House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development Agenda

House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development

AGENDA

Room 35 and Zoom

February 18, 2025 - February 21, 2025

Last Updated 2/21/2025 1:37 PM

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-commerce-and-economic-development.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

9:00 AM H. 137 - An act relating to the regulation of insurance products and services

Amendments

Jennifer Carbee, Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of Legislative Counsel

Sara Teachout, Director, Government, Public and Media Relations, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont

Emily Brown, Deputy Commissioner of Insurance, Department of Financial Regulation - Zoom

Chris D'Elia, President, Vermont Bankers' Association

Aaron Ferenc, Deputy Commissioner of Banking, Department of Financial Regulation - Zoom

10:00 AM House Floor & Caucuses

- Lunch

1:00 PM Advance Vermont Presentation

Discussion on Budget

Tom Cheney, Executive Director, Advance Vermont

2:00 PM Vermont Student Assistance Corporation

Discussion on Budget

Patrick Leduc, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation

Thomas Little, General Counsel, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation

Scott Giles, President, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation - TBD

3:00 PM Vermont Community Action Partnership

Discussion on Budget

Liz Scharf, Director of Community Economic Development and Food Security, Capstone Community Action

Rosie Gray, Financial Securities Specialist and Business Coach, Capstone Community Action

Matthew DeGroot, Lobbyist, Action Circles

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

9:00 AM Vermont Fairs

VT Fairs Day

Jackie Folsom, Lobbyist, VT Agricultural Fairs Association

Chris Vance, President, Caledonia County Fair

Tim Shea, Executive Director, Champlain Valley Exposition

Cindy Kayhart, President, Addison County Fair and Field Days

Jason Sicard, President, Orleans County Fair

Lonna Kantorski, Vermont State Fair

9:30 AM Government of Canada

Introduction to and Discussion with Committee Members

Hon. Bernadette Jordan, P.C., M.P., Consul General of Canada, Canadian Embassy

Meaghan Sunderland, Head of Public Affairs, Political and Economic Relations, Canadian Embassy

Maggie Randall, Public and Government Affairs Attaché, Québec Government Office in Boston

10:10 AM Upcoming Career Technical Education Bill

Discussion on CTE from 10:10-2:50pm with a break for lunch from 12:00-1:00pm.

Jay Nichols, Executive Director, Vermont Principals' Association

Erika Schneider, Director, Hartford Tech Center - Zoom

Jody Emerson, Director and Superintendent, Central Vermont Career Center

- Lunch

1:00 PM Upcoming Career Technical Education Bill

Discussion on CTE from 10:10-2:50pm with a break for lunch from 12:00-1:00pm.

Chelsea Myers, Executive Director, Vermont Superintendents Association

Seth Bowden, President, Vermont Business Roundtable - Zoom

Erik Remmers, Director, Green Mountain Tech - Zoom

Patrick Guckin, Director of Career and Technical Education, St. Johnsbury Academy

Jody Emerson, Director and Superintendent, Central Vermont Career Center

3:00 PM House Floor

Thursday, February 20, 2025

9:00 AM NEK Day

Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce

Abigail Long, Executive Director, Kingdom Trails Association, East Burke

Loralee Tester, Executive Director, Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce

Mike Reddy, Board Member, Headwaters Community Trust, Northeast Kingdom Organizing

Rick Ufford-Chase, Executive Director, Newport City Downtown Development

Cynthia Stuart, Owner, Stuart Consulting

Jon Ramsay, Executive Director, Center for an Agricultural Economy

10:30 AM Joint Assembly

Election of Sergeant at Arms and UVM Trustees

- Lunch

1:00 PM Agency of Commerce and Community Development

Discussion on Budget

Lindsay Kurrle, Secretary, Agency of Commerce and Community Development

Joan Goldstein, Commissioner, Department of Economic Development

Tim Tierney, Director of Recruitment and International Trade, Agency of Commerce and Community Development

Alex Farrell, Commissioner, Department of Housing and Community Development

Weiwei Wang, Co Founder and Executive Director, Vermont Professionals of Color Network - Zoom

Melissa Bounty, Executive Director, Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation

Peter Gregory, Executive Director, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission

Tom Kennedy, Director of Community Development, Mount Ascutney Regional Commission

3:00 PM House Floor

Friday, February 21, 2025

8:45 AM Meeting with Interns

Meeting with UVM Legislative Intern

Helen Argraves, Legislative Intern, University of Vermont

9:30 AM House Floor

10 Minutes After Floor H. 137 - An act relating to the regulation of insurance products and services

Amendments

Mike Fisher, Chief Health Care Advocate, Vermont Legal Aid

11:00 AM Department of Labor

Discussion on Unemployment Insurance for Federal Employees

Michael Harrington, Commissioner, Vermont Department of Labor - Zoom

- Lunch

1:00 PM Serve Learn Earn

Discussion on Budget

Kate Gluckman, Director, Serve Learn Earn

Rhoni Basden, Executive Director, VT Works for Women

Kim Guertin, Director, Green Mountain Audubon Center, Audubon Vermont

Thomas Longstreth, Executive Director, ReSOURCE

Breck Knauft, Executive Director, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

2:00 PM Free Degree Promise

Introduction and Discussion

Carolyn Weir, Executive Director, The McClure Foundation

ATTENTION WITNESSES

Please email handouts to the committee assistant at least 24 hours before your scheduled meeting time. With few exceptions, any documents you send to a committee assistant are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s web page.

Should you require accessibility services, please click here and note that requests should be made 48 hours in advance of testimony.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact

Annagrace Oblak at aoblak@leg.state.vt.us