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 here.
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.
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The Senate Finance Committee will soon vote out a bill that attempts to curb growth in property taxes by taking the unusual step of telling school districts how much they can spend. -
Officials with the Vermont State Ethics Commission say staffing shortages have prevented the body from fulfilling its statutory mission. -
Phil Scott condemns federal immigration tactics after agents fatally shoot 2nd person in MinneapolisIn a dramatic shift of tone, Vermont's Republican governor said in a statement Sunday, “It’s not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights to protest their government.” -
Three weeks into a legislative session that’s supposed to produce one of the most consequential school-governance overhauls in state history, lawmakers are knee-deep in the “inherent contradictions” that make meaningful reform so elusive. -
The Vermont Agency of Transportation plans to eliminate 31 positions, including 20 maintenance workers, to help shore up a deficit in next year's budget. -
Republican Gov. Phil Scott presented lawmakers Tuesday with a $9.4 billion state budget that would wean the state off pandemic-era spending by tamping down on new government expenditures. -
Lawmakers and the governor will experience a sobering comedown from the fastest period of revenue growth in Vermont’s history. -
Animal welfare advocates say legislation is “urgently needed” to resolve statutory failings that have swamped shelters and discouraged police from investigating allegations of abuse. -
Vermont stands to lose out on more than $150 million in federal funding if it can't find the revenues needed to fill a hole in the state's transportation budget. -
Members of a task force created to draw new school district maps say forced mergers would unleash disruption and dislocation in an education system that isn’t yet prepared for that level of transformation.
