Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak: Uplifting BIPOC Vermonters through Economic Development | April 2, 2021
Friend,
This is Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak from Burlington with this week’s House Progressive Caucus legislative update. This past week, H.159, an economic development and workplace revitalization bill that includes some historic support for BIPOC owned businesses, passed through the House. I want to share with you some key pieces of that bill and update you on a few other things that have been happening in the statehouse. You can read a more detailed update on our website here.
Economic Development and Workforce Revitalization
H.159 appropriates funds to several programs in order to promote economic development and workforce revitalization, including some historic appropriations made to uplift BIPOC owned businesses. Here are a few key pieces of the bill:
BIPOC Business development: This bill creates two strategies towards supporting BIPOC owned businesses:
Collecting better data on BIPOC owned businesses in order to be able to better assist their needs.
Resourcing the BIPOC business community to convene and identify ways the state can better support their development, growth and success.
Technical Education: This bill puts money towards improving an integrated postsecondary career and technical education system in Vermont that recognizes the issues faced by people with historical barriers to employment or are underrepresented in the workforce and helps to upskill Vermonters to fit our workforce demands.
Vermont State College System (VSCS) assistance: The bill includes scholarships for Vermont students currently enrolled in out-of-state institutions or returning to school after taking a gap year to enroll in a VSCS school, scholarships for adult learners to help complete their degrees, internship funding and critical occupation internship/scholarship funding for occupations such as nursing.
Microbusiness development: We’ve also included more funds for the Microbusiness Development Program, which provides business counseling and other services for disadvantaged Vermonters who own or are planning to start a small business.
These policies offer us a historic chance to take a concrete step forward in addressing the disparate impact our economic development policy has had on BIPOC Vermont businesses, and I’m thrilled that H.159 passed the house floor last week.
The funds in this bill will help uplift BIPOC led groups such as the Vermont Professionals of Color network- you can learn more about them at their website!
What else is happening in the statehouse?
Pensions: This morning, Speaker Krowinski changed course with the pension plan she had proposed last week, saying that she will now be establishing a task force to come up with solutions to the issues faced by our pension fund for teachers and state employees.
The Working Vermonter’s Caucus proposed a different plan for fixing the pensions, introduced by Rep. Cina earlier this week. You can read the whole plan here.
I and my progressive colleagues continue to stand with teachers and state employees in their fight for an equitable solution to this issue that does not put the burden of fixing the problem on them
From the picket line- I, Rep. Cina, and Rep. Colburn stood with teachers on the streets this week in support of fair pension reforms
Eugenics apology: The house passed a joint resolution this week (J.R.H.2) apologizing and taking ownership for the harm caused by State-sanctioned eugenics policies and practices. You can watch Rep. Steven’s floor report on this resolution here.
Thank you for joining me for this week’s update! Last thing- if you haven’t heard, there’s a rally organized by NEA and VSEA union members this Saturday (tomorrow!!) at 11 am at the statehouse in Montpelier. I hope some of you are able to make it to stand in solidarity with our school employees and state workers in support of a fairer pension plan!
In solidarity,
Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Chittenden 6-2
Progressives in the News
Rep. Brian Cina
Legislators reject tax hike on the wealthy to help solve pension crisis- Xander Landen, VTDigger
Ideas flow in on alternatives to initial pension reform plan- Greg Sukiennik, Bennington Banner
