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We've made many upgrades to Vermont.com in the past year, including a major SEO initiative. As a result, we ended 2010 with a 22% increase in site traffic over 2009, and the trend has continued into 2011. So far, traffic for the first 6mos of 2011 is up over 30% compared to the first 6mos of 2010.

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(Updated: 07/12/11)

Burlington, VT - The Vermont Lake Monsters, the Single-A Burlington, Vermont Minor League baseball team of Major League Baseball’s the Oakland Athletics, and Music For Mankind® founder Kelly Moore, of Manchester Center, Vermont, are teaming up to raise funds for the United Nations World Food Program and the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, a Burlington, Vermont based Feeding America food shelf.

Kelly Moore will sing The Star Spangled Banner when the Vermont Lake Monsters take on the Connecticut Tigers at Centennial Field in Burlington on June 24, 2011, and the Vermont Lake Monsters will make a contribution from tickets sold through the Music For Mankind® website on May 24, 2011 for the June 24 game to Music For Mankind®. Music For Mankind® will then contribute those funds directly to World Food Program USA and the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.

Music For Mankind, Inc., founded by Kelly Moore in 2007, is a 501(c)(3) non profit public charity organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds to help alleviate chronic global hunger and to aid in disaster relief. Since its inception, contributions from concerts and other food and fund raising events have fed over 40,000 people.

"We are very grateful to Kelly Moore and Music For Mankind for their efforts with the Vermont Lake Monsters to help raise funds for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf," said Rob Meehan, Director of CEFS. "This event helps raise awareness and support for hunger relief as we continue to see a growing number of visitors in need of food." "It's an incredible honor for me to be able to help people who struggle every day just to survive by honoring our country with this great song," stated Kelly Moore.

"We are so excited that Kelly and Music For Mankind is not only participating in our 31 for 31 program, but that they are so enthusiastic about the success of the program," Emily McDonald, Vermont Lake Monsters Director of Community Relations and Promotions said. "Kelly has really taken his involvement with this program to the next level."

For more information about Music For Mankind® or to purchase tickets to the game, visit Music For Mankind or call 802/362-3806.

The 2011 legislative session glided smoothly to a close on Friday (5/6), with very little rancor, suspense or confusion. In fact, our very own Bob Stannard was quoted on the front page of Saturday's Rutland Herald as saying that "the differences got worked out I think more smoothly this go around than anything I've ever seen". A number of bills were passed into law during Week 17, but most of the action focused on wrapping up conference committee work on the five big bills outlined below. Once a joint conference committee issues its report to work out differences between the House and Senate, that report can only be voted up or down by each respective branch, it cannot be amended. Here's the rundown of House action on the major bills of the session:

Transportation Bill - The conference committee report on this legislation was approved by a voice vote on Wednesday (5/4). The spending authorization on transportation is slated for $554 million in the next fiscal year (FY 12). With the expiration of Federal ARRA money, this year's proposal is down about $41 million from FY 11. Most of the budgeted funding will be used for paving, road construction, bridges and local highway aid. However the plan also appropriates roughly $165 million for public transit, rail, aviation and a number of other non-highway items.

Health Care Reform Bill - The conference committee report on this bill was adopted by the House on a 94 - 49 vote (Wilson voting yes) on Thursday (5/5). In the short-term, this legislation positions the State to comply with the requirements of the new Federal health care law. In particular, the bill calls for the establishment of a health insurance exchange; one that would include at least two insurers. Longer term, I view this legislation more as a strategic planning document than a hard and fast program spelling out any specific system-wide change. The bill establishes the five- member Green Mountain Care Board, which will define a new universal benefits plan for Vermonters and develop recommendations to the legislature on financing. Although it is possible that a new system could be up and running in 2014, most folks in the know are now saying that the Federal government probably won't grant the necessary waiver for an early start-up. That would mean that a single-payer plan, or something similar, couldn't get off the ground until 2017.

Capital Bill - The conference committee report on the Capital Bill was approved by the House on a voice vote on Thursday (5/5). This legislation, largely funded by general obligation bonds issued through the Treasurer's Office, is the vehicle the State typically uses to address its long-term building and infrastructure needs. To take advantage of near record low interest rates, and to front load funding for some important projects, this year's capital bill is comprised of a two-year spending plan, instead of the normal one year authorization. In all, the bill calls for an expenditure of $155 million; $92 million in FY 12 and $63 million in FY 13.

