The House Ways and Means Committee is poised to pass out H.66, imposing mandatory paid family leave and expanding unpaid leave mandates to all employers, after the Legislature returns from the upcoming Town Meeting Week break. The Committee leadership appears determined to move the bill after they return on March 14 without fully examining and […]
Proposed Expansion of UI Eligibility, Rules for Non-Profits
This week the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee continued testimony on H.55 and H.92, each addressing unemployment insurance. AIV testified on these bills Wednesday. H.92 would create or expand eligibility to qualify for UI benefits if the individual voluntarily quit for reasons related to “urgent, compelling, or necessitous circumstances, as determined by the Commissioner, […]
Mandatory Paid Family and Medical Leave, Other Leave Changes
The House General and Housing Committee took an initial look Wednesday at the newly introduced H.66, which would create a mandatory paid family and medical leave program in the state. The bill actually makes several significant changes to state law – it creates a paid leave program and fund to cover family and medical leave […]
Extended Deadline: Worksite Wellness Award Application Now Open
The 2023 Worksite Wellness Award Application is open (click here)! These awards recognize awardees in four categories. Applications will be scored based on employer size. We recognize the impacts of the pandemic on worksite wellness initiatives and there is space on the application to share about these impacts. The application deadline has been extended to […]
Slow Start to New Legislature but Significant Issues Expected; Employer Engagement will be Critical
The Legislature spent its first full week of the new session and biennium primarily receiving introductions from key legislative staff, administrative agencies and non-governmental stakeholders. However, work on legislation impacting Vermont’s employers and economy is expected to start in the coming week, and employers are strongly encouraged to contact us to provide point persons we […]
Federal Agencies Regulatory Agenda
Last week, the Biden Administration published its “Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions” (click here), the biannual report on actions administrative agencies plan to issue in the near and long term. Although the Agenda tends to be aspirational, it provides important insights about proposed regulatory and deregulatory actions, as well as broader priorities, at […]
Workforce Training Grants Available to On-Board and Upskill Staff
The Vermont Training Program (VTP) helps fund innovative solutions to today’s workforce challenges. VTP grants can cover up to 50% of expenses related to training and up-skilling staff, including employee wages for time spent training on the job. Training can be on-site or through an outside provider and funds can even be used to establish […]
UI Tax Reductions for the Coming Year, Better than Expected Trust Fund Recovery and AIV-Led Reforms Help
The Vermont Department of Labor has announced that effective July 1, 2022, employer unemployment insurance taxes will decrease as the UI tax schedule moves from Schedule III to Schedule I. This change is part of an annual statutory calculation performed by the Department based on the Trust Fund’s reserves and historical demands. In addition, taxable […]
Survey Regarding Returning to Work After the Pandemic
In March, the Vermont Department of Labor contributed a series of questions to a statewide poll in order to learn more about the population of Vermonters that were in the labor force prior to the pandemic but have yet to return. In particular, VDOL was interested in why people have not returned. Click here for […]
Updated Guidance and Resources from the USDOL/OSHA
Good Jobs Summit USDOL spearheaded the Good Jobs Summit this week. The summit highlighted government policies it believes empower working people. The Departments of Labor and Commerce also released Good Jobs Principles. Click here to watch the summit, and click here to find the Good Jobs Principles. To learn more about the Good Jobs Initiative, […]