By Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger Gifting marijuana in exchange for another purchase is illegal under Vermont’s new legalization law, according to a guidance issued by the state’s top prosecutor Monday. Attorney General TJ Donovan’s office advised that sales of any kind are illegal under the marijuana legalization law that took effect July 1. “Any transfer of marijuana…

The heat wave is over, the numbers are in. Green Mountain Power’s innovative network of Tesla Powerwall batteries in homes and solar installations leveraged stored energy to accomplish the equivalent of taking 5,000 homes off the grid, creating savings for customers that could reach $500,000. GMP customer Mike Wheeler kept track on an app while…

Half of Vermont towns will pay higher property tax rate than last year. This chart shows towns with the highest rate in 2019 at the top. Pomfret has the largest increase (shown right); Middletown Springs the largest decrease. By Xander Landen/VTDigger The numbers are in. Two weeks after lawmakers and the governor resolved a budget…

Some Homestead State Payment adjustments have not been applied to mailed bills KILLINGTON—Tax bills have been mailed out and it has come to the town of Killington’s attention that some of the Homestead State Payment adjustments have not been applied. The Tax Department has held some Homestead Declarations aside for review, state officials have explained…

In an attempt to close a tax loophole enjoyed by operators of short-term rentals such as Airbnb, and to assure visitors and paying guests of safe and sanitary conditions, the Vermont General Assembly passed Act 10, requiring that certain conditions must be met. Effective July 1, all short-term rental operators must post a Vermont meals…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon With the conclusion of the Vermont legislative session, I will be taking a break from the regular updates until after the elections. I hope you have enjoyed the reports via email or in this paper. If elected to a new term, I plan to continue with…

By John Young, VTDigger As temperatures climbed into the 90s again Monday, the Vermont Department of Health is again warning Vermonters to take precautions to fight the effects of record-high heat. Spokesman Ben Truman said that residents should pay special attention to older adults, children and those with chronic illnesses to make sure they have access…

By Katy Savage and Polly Mikula On Sunday, July 1, recreational use and possession of pot will be legal. H.511 (Act 86) legalizes the possession and gifting of small amounts of cannabis by Vermont residents over 21, and it permits Vermonters to grow their own. The bill allows for the possession of 1 ounce of…

By Xander Landen, VTDigger Gov. Phil Scott will let the Legislature’s third attempt at a budget bill become law, he announced Monday night, June 25, ending a weeks-long impasse over state spending and the looming threat of a government shutdown. Scott’s decision to break the budget stalemate assures that Vermont will have a spending package in…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon I have believed from the beginning that the Legislature and governor needed to come to some sort of agreement on the budget and tax impasse, one branch should not mandate its will over the other just because it could. Last Friday was one of those roller…

By Michelle Monroe, St. Albans Messenger “Appalling” and “un-American,” those are the words Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., used to describe conditions in a processing center in southern Texas where children have been separated from their parents. Welch spoke with the Messenger by phone Sunday, June 17 after visiting a processing center known as “The Icebox,”…

Attorney General T.J. Donovan has announced the launch of a permanent unit within his office known as the Elder Protection Initiative. This unit will focus on supporting and protecting Vermont’s aging population. The unit is the result of a listening tour that solicited ideas from stakeholders on how best to assist older Vermonters. The announcement…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington & Mendon All was quiet last week at the State House with the full House and Senate off (except for some committee meetings on Friday, June 15), waiting on what Gov. Phil Scott would do with the new budget, H.13. As expected, Scott vetoed it last Thursday June…

By Katy Savage QUECHEE — Joel Parker and his family lived near Boston but they drove two hours to Vermont every weekend. They skied in the winter and cycled in the summer. “Then we got the idea of why don’t we just live here,” Parker, 39 said. Parker, his wife and children, ages 11 and…

By Rep. Jim Harrison, Chittenden, Bridgewater, Killington and Mendon Following vetoes on the $15 minimum wage, paid family leave, increased liability on outdoor recreational operators and medical monitoring, Governor Scott vetoed the education funding and the state budget last Friday, May 25. While the initial bills may have been political statements by the Legislature, it…