The House General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee took testimony Thursday on H.808, which would require employers to provide accommodation for pregnant employees. Pregnancy accommodation has been the subject of recent Supreme Court action and interest by the EEOC. Approximately 17 states have related statutes, although they do not all take the approach of H.808. […]
Reforming Classification of Employees and Independent Contractors
The House Commerce Committee will take further testimony and potentially vote on legislation to reform employee classification statutes determining employee or independent contractor status for UI and workers’ compensation, as well as make additional related reforms. As reported previously, the Committee is working primarily from H.773, with employer groups also recommending elements from H.378. AIV […]
Marijuana Legalization and Drug Testing Reform
Legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, S.241, took another step forward at the end of last week with approval by the Senate Finance Committee. The bill will be reviewed by the Senate Appropriations Committee this week. AIV testified to a number of concerns for employers, especially manufacturers, before the Senate Economic Development Committee. This Committee has […]
Mandatory Paid Leave Passes Senate, House Agreement or Conference Motion Pending
After delay over reconsideration of a floor amendment to exempt companies with 5 or fewer employees (an amendment that failed), the Senate passed H.187, imposing mandatory paid leave, last week. The bill is essentially the same as reported previously after it was passed out of the Senate Economic Development Committee. The following are the core […]
Member Contribution: Tech Trends
The following is provided by John Burton, President of of AIV member NPI, a technology management company located in South Burlington. For more information, call (800) 639-6091, or go to www.npi.net. Ransomware on the Rise in Regional Manufacturers In the past few months I have seen an increase in the number of manufacturers impacted by […]
Stormwater Update: Presentation on Draft Revisions of the Stormwater Management Manual
The DEC Stormwater Program will be holding a presentation and Q&A session on a forthcoming proposed draft of the revised Vermont Stormwater Management Manual. The presentation, to be held at the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpellier, will be an opportunity to learn about the proposed Draft revision to the Stormwater Management Manual, provide comments and feedback, […]
Act 250 9(L) Guidance Update and Remaining Public Comment
Following stakeholder engagement during the past year, the Department of Housing and Community development recently released what they presented as the final version of Guidance for Act 250 9(L), as well as a summary of the comments they had received. The comments document indicates if they included the recommendation or why they did not. The […]
Vermont Department of Labor Seeks Public Comment on Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
The Vermont Department of Labor is seeking public comment and to engage stakeholders in the dialogue about the changes to the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The Department is soliciting ideas and feedback for the state’s WIOA Unified Plan. According to the draft plans’ opening Overview: The State of Vermont is submitting this […]
National News Notes: International Trade; EU Tax Disclosure Rules
The following is provided in cooperation with our national allies at NAM. Senate Approves Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act. The New York Times (2/11, Calmes, Subscription Publication) reports that on Thursday, “The Senate gave overwhelming final approval” to the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, “the most comprehensive overhaul of customs law in decades, […]