Peter Hirschfeld
ReporterHelp shape my reporting:
The Vermont Statehouse is often called the people’s house. I am your eyes and ears there. I keep a close eye on how legislation could affect your life; I also regularly speak to the people who write that legislation. The more I hear from you, the better I’ll be at my job. So, what issues do you want lawmakers to focus on? What info do you most urgently need?
I'm eager to hear from you. Get in touch using the form below:
_
About Peter:
Peter Hirschfeld covers state government and the Vermont Legislature. He is based in Vermont Public’s Capital Bureau located across the street from Vermont’s Statehouse.
Hirschfeld is a Vermont journalist who has covered the Statehouse since 2009, most recently as bureau chief for the Rutland Herald and Times Argus. He began his career in 2003, working as a local sports reporter and copy editor at the Times Argus.
-
School nutrition officials across Vermont are urging lawmakers to permanently fund a universal free meals program that’s set to expire at the end of the school year. But Gov. Phil Scott says he doesn’t want to use limited taxpayer resources to buy free breakfast and lunch for kids whose families can pay. -
Gov. Phil Scott on Friday outlined an $8.37 billion spending plan that includes new investments in housing, child care and rural economic development, but also squirrels away hundreds of millions of dollars for choppier economic times ahead.
-
This week, lawmakers in the Vermont House and Senate unveiled proposals that try to make the state's zoning ordinances more conducive to new development. That's as Vermont's housing shortage continues.
-
The new report from the RAND Corporation says Vermont lawmakers will have to come up with between $179 million and $279 million annually if they want to make child care affordable for every family that needs it — and fairly compensate workers.
-
Gov. Phil Scott is asking lawmakers to sign off on a nearly $300 million mid-year spending plan, and he also wants them to use a revenue surplus to lower property tax bills next year.
-
In an inaugural speech designed to set the legislative agenda in Montpelier over the next two years, Gov. Phil Scott called on lawmakers Thursday to lift up rural economies by cutting bureaucratic red tape and prioritizing investments in local communities.
-
From housing and child care to climate action and mental health, lawmakers will face tough spending decisions as federal coronavirus relief aid begins to dry up.
-
Incoming Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth and House Speaker Jill Krowinski say ideological diversity among Democratic lawmakers will require the House and Senate to legislate by consensus.
-
Top state officials gathered in Montpelier Tuesday to officially enroll two constitutional amendments approved by Vermont voters in November.
-
Advocates for paid family and medical leave say Gov. Phil Scott's opt-in program will exclude workers living on the margins.
