We would like to update you on our activities this legislative session working to advance the prospects for the rebuilding of the Norwich pool. By way of review, the pool was built in 1944 with the construction of a small dam on the Charles Brown Brook. The original dam failed and was rebuilt after a flood in 1973. That dam, constructed of concrete with a timber stoplog spillway and earthen abutments, created a roughly 0.5 acre pond which served as Norwich’s public swimming facility for the next 38 years. In August 2011, Tropical Storm Irene washed away that dam. Following Irene, many Vermont communities qualified for disaster assistance through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
We often hear that Vermont is among the safest states in the nation and that the number of gun deaths here is low. If that's so, then why is it important that Vermont prohibit certain people from possessing firearms? While the absolute number of gun deaths may be small, if we look at gun deaths per 100,000 persons, Vermont's gun death rate is higher than New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, California as well as other states. Further, Vermont is the only state that has not given local and state law enforcement the ability to prosecute someone for possessing a firearm who has been convicted of a violent crime. All 49 other states and the federal government currentl
As the House took on the task of addressing the $113 million budget gap last week, one of the first questions a constituent asked was, “you’ve got a fiscal year that doesn’t start for three months, you haven’t added any new programs to speak of, and you’re already over $100 million in the hole?!? How can that be?” It’s been a perfect storm of circumstances that has brought Vermont to this point. Before discussing this year’s House budget bill, let’s review what got us here. There are some very specific policy drivers, along with a macroeconomic overlay, that have put Vermont in its current budgetary bind. About $37 million of the gap can be attributed to Medicaid. Medicaid is a joint fe
