Labor & Employment Law: Vermont and Federal Legislative Update
Just past midnight on May 11, 2024, the Vermont Legislature passed H.121, the Vermont Data Privacy Act (VDPA). If signed into law, the VDPA would become the most onerous state comprehensive privacy law in the country. Among...more
Closing out Week 16 of the 2023 Legislative Session - S.5, the Clean Heat Standard bill was approved by the House this past week. The bill sets up a marketplace for credits that would provide a system of carrots and...more
Vermont Governor Phil Scott appointed Republican Suzanne Young as Vermont Attorney General, effective July 5, to fill the vacancy left by Attorney General TJ Donovan, who resigned earlier this month. She will hold the...more
General Government - Governor proposes $7.7 billion budget – Governor Phil Scott unveiled his proposed $7.7 billion budget for FY2023 in a virtual budget address to the legislature last week. Scott’s proposal reflects the...more
Regulated Entities - The Vermont Public Utility Commission (“PUC” or “Commission”) is responsible for the general administration of Vermont public utilities, specifically including those responsible for electrical...more
Senate passes budget - On Friday, the Senate gave final approval to the $7.17 billion FY 2022 budget, H.439. Senate Appropriations Chair Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia, called it “as complicated a budget as I’ve ever had to put...more
New stormwater requirements will cost property owners hundreds of millions of dollars - The House Committee on Corrections and Institutions received a primer this week on the history behind the 3-acre general permit,...more
Project based TIFs would expand rural redevelopment - The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs is considering S.33, a bill that would allow more towns to apply for project-based tax...more
Vermont's legislature adjusts to a new normal - The legislature convened remotely last week and seamlessly began its virtual session. While things are running smoothly technologically, lawmakers are operating under the...more
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS - September 25, 2020: Previous guidance regarding the Vermont Coronavirus Emergency Economic Recovery Grants issued by the Vermont Department of Taxes or the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community...more
The Green Mountain state has taken a significant step toward legalizing recreational cannabis. On September 17, 2020, the Vermont House of Representatives adopted the Conference Committee report for S.B. 54, an act relating...more
Reopenings: Schools and the General Assembly Get Back to It. Legislative Session 2020 started out like most sequels, with a feeling of déjà vu. It was Groundhog Day with a touch of “I Am Legend” thrown in for atmosphere....more
When the legislature moved from the State House to the cloud eight weeks ago, it was anyone’s guess as to how that would work. The answer, it turns out, was about as well as one could expect. Small committees have functioned...more
Short-Term Rentals Continue to Gain Market Share - ("Booking Holdings breaks down private accommodation revenues for first time, now at 20% of total," Phocuswire, Feb 27, 2019) Alternative accommodations, including...more
As we enter the new year, there are new changes in state and federal lobbying, gift and campaign finance laws. California: In September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed new campaign finance laws that require political committees...more
Section 252.363, Florida Statutes, allows certain permits and authorizations to be tolled and extended due to a state of emergency, if the permit holder files a particular notice with the agency or government which issued the...more
On Tuesday, September 12th, Florida Governor Rick Scott directed Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier to “freeze any and all efforts” to increase property insurance rates. In addition, Governor Scott stated that...more
To facilitate storm response, recovery, and reconstruction efforts, before Hurricane Irma's landfall, Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) issued twin emergency orders on September...more
On July 31, 2017, Governor Scott issued Executive Order 17-204, declaring a 60-day state of emergency in 31 counties for Tropical Storm Emily and thereby providing a new opportunity for extension of certain development...more
Florida Governor Rick Scott recently signed into law a medical marijuana use bill that was prompted by a voter referendum that amended the Florida Constitution to provide certain patients the right to use marijuana for...more
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a medical marijuana bill into law on Friday that provides guidelines on the implementation of the state’s Constitutional Amendment regarding medical marijuana. The good news for employers:...more
Last November, Florida voters overwhelmingly voted to amend the Florida Constitution to permit the use of medical marijuana. The constitutional amendment went into effect on January 3, 2017, and required regulations to be...more
Governor Scott has recently issued emergency declarations applicable to 51 Florida Counties, providing opportunities for extending certain development approvals within those areas. Florida Statute 252.363 provides an...more
Section 252.363, Florida Statutes, provides a right to extend the duration of certain state and local permits when the Governor has declared a state of emergency. A state of emergency was recently declared in Martin, St....more