Vermont House Republican Caucus - Walkthrough of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law - 04/10/2024

Walkthrough of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law at the House Republican Caucus.

On Tuesday, in the House Republican Caucus, Representative Morgan who sits on the House Government Operations and Military Affairs committee, gave an overview of S.55 - Representative Higley, who is also on the committee, said he worried about losing fully in person meetings.

S.55: As Passed by the Senate:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0055/S-0055%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf

Vermont Senate Committee on Appropriations - Discussion of VAN FY25 Request - 04/10/2024

Discussion of VAN FY25 Request at the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

On Wednesday, Senate Appropriations discussed the $1 million one-time appropriation for VAN in the FY25 budget as passed by the House. Sen. Kitchel noted that the Senate has passed S.181, which would provide an ongoing funding source for VAN, in which case the one-time funds would not be needed. She wants to keep this line item open for the time being. She said that the goal is to maintain current levels of service, but how much money that will be is to be determined.

The Committee returned to the topic a bit later in the meeting, with a somewhat informal conversation about the streaming tax - which Sen. Sears is not a fan of, despite supporting public access television - but reiterating their commitment to the solution of funding VAN’s ongoing needs out of revenue that would be generated by S.181. 

Vermont House Committee on Government Operations - Testimony of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law - 04/09/2024

Testimony of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law at the House Committee on Government Operations.

On Tuesday, the House Government Operations and Military Affairs committee continued taking testimony on the bill - the committee heard from the Vermont School Boards Association, Vermont Press Association, VCUDA, and the Secretary of State’s office. Lauren Hibbert, Deputy Secretary of the Secretary of State, testified the "working group is where all the unresolved issues go". The majority of the committee’s questions centered on definitions, they found many items were not defined and the committee wanted to ensure there is an appropriate definition for each. For example, the difference between formal findings vs announcements, how long is notice and can a meeting itinerary change without groups having time to give notice, are there repercussions for missing an email( is an email even written notice), who is doing the training, etc

S.55: Senator Hardy's Open Meeting Law Report:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/House%20Government%20Operations/Bills/S.55/Witness%20Documents/S.55~Ruth%20Hardy~Open%20Meeting%20Law%20Report,%203-19-2024~3-28-2024.pdf

All Things LGBTQ - Interview Show: Julie Enszer - 04/09/2024

Provided by ORCA Media:

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Questioning Community presents local and national news. Recorded on April 9, 2024.

Colchester Selectboard - 04/09/2024

For more information on the Colchester Selectboard and their current procedures and meeting dates, please reference the meeting agendas at clerkshq.com/Colchester-vt.

Burlington Board of Finance - 04/09/2024

For more information on current procedures and meeting dates for the Burlington Board of Finance, please visit burlingtonvt.gov/CityCouncil/BOF/Schedule.

Williston Development Review Board - 04/09/2024

For more information on the Williston Development Review Board and their current procedures and meeting dates, please reference the meeting agendas at town.williston.vt.us/index.asp?Type=B_DIR&SEC={115D5C91-98A1-4712-8C54-031C4200C06D}.

Founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange - 04/09/2024

Host Sandy Baird is joined by Kurt Mehta, Esq. to discuss Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.

Coverage from Winooski - 04/08/2024

Town Meeting TV coverage of the historic total eclipse from Winooski, including behind the scenes of recording the entire eclipse.

Coverage Across Vermont - 04/08/2024

Town Meeting TV coverage of the historic total eclipse.

Coverage from South Burlington - 04/08/2024

Town Meeting TV coverage of the historic total eclipse from South Burlington.

Coverage Across Vermont RAW - 04/08/2024

Town Meeting TV's raw coverage of the historic total eclipse.

Coverage from Church Street and City Hall Park in Burlington - 04/08/2024

Town Meeting TV coverage of the historic total eclipse from the City of Burlington.

Coverage from Colchester - 04/08/2024

From LCATV:

A look at the people that visited Colchester, VT for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse.

Coverage from Waterfront Park in Burlington - 04/08/2024

Town Meeting TV coverage of the historic total eclipse from Burlington's Waterfront Park. Includes remarks from Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and other City of Burlington officials.

ASTRONOMICAL: Three Short Talks on the Night Sky - 04/06/2024

From Burlington City Arts:

ASTRONOMICAL features Vermont creatives considering different perspectives on the skies.

Presented as part of Obscura BTV, the City of Burlington's official total solar eclipse.

For more information visit: https://loveburlington.org/obscura-burlington/

Vermont Astronomical Society: All You Need To Know About A Solar Eclipse - 04/06/2024

From Essex Free Library:

Join Scott Turnbull of the Vermont Astronomical Society for a talk about how a solar eclipse happens and how to safely view one.

For more information visit: https://essexfreelibrary.org | https://vtastro.org

Healthcare is a Human Right Community Meeting - 04/06/2024

From Vermont Worker's Center:

Cuts to Medicaid, skyrocketing costs, denial of care — We’re all impacted by the growing crisis of for-profit healthcare.

The Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign is on tour this spring to hear from YOU. We’re organizing to take on the healthcare industry and its backers on Wall Street to make healthcare as a public good for all. 

For more information visit: https://workerscenter.org/2024springtour

Featured Story

CCTV Receives NEH Grant to Support Community Archives

CCTV Center for Media & Democracy is pleased to announce receipt of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant alongside 32 peer archival institutions across the country. This $49,927 grant award will support efforts to preserve and expand access to audio/visual community history materials in the CCTV Archives. Read more about this opportunity here!

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