The Miscellaneous Tax Bill - The conference committee report on the tax bill was adopted by the House on Friday (5/6) on a vote of 94 - 48 (Wilson voting yes). In order to balance this year's state budget, this legislation raised $24 million in new tax revenue. The tax package consists of increases in the so-called health care-related "provider taxes" that are used to leverage additional Federal Medicaid funding. For every $1 raised in these taxes, the state receives $1.60 in Federal aid. Under the final plan, additional provider taxes will come from a 38 cent tax increase on a pack of cigarettes, increased taxes on hospitals/nursing homes and a new .08% insurance claims assessment. Moreover, my "E-Fairness bill (leveling the sales tax playing field between e-commerce and our local retailers) made it into the final version of the tax bill. Unfortunately, due to the opposition of the Governor and Senate, the law, although on the books, won't become effective until fifteen other states adopt a similar statute. Oh well, only another nine to go.

The Budget - The conference committee report on the "big bill" was approved by voice vote in the House on Friday (5/6). This is remarkable, given that at the start of the session, it was thought that balancing a budget with a $176 million gap between revenue and expenses would result in a long, drawn out donnybrook. Although it was far from easy, everyone pulled together and worked out a spending plan that attracted very little in the way of pronounced conflict or dissent. The budget bill cuts human service spending by about $38 million, reduces the general fund transfer to the education fund by $23 million and relies on the $24 million in new taxes and some one-time revenues to close the gap. In all, the $4.7 billion FY 12 budget is about 3.6% lower than the current year.

With the conclusion of the session, this will be my last weekly report. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Manchester Journal for its civic-minded cooperation in faithfully printing this update throughout the session; from January through May. I found my work this year very rewarding. I truly enjoyed serving on the Ways and Means Committee, along with some very capable colleagues. All-in-all, it was a good year.

- Jeff Wilson, Manchester, Vermont, State Representative

It looks pretty clear at this juncture that the final curtain will come down on the 2011 legislative session sometime between May 6^th and the 9^th (most are wagering on Saturday the 7^th). The Senate gave final approval to the health care reform bill on Tuesday (4/26); the last of the "must-do" bills to clear both chambers this session. Conference Committees were appointed to iron out the differences between House and Senate versions of about a dozen or so bills. And, once the I's are dotted and T's crossed on the "big five" -- the budget, the transportation bill, the capital bill, miscellaneous tax and health care - work at the State House will be gaveled to a close until next January (barring a special session of course). Although things seem to pop up from the most unlikely places, the differences between the House and the Senate on the big stuff do not appear to lend themselves to any rancorous delays and debate.

House and Senate committees continued to work hard last week in an effort to move about half a dozen bills over the finish line. At this writing it appears that the telecommunications bill, the clean energy bill, "medical" marijuana dispensaries and the jobs bill will make the final cut, but it's certainly not a slam dunk at this late date by any stretch of the imagination. Given the fact that this is the first year of the biennium, any bill that doesn't make it to the Governor's desk this year will still be in play and get a second bite of the apple in 2012.

And then, there are those bills that saw a good deal of ink, but never made it out of the starting gate. There was a lot of speculation that this was going to be the year for the "death with dignity/ physician assisted suicide" bill. The word around the State House on this one is that the votes were there in the House to pass it, but the Senate looked a bit dicey. This meant that the House leadership was not going to let such an emotional and contentious bill out of committee, knowing that it might get bogged down or killed in the Senate. Tax reform (remember the Blue Ribbon Commission) was another one that didn't make it out of committee this year. Although we took a good deal of testimony in Ways and Means (my committee) on reworking the income tax in an effort to reduce rates and simplify the system, the changes necessary to move ahead with the contemplated revamp were not enthusiastically embraced by those vested in the current morass of deductions, credits and exemptions. As soon as any serious discussion about change started to gain any steam, the special interest groups and their lobbying teams descended on the committee room in droves. I still like the Commission's work and hope we get a chance to revisit it again before it starts gathering dust. But then again, the chances are probably between slim and none that meaningful tax legislation will see the light of day next year, an election year.

The temperature is rising, leaves are poking out and the General Assembly is starting to pack-up. Ahhh - spring is here. With a little bit of luck Week 17 will be the final chapter.

