More than 30 of you made calls and sent emails, and you were heard! On Wednesday the Senate Committee on Government Operations passed out S.198 by unanimous voice vote. During the discussion, committee members specifically referred to these calls and emails as influencing factors in their decision. Great work!

As reported by Newport Dispatch News, young professionals networking in the Northeast Kingdom recently got a boost.

"The Northeast Kingdom Young Professionals Network (NEK YPN) recently received a $3,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Northeast Kingdom Fund.

The grant will help further NEK YPN’s mission of supporting young professionals both socially and professionally by expanding outreach efforts and promoting a new Welcome Wagon Program."

Read the full article here. 

Vermont recently received recognition from the Rockefeller Institute for Government as being a leader in adapting to new labor trends. 

At the behest of a single citizen, Montpelier is looking at a bill that would allow Vermonters to purchase a license plate with an emoji on it. For those that aren't aware, emojis are those little circular face icons that are usually smiling, frowning, wearing goofy glasses, etc. The stated claim is that sales of the plate would bring a “revenue boon” and attract more people to Vermont. Consider this: the $26 conservation plates currently offered only bring in roughly $140,000 annually. It’s hard to imagine enough additional people would be willing to shell out for a plate with a $2 sticker on it to create a boon for anyone other than the sticker printers. And maybe I am out of touch, but who in their right mind would choose to move their life based on a license plate?

Below is the full text of Vermont Governor Phil Scott's 2020 State of the State address as given on January 9, 2020. 

The Remote Worker Grant Program (RWGP) is an economic development initiative launched by the VT legislature in 2018. The RWGP provides funds to professionals who want to relocate to Vermont but still maintain employment out-of-state. These funds are used to offset their cost of moving here. According to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development’s Department of Economic Development (ACCD), the managing entity of this program, this program benefits Vermonters “by increasing the population of taxpayers in the state as well as increasing the number of children enrolled in Vermont schools. It also helps to build the employment base as Vermont faces a workforce shortage and employers are struggling to find workers.”