Vermont Chamber Shares Relief Ideas From Business Community
​Below is a letter Vermont Chamber President Betsy Bishop sent on May 28 to Governor Phil Scott with relief ideas collected from the business community through the Solutions Hub.
 
May 28, 2020

The Honorable Philip B. Scott, Governor
109 State Street, Pavilion
Montpelier, VT 05609
 
Dear Governor Scott,
 
The Vermont Chamber is encouraged by your Administration’s recent proposal of a substantial economic relief package. As outlined, your proposal addresses many of the business community’s immediate needs and we look forward to serving as a partner in helping businesses access the related resources. We also recognize that over the last few months you have implemented or proposed many other policies that will help safeguard the business community’s future.
 
Even with the prospect of significant financial relief on the horizon, Vermont’s short- and long-term economic wellbeing continues to face unprecedented hardship. Businesses across the state are enduring catastrophic losses related to this crisis. It is unlikely that any level of policy relief will fully offset these losses, but a continued emphasis on focused resource allocation, coupled with certain regulatory accommodations, will serve to partially mitigate the ongoing economic challenges related to COVID-19.
 
Knowing that it is business owners themselves who are best equipped to provide suggestions for economic relief, the Vermont Chamber has worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to continuously improve communication with our members. To aid in the process of gathering, disseminating, and advocating for member-generated policy ideas, we recently established a Solutions Hub that members can access to provide insight or suggestions for future economic relief. Information gathered through this process reflects some of the immediate needs of the business community. These suggestions are included in the linked Solutions Hub document.
 
While the Vermont Chamber has previously advocated for some of the linked proposals, we hope that you will find a variety of new ideas the Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force could consider as future relief is generated. If you or your team have questions about the attached content, please contact Charles Martin at govaffairs@vtchamber.com.
 
Sincerely,

Betsy Bishop
President
Vermont Chamber of Commerce