- Jeff Wilson, Manchester, Vermont, State Representative

I think the best way to describe the tenor of the House in the fifteenth week of the legislative session would be - the calm before the storm. The House, having already approved the major, must-do bills, was largely waiting for the Senate to wrap-up its work. And the Senate, was anything but calm, cool and collected during parts of that Chamber's busy schedule this past week. Here's a few items from the week that was:

Federal Impacts - Because there is a three month overlap between the first quarter of the State fiscal year, and the fourth quarter of the Federal fiscal year, the FY 11 Federal budget deal recently worked out by the Obama administration and Congress will affect the first part of Vermont's FY 12 spending plan. To date, the Shumlin administration, along with the Legislature's Joint Fiscal Office, have been able to identify roughly $17.6 million in direct state budget impacts. It is anticipated that the State's general fund will see $4.8 million less than originally anticipated, while the State's transportation fund will be "shortchanged" by $12.8 million. The financial team believes that the State will be able to sustain these cuts without any serious disruption in services. The real challenge will come when the Feds construct their FY 12 budget. There's little doubt that states will take a substantial funding hit in the next go around.

Senate Action - The Senate had a very ambitious agenda last week. And, if they hadn't hit a couple of bumps along the way, they would have cleared the bases. As it was, the Senate completed work on the state budget, the capital bill, the transportation bill and the miscellaneous tax bill. It was the tax bill that had a bit of trouble staying on course and caused some angst for my Senate colleagues at the end of a very long week. Questions and proposals swirling around how best to raise the $24 million in revenue necessary to balance the budget caused a brief impasse on Thursday evening (4/21). By Friday, things began to move once again and the tax bill garnered more than enough votes for final approval (22-8). The new revenue in the Senate version of the bill will come from a mix of provider taxes, a 53 cent cigarette tax increase and a new insurance claims assessment fee. The one big bill the Senate did not move forward as planned was H. 202 - the health care bill.

The Speaker once again reiterated his goal of adjourning the 2011 session no later than May 9^th. Week 16 will see conference committees getting down to work, to sort out the differences between the House and Senate on a variety of bills. And if the Speaker is right, this will leave the last week for both branches to finalize legislation and move it on to the Governor. I think this is achievable, but you just never know what surprises may jump to center stage. We'll see, stay tuned.

- Jeff Wilson, Manchester, Vermont, State Representative

This past week the House approved a number of what I would typify as lower profile bills. Here's a concise rundown on some of these legislative initiatives that didn't make the front page:

Environmental Enforcement - H. 258 would allow the public and interested parties more opportunity for comment and input on state environmental enforcement actions. This bill, approved by the House on a 109 - 25 vote (Wilson voting yes) on Wednesday (4/13) brings the State into compliance with Federal law. Before handing out a violation, the Agency of Natural Resources would have to give a 30 day public notice of its proposed enforcement action.

BISHCA - Annually, there typically is a BISHCA (Banking, Insurance, Securities, Health Care Admin.) housekeeping bill passed by the General Assembly to keep pace with the ever changing banking, finance, health care and insurance regulatory landscape. This year's bill includes a $7,500 tax credit to try to attract more captive insurance companies to the state. Vermont has developed a bit of a niche in hosting captives, who contribute about $25 million in tax revenues to state coffers annually. H. 438 passed the House by a voice vote on Thursday (4/14). For those wondering what a captive insurance company is - according to the Department, "a captive insurance company refers to a subsidiary corporation established to provide insurance to the parent company and its affiliates".

Propane Regulation - In response to some questionable pricing practices employed by some propane companies over the recent past in Vermont, the House approved legislation (H. 185) that would provide a higher degree of consumer protection for those who purchase propane The new statutory provisions would prohibit sellers from assessing a minimum usage fees and from imposing an annual minimum use requirement (except as part of a guaranteed price plan). In addition, the legislation prohibits propane companies from charging fees for service termination, tank removal and tank pump-out, if the storage tank has been located at the consumer's premises for at least 12 months. This bill was approved on Friday (4/15) in the House by a voice vote.

National Popular Vote - Also on Friday, the House gave final approval to S. 31 by a vote of 85 - 41 (Wilson voting yes). This bill seeks to have Vermont join a compact with other states to change the way we elect the President; from the current Electoral College system, to one based upon the majority vote of the public. This approach has been adopted by 7 other states and still has a ways to go before it can successfully challenge the present methodology. A poll three years back, found that 75% of Vermonters supported the direct vote election of our President. This bill now moves on to the Governor for his consideration.

