This week, cat fanciers shared their homemade cat videos. Lawmakers in the House voted on a bill to boost the wages of construction workers on state-funded projects. Senators argued over how to curb distracted driving. And a bill to mandate the labeling of foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms sailed through the Senate, but the Attorney General fears a lawsuit
These were some of the voices in the news this week.
Celebrating Vermont's Local ... Cat Videos?
(Matthew Thorsen) “I’ve never pulled a cat’s tongue before. It was my first time. The filming itself took probably 30 to 32 seconds, but the production took probably a half a day.”
Lawmakers Look To Boost Pay For Construction Workers
(Annie Noonan, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor) “So it really levels the playing field for responsible contractors and it levels the playing field for contractors who also engage with a union workforce.”
Hand Held Cell Phone Ban For Drivers Is Stalled At Statehouse
(Transportation Committee Chairman Dick Mazza) “They have no teeth in banning texting as it stands.”
New Program Adds To Incentives Offered To Companies
(Governor Shumlin) “$4.5 million isn’t so small for Vermont. This is the biggest initiative that a governor has ever had at their disposal to be able to attract high paying research and development high-tech jobs.”
Vermont On Course To Be First To Require GMO Labels
(Senate Judiciary committee chairman Dick Sears) “We felt that the bill that we’re representing today to the Vermont Senate is defensible, number one. Number two, we felt that a trigger of some future date and relying on other states was not in our best interest. That it was in our best interest to go forward and hope that other states would follow Vermont.”
Sorrell Braces For Lawsuit If GMO Bill Becomes Law
(Attorney General Bill Sorrell) “I’ll be very surprised if we are not sued if the Legislature goes ahead and enacts a mandatory GMO labeling statute”
