There are only a few days left to ensure progress on the issues most important to YOU. Whether you support a sustainable state budget, changes to Act 46, or holding our public officials to ethical standards, Campaign for Vermont is your voice in the Legislature.
Pledge towards one of the campaigns below to support our legislative activity on these initiatives. But hurry, they expire Monday at noon:
Written by Ben Kinsley
February 24, 2017
Email blast sent to supporters February 16, 2017. Subscribe here!
You have spoken, and here are the results…
Written by Ben Kinsley
February 16, 2017
This commentary appeared in Vermont Business Magazine on February 6, 2017
Many Vermonters probably had mixed reactions to the nomination of Betsy DeVos as US Education Secretary. On the one hand, she is espoused as a proponent of school choice which is prized by many of our rural communities. On the other hand, Vermont lead the country in rejection of Donald Trump last November (by 28 points). Nearly every single one of his cabinet choices have drawn criticism, but none have drawn quite the ire that DeVos has. Most of this opposition has come from teachers unions who represent public school educators, and Democrats who believe DeVos plans to gut public schools across the country. They may not be wrong.
Written by Ben Kinsley
February 15, 2017
Email blast sent to supporters February 6, 2017. Subscribe here!
It was another week of legislative lunacy as lawmakers grappled with Governor Scott’s budget proposal, which suffered its first defeat on Tuesday when the Senate Education Committee voted 6-0 against pushing school budget votes out to May 23rd. The real blow, however, came later in the week when the House torpedoed the proposal on a 47-87 vote.
Written by Ben Kinsley
February 06, 2017
Vermont is one of three states in the country with no ethics laws for public officials. Campaign for Vermont Prosperity has spent years advocating for these needed changes to demand the best from our elected officials. Vermonters deserve to know that their public officials are acting in their best interest, and not being influenced by conflicts of interest.
Here are some facts about ethics reform in Vermont:
Written by Ben Kinsley
February 06, 2017
Email blast sent to supporters January 29, 2017
Friends,
The big splash this week was Governor Scott’s budget proposal that is slated to transfer $50 million in liabilities to the Education Fund and mandates level funding from school districts. This plan drew immediate fire from teachers unions, school boards, and legislators.
Written by Ben Kinsley
January 31, 2017
Many believe School Choice is under attack in Vermont. If this is an issue that you care about, we urge you to contact legislators and make your voice heard!
Email the Senate Education Committee.
Email the House Education Committee.
Write to the State Board of Education.
You can also...
Written by Ben Kinsley
January 24, 2017
Email blast sent to supporters January 22, 2017. Subscribe here!
Friends,
Governor Scott is planned to give his first budget address on Tuesday, ethics legislation is poised to pass out of the Senate Government Operations committee on Wednesday, and this week is National School Choice week with 21,000 events across all 50 states. Students at Vermont independent schools are submitting mannequin challenge videos to promote what is unique about their school; $10,000 in scholarship money is available to schools with the most unique videos.
Written by Ben Kinsley
January 23, 2017
Friends,
Much of Montpelier is still in a holding pattern waiting for the Governor’s budget address to set the tone for the rest of the legislative session. This will give legislators a starting point for their legislative priorities. If there are any issues in particular that you are interested in learning more about, let us know!
What happened this week:
Written by Ben Kinsley
January 22, 2017
Senate Government Operations Testimony
Ethics Legislation Relative to S.8 - January 11, 2017
My name is Ben Kinsley, Executive Director of Campaign for Vermont Prosperity (CFV). For those unfamiliar with CFV we are a non-partisan research and advocacy group working to reconnect middle-class Vermonters to their government and generate prosperity for ALL Vermonters in every corner of our state. We have a network of 20,000 people across Vermont and advocate for a wide range of policy issues that focus on progress ahead of partisanship. You can learn more about our vision at CampaignForVermont.org.
Written by Ben Kinsley
January 13, 2017