- Jeff Wilson, Manchester, Vermont, State Representative

With the must-do legislation (Budget, Capital Bill, Transportation Bill) approved by the House and now in the Senate for consideration, the House has turned its attention to more discretionary types of could-do, should-do pieces of legislation. Here’s a taste of lucky Week 13:

Energy Bill: Normally, things are fairly well choreographed between the Senate, House and Administration, and it’s also typical that respectful communication takes place between the Republican, Democratic and Progressive leadership about process, priorities and procedure. This effort at communication reflects a common courtesy that helps the system work more efficiently and seeks to avoid surprises (surprises are frowned upon in Montpelier). However, there are times that things do go astray in this regard. This past week, the so-called “energy bill” served as a prime example of how the train can derail before reaching the station. The bill had two primary components: to renew and expand net metering provisions, and to effect a short-term (1 year) financing bridge to fund the State’s Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF). The net metering portion of the bill expands the possible range of benefits for those who install small renewable energy systems to get credit from their utility for the power they produce. No problem here, it was the CEDF funding provision that ran into trouble. With Vermont Yankee’s license expiring in 2012, the State has to come up with a new revenue source for CEDF in order to continue to subsidize alternative energy projects throughout Vermont. The plan, as set forth in H. 56, called for a one year 55 cent monthly surcharge on a consumer’s electric bill. This fee would raise $2.3 million. Even though this charge is pretty small potatoes any way you slice it or dice it, there was a contingent of naysayers who rolled out some rhetoric about it being unfair and regressive. Supporters held their ground and the House gave preliminary approval to the bill by a 99 to 39 vote (Wilson voting yes) on Tuesday (4/5). However, right after the House vote, the Governor let slip to the press that he had a better idea for funding CEDF. Surprise! So, the next day, sort of left in a lurch, the House pulled the CEDF funding section for the bill, and passed it with the CEDF question unresolved. I guess we now wait to see what the Governor’s better idea is. Hopefully it will be coming down the pike pretty soon, because time (and patience) is running short.

The Doyle Poll – Sen. Bill Doyle (Washington County – R) recently released his 42nd annual Town Meeting poll. Although an unscientific sampling of Vermont views on a dozen contemporary issues, it’s always good fun to peruse the results. This year, Sen. Doyle received completed survey information from 150 towns, 15,341 Vermonters (32 from Manchester). His #1 question for the 2011 survey asked about the relicensing of Vermont Yankee. Statewide a plurality of Vermonters said “yes” – 45% to 41% (although this question was asked prior to Japan’s earthquake). In Manchester only 34.4% answered in the affirmative, while 50.0% said “no”. Other items of interest included the support for a ban on cell phone use while driving (75% VT, 91% Manchester), the willingness to pay more for locally grown food (63% VT, 72% Manchester) and support for an expanded bottle bill (79% VT, 75% Manchester). On the question of physician assisted suicide/death with dignity – this was supported 50% to 36% statewide and 53% to 31% in Manchester.

- Jeff Wilson, Manchester, Vermont, State Representative

Everyone seemed to be reading from the same page this past week as legislation on a few different fronts sailed through the House with little debate and disagreement. Here are a few highlights:

Capital Bill – This year’s Capital Bill won final approval in the House on a voice vote on Friday (4/1). This legislation, largely funded by general obligation bonds issued through the Treasurer’s Office, is the vehicle the State typically uses to address its long-term building and infrastructure needs. To take advantage of near record low interest rates, and to front load funding for some important projects, this year’s capital bill is comprised of a two-year spending plan, instead of the normal one year authorization. In all, the bill calls for an expenditure of $154 million; $90 million in FY 12 and $64 million in FY 13. The biggest outlay included in the spending blueprint is for a $29 million health lab proposed for a UVM-owned parcel in Colchester. Other spending authorizations of note, entail $10 million for the Vermont Telecommunications Authority to extend broadband and cell phone service and $4 million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. This bill, like the other two outlined below, will now go to the Senate for review and consideration.

