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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Democratic leaders say they don't have the votes to move forward with mandatory school district consolidation. And they say it's become clear to them that Vermonters don't want it. -
The House Committee on Ways and Means has agreed to vote on legislation this year that would increase state income taxes by 3% on household income over $500,000 a year, and by an additional 2% on income over $1 million. -
The legislation would allow Vermonters to opt out of a global data industry that generates hundreds of billions of dollars annually from the from the sale of their phone numbers, location histories, political affiliations, biometric data and other information. -
With a key legislative deadline looming, lawmakers raced to get key policy bills out of committees this week.
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Local and state police tried to balance the rights and safety of activists and ICE agents by taking part in a tense immigration raid. To critics, it looked like collaboration. -
Immigration attorneys say a Department of Corrections policy blocks them from effectively communicating with clients in detention at Vermont prisons. The department says it's taking some new steps to lower language barriers. -
The legislation would require Republican Gov. Phil Scott to vet the legality of federal mobilization orders, and to refuse any deployments that didn’t meet constitutional muster. But the governor, and many lawmakers, say the bill itself is illegal. -
Burlington resident Amanda Janoo is taking early aim at Scott’s controversial plan to reform Vermont’s education system and says she'll oppose "forced mergers" and "forced school closures." -
Most of the school budget defeats on Tuesday came in lower-income districts, and education officials are worried about a widening economic gap "between the haves and the have nots." -
Legislative leaders hope new projections for property tax growth over the next three years will breathe life into foundering education reform negotiations.
