Latest news with #PhilScott
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vermont exempts some home kitchen businesses from licensing fees
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermonters looking to sell at the state's over 60 farmers markets will have an easier time getting started. Governor Phil Scott on Monday signed House Bill 401 (H. 401), which eases the limits for how much some small food businesses can sell before being required to pay a licensing fee. Those fees can be as high as $350 for some bakeries in the state. Five farmers markets to visit in Vermont this weekend The bill passed the Vermont House May 20 without a floor vote, after passing the Senate a week earlier. It was sponsored by over 30 representatives, including Democrats, Republicans, and independents. H. 401 defines the new category of 'cottage food operators', which covers people who make in their home kitchen any of a wide variety of foods that do not easily spoil, including dry herbs and nuts, candy, dry coffee and tea, jams, and granola. According to current law, all food businesses that make above $10,000 a year in sales are required to pay a fee. With this new bill, this limit is $30,000 a year for this kind of food operation, or about $575 a week. Read the full text of the bill hereDownload Also included are certain types of home-canned goods. H. 401 allows the Commissioner of Health to add other items to the category later, which could expand the exemption to include even more of the vendors at local markets. Group in South Burlington buys land for regenerative farm The bill cites the goal that 'Vermonters have more access to the local food marketplace as bothproducers and consumers', along with higher supply-chain costs and the demand for local products made in Vermont by visitors to the state. H. 401 will take effect on July 1 of this year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vermont property taxes are increasing this year, but not by much. Here's why
Property taxes in Vermont are set to increase an average of 1.1% in fiscal year 2026, down from the 5.9% increase the Department of Taxes projected in December 2024 and significantly lower than fiscal year 2025's unprecedented 14% jump. Lawmakers bought down property tax increases for fiscal year 2026 using a one-time $77.2 million allocation from the general fund, a strategy Gov. Phil Scott proposed at the beginning of the legislative session in January. Scott, who originally wanted a zero percent increase or even a property tax decrease, signed the new property tax bill into law on May 20. Scott reiterated that the buydown should be a one-time approach to providing tax relief and reminded lawmakers of their promise to reform the education property tax system. 'After last year's significant property tax increase, we knew it was important to provide Vermonters tax relief," Scott said in a press release. "But I want to be clear, buying down rates year after year isn't good fiscal management and we should only view this as a bridge to the real education transformation our system needs." The legislature's next step, Scott said, is to pass an education transformation bill that creates a more sustainable, affordable and equitable funding structure before the legislative session adjourns. The education transformation bill in question, H.454, is currently in the senate and, if passed, will once again need the approval of the house due to the many edits senators made to the original legislation. Vermont's skyrocketing property taxes, which critics say has made living in Vermont more difficult each year, are widely believed to be the reason Democrats and Progressives lost their supermajority in both chambers in November. All parties agreed to make working on the property tax crisis their top priority this session. Additionally, school districts helped to lower property tax increases for FY26 by making significant budget cuts, Scott reported in December. Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@ This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: How much Vermont's property taxes will increase this year
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor signs 'Vermonters Feeding Vermonters' grant program
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermont farmers and hungry Vermonters will soon have an easier time finding each other. Governor Phil Scott signed House Bill 167 (H. 167) on Tuesday, a bill that provides state support for the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program of the Vermont Foodbank, a food bank that buys directly from local farmers by agreeing to a set price, quantity, and delivery schedule before the growing season. Read the full text of the bill hereDownload The bill says in part: 'Food insecurity in Vermont, and across the country, has increased in recent years after a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic… for local food purchased from Vermont farms, every dollar spent contributes an additional $0.60 to the local economy.' Vermont Foodbank shows off new renovations The Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program bought over 5.7 million pounds of food from 299 Vermont farms in 2025. In addition to providing annual grants to the program, the bill also allows subgrants to community partners who buy directly from smaller local farms and farm stands. The bill also requires an annual administrative report to the legislature in March. It will come into effect July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vermont makes cocktails-to-go permanent
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermont governor Phil Scott signed House Bill 339 (H. 339) on Tuesday, which will permanently allow restaurants and other business to sell adult beverages for off-premises consumption. The governor signed an executive order early in the COVID-19 pandemic first allowing the practice, popularly known as 'cocktails-to-go', in Vermont. The legislature then extended the term of the executive order, but it continued to be for a limited time, and was set to expire on July 1 this year. H. 339 makes cocktails-to-go legal permanently, as is already the case in 29 other states and the District of Columbia. Fish & Wildlife announces statewide Summer Free Fishing Day this June Andy Deloney, vice president at the Distilled Spirits Council, an industry advocacy organization, welcomed the change. 'Making cocktails to-go permanent provides long-term stability for these businesses and added convenience for consumers. We applaud the Legislature for supporting Vermont businesses and consumers.' Vermonters are reminded that drinking and driving remains illegal, as does having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vermont, state officials honor fallen veterans for Memorial Day
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – After the Civil War, according to the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, a group of Union Army veterans established late May as the time of year when American would come together to honor the memories of our fallen service members, a time when flowers would be in bloom across the country. Governor Phil Scott, who joined the Vermont National Guard at a ceremony on Friday, wrote Monday morning: 'From the very beginning, Vermonters have taken on more than their fair share in the ongoing fight for freedom. From Ticonderoga to the streets of Baghdad and Kabul, the battlefields of American history are filled with Vermont heroes who left home to defend freedom and liberty, including those who made it home and those who didn't. 'On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who represent the very best of what it means to be an American. Those whose lives were cut short protecting us and defending the rights and independence of this great country. Our world is a better place because of the sacrifices they all made.' Vermont Chamber of Commerce honors National Guard general as Citizen of the Year Across the valley in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul honored the day by announcing that state landmarks including Grand Central Terminal, Niagara Falls, and the Lake Placid Olympic Center would be illuminated in red, white, and blue the night of Memorial Day. In New Hampshire, Governor Kelly Ayotte asked citizens to 'pause to remember the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who gave their lives defending our freedom.' In 2000, Congress first recognized the National Moment of Remembrance, which asks Americans to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. on Memorial Day to 'remember and renew the legacy of Memorial Day'. American flags flew at half-staff on Monday until noon as a traditional sign of respect for those who died in military service. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