Transportation Bill – One old hand on the Transportation Committee told me that this was the first time during his tenure that the House’s version of the “T-bill” differed only a smidgen from the Governor’s recommendation. In fact, the only difference was a $200,000 item the House Transportation Committee proposed for sidewalk improvements. This is a mere peppercorn when one considers that the total spending authorization on transportation is slated for $554 million in the next fiscal year (FY 12). With the expiration of Federal ARRA money, this year’s proposal is down about $41 million from FY 11. Most of the budgeted funding will be used for paving, road construction, bridges and local highway aid. However the plan also appropriates roughly $165 million for public transit, rail, aviation and a number of other non-highway items. The Transportation Bill was approved by the House on a voice vote this past Friday (4/1).

Consumer Protection – A bill updating Vermont’s consumer protection laws gained final approval in the House on Thursday (3/31) by a vote of 134-0 (Wilson voting yes). The House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development spent a good deal of its time over the past few weeks educating itself about the new unscrupulous business practices that are now being employed by some outfits that haven’t made the Better Business list, and how best to protect Vermonters against them. Provisions in the bill bolster consumer protection against “cramming” (unauthorized charges on one’s phone bill), misleading discount memberships resulting in perpetual credit card charges and the misrepresentation of a geographic location by web-retailers. In addition, the bill requires that companies inform the Attorney General’s office of any security breech within fourteen days of the breech being uncovered.

That’s it for this week. I hear the session may wrap-up the first week of May. We’ll see. Enjoy those April showers.

- Jeff Wilson, Manchester, Vermont, State Representative

Busy week, long hours and some big bills passed. Here's the Cliff Notes version:

State Budget - Last week was capped off early Friday evening (3/25) with a 95 to 34 vote in the House (Wilson voting yes) to approve the FY 12 state budget. The $4.7 billion spending blueprint for the next fiscal year represents a 3.6% decrease in expenditures over the current year. The House Appropriations Committee worked long and hard to close an estimated $176 million budget gap by largely using a mix of spending cuts ($83 million) one-time revenues ($60 million) and new tax income ($24 million net). The new tax revenue incorporated into the package consists of additional so-called health care-related "provider taxes" that are used to leverage additional Federal Medicaid funding. For every $1 raised in these taxes, the state receives $1.60 in Federal aid. For FY 12, under the House plan, additional provider taxes will come from a 27 cent tax increase on a pack of cigarettes, increased taxes on hospitals/nursing homes and a new .08% insurance claims assessment. (Earlier in the week, the House rejected an effort to bolster state coffers through an income tax surcharge on wealthier Vermonters.) The Committee was able to salvage Catamount Health and partially restored some of the human service reductions (mental health, elderly services, developmentally disabled, student assistance program) sought by the Shumlin Administration. The Committee's proposal survived a number of amendment efforts that came from both ends of the political spectrum; some wanted more spending, while others wanted less. The budget is now off to the Senate for review and consideration. FY 12 represents the fourth fiscal year in row that Vermont has had to cope with a very difficult financial picture. Regretfully, given the almost certain reduction in Federal funding that lies ahead, the fiscal landscape in FY 13 will probably prove be even more dismal.

Health Care Reform - On Thursday afternoon (3/24), the House gave its final approval to H. 202 by a vote of 92 to 49 (Wilson voting yes). This bill, the subject of substantial analysis and debate this year, is a comprehensive and complex treatise that calls for an overhaul of Vermont's health care system. In the short-term, this legislation seeks to position the State to comply with the new Federal health care law, and sets the stage for the implementation of a uniform/universal care system (Green Mountain Care) in 2014. Supporters of the legislation viewed H. 202 as the only vehicle on the horizon that had a chance to transition our current health care morass into a system that better ensures cost containment and affordable health coverage for all Vermonters. Opponents, needless to say, are skeptical at best. Although there's little doubt that H. 202 sets the stage for a possible single-payer system, this type of retrofit cannot be launched until a standard benefits plan is devised, costs are determined, a financing plan and program appropriations are approved by the Legislature and waivers are obtained from the Federal government. Depending upon when/if these hurdles are overcome, the new system will be up and running sometime between 2014 and never. One last note on this topic - It's important to remember that even if we move to single-payer, Medicare coverage for seniors cannot be diminished through future State action.

Next week - the capital bill and transportation bill (among a host of other things).

- Jeff Wilson, Manchester, Vermont, State Representative