House and Senate Committees continued to meet with State agencies, departments, stakeholders and legislative staff this week. These preliminary hearings allow new legislators to learn names and faces and receive an introduction to the issues their committee will work on over the five-month session. The process also allows returning legislators to receive updates on various programs or initiatives. While the time spent on these overviews could be seen as delaying legislative action, Legislators are increasingly asked to grabble with complex challenges and taking the time to understand the challenges, opportunities and efforts that currently exist is important.
JOIN US FOR OUR 2017 LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST SERIES
January 23rd & March 20th
The DoubleTree Hotel
7:30AM to 9:00AM
Our Legislative Breakfast Series is designed to provide direct access to legislators and decision makers in Montpelier to ensure that our business community's voice is heard.
Governor Phil Scott will join us on January 23rd to share his priorities. You won't want to miss this opportunity to engage in conversation with state leaders, connect with others in our business community and enjoy a hot breakfast on a cold morning!
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The Chamber was invited to meet with Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe (D/P- Chittenden Co.) prior to the start of the legislative session. The meeting was an opportunity to share the Chamber's priorities with Senate leadership and hear Senator Ashe's thoughts and priorities. Much of the meeting was spent discussing opportunities to engage more Vermonters in the opportunities our economy is creating while ensuring that our employers have the workforce they need to create jobs and be successful. We also discussed funding for Lake Champlain clean-up and the need to show an impact on the Lake's health with those dollars. We appreciated the opportunity to exchange ideas with Senator Ashe and look forward to working with him, and the Legislature as a whole, to move Vermont forward.
LCRCC Shares Priorities with House Commerce
The Chamber was invited to present to the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee this week. The Committee, which has seven new members this year, is integral to much of our work in the State House. We were glad to have an opportunity to share more about what we do and our legislative priorities. LCRCC Executive Vice President, Cathy Davis, introduced our advocacy team to the Committee and provided an overview of the Chamber's strategic focus areas: Advocacy; Visitor Services; Talent Development and Retention; and Marketing Our Region as a Place to Work & Do Business.
The House Commerce Committee is expected to take up Independent Contractor reform legislation and so Davis spent time discussing the need for changes that allow these small business people to compete in the Vermont marketplace and to ensure that we are keeping our dollars in Vermont, rather than sending them to companies elsewhere, whenever possible. Davis called the issue a number one priority in our 21st century economy and pledged to work with the Committee and other stakeholders to ensure that action on this important issue happens this year.
VQEI Update
The House Commerce Committee also invited the Vermont Quebec Enterprise Initiative in to learn more about the program and get an update. VQEI is administered by the Chamber in collaboration with the Vermont Agency of Commerce and works to market Vermont to companies in Quebec as a place to locate their US presence. Dr. Gail Stevenson, VQEI Director, provided Committee members with an overview of VQEI's progress to date:
The creation of a Resource Guide, in both French and English
Hosting an information session for Quebec residents with second homes in Vermont to inform about the benefits of Vermont as a place to expand their businesses
Participating in several events in partnership with the FCCQ (Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Montreal)
Collaborated with the US Consulate in Montreal to connect with Vermont institutions of higher education to connect them with their counterparts in Quebec for bilateral internship opportunities
Held two meetings (in Vermont and Montreal) to promote the Vermont-Quebec Technology Corridor
Hosted the Carrefour Industrial Group and 25 member businesses for two days of meetings in the Northeast Kingdom
Attended a Select USA meeting in Montreal in December with the Agency of Commerce that brought in significant leads that are currently being curated.
In addition to this work and much more, VQEI sends out regular updates to the state and Quebec members with our email newsletter, Facebook and Twitter and are planning a brewers event for Vermont and Quebec brewers interested in exporting to the other country in March.
The Committee engaged in a great conversation with Stevenson about this important work and we look forward to continued collaboration.
Education Fund Outlook Update
The House Committee on Education listened to the preliminary education fund outlook, presented by Mark Perrault, Senior Fiscal Analyst with the Joint Fiscal Office. Annually, the Tax Departmentforecasts property tax ratesfor the coming year. The letter expects that the non-homestead property tax rate would increase to $1.550 per $100 in Fiscal Year 2018 from $1.530 in Fiscal Year 2017 if the Legislature adopts the scenarios projected in the Tax Department's letter. Perrault also mentioned that the State has been getting back abnormally large amounts of money that was unreserved/unallocated (amounting to $26.5 million in FY2017) which could be used to cover projected FY2018 revenue deficit of $25.7 million.
Update from the Department of Labor
The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs welcomed the new Commissioner of the Department of Labor, Lindsay Kurrle, this week. Commissioner Kurrle provided a brief update to the Committee, followed by questions during the short half-hour session. Newly elected Senator Alison Clarkson (D- Co.) asked Commissioner Kurrle about the need to revisit the independent contractor issue. Commissioner Kurrle was receptive and added that she believed clear rules would be very helpful to move forward on that issue. The Committee also discussed possible collaboration between the Department of Labor and Corrections in order to ensure that those with a criminal record can find employment rather than falling "through the cracks."
Update from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Wednesday morning, the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development heard introductions and updates from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Newly appointed Secretary Michael Schirling, stressed the importance of the simplicity of data and collaboration. This includes collaboration between government agencies, NGOs, businesses, and schools. He also identified data driven decision making as a key to success in community development initiatives.
Later, Secretary Schirling mentioned the importance of workforce development programs. He continued on to say that, there is not really a need for more reports and studies, but that they need to find which programs are best to proceed with and invest in those. He elaborated by saying, "Let's not reinvent the wheel and leverage current assets to progress."
Secretary Schirling was joined by several members of his team at the Agency, including:
Ted Brady, Deputy Secretary, Commerce and Community Development
Joan Goldstein, Commissioner, Department of Economic Development
Katie Buckley, Commissioner, Housing and Community Development
Josh Hanford, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Housing and Community Development
Steve Cook, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Tourism & Marketing
Heather Pelham, Chief Marketing Officer, Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Thank you for reading our Legislative Update from the Vermont State House. We are always looking for members interested in getting involved in our work. Sharing your thoughts before a Legislative Committee is easy and provides valuable insight that informs the discussion. Have questions or want to learn more? Email
Ashten Stringer
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