Economic Development & An Affordable Vermont
Our state faces both long and short-term economic development challenges and opportunities. In the long term, we need to build a competitive and sustainable 21st century economy. In the short term, certain sectors of our economy hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic (dining, entertainment, lodging and tourism) still need assistance as they continue to recover. Vermont has allocated hundreds of millions of American Rescue Plan dollars to help our businesses, employees, municipalities, and our creative sector bounce back from the disasters of the pandemic and thrive into the future.
More work needs to be done to ensure that Vermont is a place to affordably pursue your dreams - get a job, buy a house, start a family and/or create your own business. There are two sides to the affordability coin – costs and income. I have voted to increase the minimum wage to $15/an hour and provide paid family leave for every Vermonter – because Vermonters need higher wages, better benefits, and access to affordable housing and healthcare.
We need to continue to invest in an innovative 21st century economy in Vermont’s revitalized downtowns. Windsor County is well positioned for this. We have the internet and architectural infrastructure to accommodate growth. A good example is the exciting initiative in downtown Springfield: the Black River Innovation Campus project. It illustrates how Vermont can create jobs for the future and use its re-purposed historic buildings.
We’ve made real progress in bolstering our region’s economy and spurring downtown development. To enable investment in our downtowns we’ve expanded our downtown tax credit program and access to the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program. And, we’ve invested further in public transportation and our digital infrastructure systems and prioritized a green energy economy that will create jobs while helping to save the environment many Vermont businesses depend on.
Building this economy requires that we invest further in workforce development, so we’ve invested millions in workforce development through scholarships, loan forgiveness, and apprenticeships. We need to build the expectations of our middle and high school students, encouraging more of them to continue on to higher education – in accredited programs, apprenticeships and college. This training will move our workforce into better paying jobs and exciting sectors of the 21st century high-tech economy. To help this, we need to support our State College System and graduate programs, in the process reducing the cost of higher education.
There are a number of success stories. Vermont’s investments in renewable energy have resulted in significant job growth. Our high-tech sector is vibrant and growing. These efforts, coupled with supporting our Working Lands and Creative Economies, will help further the success of the VT brand and enable Vermont to thrive into the future. As your State Senator, I will continue to fight for economic development opportunities for our region and for all Vermonters.