January Newsletter
Hi constituents and friends,
Since I last wrote you a lot has happened- the biggest of all we inaugurated a new President and Vice President and swore in an entirely new government in Washington DC. While the events took place during a legislative working day I found myself taking time during lunch to sit with my husband and watch the ceremonies, and ended the evening with the incredible fireworks show accompanied by Katy Perry. I was filled with renewed hope and excitement, and as I write this I know that we are just at the beginning of making changes that will bring the light back in the United States of America.
On a more focused Vermont level we had some highlights as well. We heard our Governor's inaugural address and the Budget Adjustment Act was also shared with committees of jurisdiction.
This week I wanted to share three online resources that I have found useful to me!
1) Did you know Vermont has a state economist? Tom Kavet is Vermont's economist and he shared with us an in-depth economic review and revenue forecast. The information in this report is helpful to understand the impacts of COVID19 on our brave little state. Check it out here - Understanding Vermont's Economic picture!
2) I wanted to lift up a fabulous program in our community, the Everyone Eats project! Upper Valley Everyone Eats is the local hub of Vermont Everyone Eats, the statewide coronavirus relief program that pays Vermont restaurants $10/meal to prepare free, nutritious meals to Vermonters experiencing food insecurity. The program accomplishes three goals: providing a revenue stream to hard-hit local restaurants, providing food to Vermonters in need, and supporting the state’s local agricultural economy, by stipulating that at least 10% of meal ingredients must be sourced locally
3) As we roll out the COVID-19 vaccine there is a lot of information flying at us, both as Vermonters and as members of a border community. Here is an article that I would recommend to get more information on the current state of affairs. Here is the Valley New’s article on the topic.