed by Representative Kevin “Coach” Christie of Hartford (and co-sponsored by 36 other House Reps), would create two additional full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to support the work of the Executive Director of Racial Equity in the Administration. The positions as outlined in the bill are a policy & research ...

In a letter to the Vermont House Appropriations Committee, VPIRG and 18 organizational allies of diverse backgrounds identified their priorities for the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, which is currently being considered in the legislature. Our aim is to encourage our state to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable Vermonters – including BIPOC Vermonters and Vermonters ...

If you own a piece of equipment, you should be able to fix it. This seems like a fairly obvious and uncontroversial idea, right? And yet, more and more, consumers are unable to make basic repairs to products they own because manufacturers refuse to provide the parts, tools, and documentation necessary to do so. That’s why VPIRG ...

Vermont’s Bottle Bill is responsible for recycling approximately 10 BILLION beverage containers since it was passed in 1972. That’s incredible! It’s true, the Bottle Bill has been Vermont’s most effective recycling law for generations. Since it took effect in 1973, it has: Reduced roadside litter, saving an estimated $34 million in litter cleanup costs, Produced huge quantities of ...

We’re one month into the 2021 legislative session, and already have lots of exciting updates to share with you on our various public interest priorities! Democracy Making Universal Mail-In Ballots Permanent: VPIRG has been building on the success of our 2020 “Vote Safe Vermont” campaign to grow and strengthen a diverse coalition of vote by-mail-supporters. Many of ...