{"id":476,"date":"2020-03-23T17:53:34","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T17:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/?p=476"},"modified":"2020-03-23T17:53:34","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T17:53:34","slug":"governor-phil-scott-highlights-measures-to-help-support-workers-families-and-businesses-impacted-by-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/governor-phil-scott-highlights-measures-to-help-support-workers-families-and-businesses-impacted-by-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Phil Scott Highlights Measures to Help Support Workers, Families and Businesses Impacted by COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PRESS RELEASE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT HIGHLIGHTS MEASURES TO HELP SUPPORT WORKERS, FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY COVID-19<\/h2>\n
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20 MARCH 2020<\/span><\/div>\n
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Montpelier, Vt. \u2013 At a press conference Friday, Governor Phil Scott and members of his administration outlined the recent implementation of initiatives \u2013 as well as forthcoming actions \u2013 to help provide relief for individuals, families and businesses stemming from the COVID-19 response.<\/p>\n

A full transcript of the Governor\u2019s remarks is provided below and you can view the full press conference at\u00a0https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GovPhilScott\/videos\/245010629858807\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MEDIA NOTE: For more information about specific initiatives, please follow the links inserted throughout the Governor\u2019s transcribed remarks.<\/p>\n

Transcript:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know this is an incredibly difficult time with disruption most of us have never experienced, and there\u2019s a lot of uncertainty, fear and anxiety across the nation. I understand how tough things are right now and will continue to be. But what\u2019s really important is to focus on and complete our first mission: to work together as one community to slow the spread of COVID-19.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yesterday, when we announced the death of two elderly Vermonters with COVID-19, we had a stark reminder of why the mitigation actions we\u2019re taking are necessary. We have to recognize that many of us will get this virus and while many will have moderate symptoms, we must do all we can to protect our older Vermonters and those with underlying conditions who are at greater risk for severe outcomes like what we announced last night. The consequences are serious, but the response is literally in our hands.<\/em><\/p>\n

So, I want to thank Vermonters for their flexibility and help in responding to this pandemic.<\/em><\/p>\n

From folks picking up supplies for elderly neighbors; to the grocery store crews restocking shelves.<\/em><\/p>\n

From our restaurant owners, workers, educators and school administrators who\u2019ve met recent adversity with understanding and a sense of service; to our healthcare workers, nurses and doctors on the front line doing all they can to fight this virus and keep us healthy.<\/em><\/p>\n

From our Department of Health workers and those from other agencies\u2014many of whom I visited last night at the call center\u2014working second and third shifts to answer questions and track response needs; to state employees\u2014even former employees\u2014stepping up outside their daily jobs to help and do whatever they can.<\/em><\/p>\n

I want every Vermonter to know I fully understand the incredible economic and emotional toll coronavirus is having and will continue to have on each and every one of us. The measures we\u2019re implementing, while disruptive, are based on the best science we have from experts and we\u2019re committed to doing all we can to help people weather this storm.<\/em><\/p>\n

As we continue to work on our first mission to protect the health of Vermonters, we also know financial security is critical for us to recover from this pandemic as well. So, we\u2019re here today to announce steps we\u2019ve taken to support working Vermonters affected by COVID-19 and additional actions we\u2019re going to put into place.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let me be clear: my team and I are fully aware these initiatives are not enough. People are hurting and businesses are at risk. Let me assure you we will pull every lever and turn every dial we can to support folks through this time and look towards economic recovery even while we\u2019re closing in on the eye of the storm. The initiatives we\u2019re outlining today are small steps but they\u2019re just the beginning and we need people to know what resources are available to them right now.<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already taken several actions to provide some economic relief for Vermonters.<\/em><\/p>\n

To start, we made\u00a0unemployment available to all Vermonters who can\u2019t work because of coronavirus<\/a>. We also\u00a0waived the work search requirement<\/a>\u00a0for those who are laid off or had their hours reduced during this emergency. This of course means many more Vermonters calling the Department of Labor for help and we continue to expand capacity and have simplified the process for Vermonters. This includes an\u00a0online form for initial claims and tripling the number of staff in our claims center<\/a>, borrowing people from other agencies and departments to help out, including a generous offer of staff support from the Auditor\u2019s office.<\/em><\/p>\n

With schools and daycares now closed, it\u2019s my hope we can extend these benefits to those who need to stay home to care for their kids and we\u2019ll work with the legislature to do so. To further protect workers, I\u2019ll also ask the legislature to extend job protections for those employees of small businesses who cannot work due to family and medical reasons.<\/em><\/p>\n

Knowing the burden of healthcare and how utility costs weigh heavily on families, I\u2019ve directed the Department of Financial Regulation and DVHA to take several actions to help reduce financial pressure where we can and make sure Vermonters continue to have access to care and prescriptions. DFR acted quickly to ensure\u00a0Vermonters didn\u2019t have to pay out of pocket for COVID-19 testing<\/a>\u00a0and directed insurers to allow for a\u00a030-day supply of prescription medication\u00a0<\/a>for patients. Commissioner Pieciak is now working with MVP and Blue Cross Blue Shield to try to make sure no one loses their healthcare coverage during this time. And I\u2019ve directed DVHA to waive premiums for the Dr. Dynasaur program.<\/em><\/p>\n

DFR is also working with financial institutions to encourage flexibility for customers, things like\u00a0waiving fees and delaying loan repayments<\/a>, which is just the start to providing relief.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the utility front, my team at the Public Service Department has been working with our utilities to ensure that folks are not disconnected during this emergency due to inability to pay. I\u2019m happy to report that our utilities overwhelmingly stepped up to do the right thing and their good conduct and cooperation was acknowledged in the\u00a0PUC\u2019s recent order to formalize this protection<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I know the steps we\u2019ve had to take to slow this virus down are already taking an incredible toll on businesses and their employees, especially our bars and restaurants which are so vital to our economy and our culture. Again, we will do everything we can to help these businesses and their employees, but my heart goes out to each and every one of them as they face the brunt of this right now.<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve acted on some other opportunities to provide relief and we will do more.<\/em><\/p>\n

For instance, yesterday I eased liquor laws to allow restaurants\u2014which can\u00a0only offer takeout and delivery<\/a>\u00a0to help mitigate the spread of the virus\u2014to\u00a0sell alcoholic beverages as part of takeout<\/a>\u00a0service. While this may seem trivial, I wanted to allow as much flexibility as possible while their dine-in service is closed.<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also requested** a disaster declaration from the Small Business Administration which would make emergency loans available to Vermont small businesses. To supplement this, we\u2019ll be working with the legislature to create a business loan program through VEDA, as we did in the immediate response to Tropical Storm Irene.<\/em><\/p>\n

As we work to expand UI benefits, we\u2019re also working with the legislature to make sure UI experience ratings are not negatively affected.<\/em><\/p>\n

ACCD is also providing resources to support businesses with technical assistance, regular guidance and more at\u00a0accd.vermont.gov<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Again, we know this is not nearly enough and there will be much more coming in the future to help our small businesses\u2014the backbone of our economy.<\/em><\/p>\n

While working to provide some economic relief, we\u2019re also working to ease the regulatory burden and simplify government services in ways that will help us better respond to this crisis.<\/em><\/p>\n

For example, the Department of Motor Vehicles shifted to\u00a0online, phone and mail services<\/a>, and to help take some of the stress off, I directed them to grant a\u00a090-day extension for all license and registration renewals.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

We know two areas of tremendous need right now are in our health and communications systems. We\u2019ve already\u00a0expanded telehealth services<\/a>\u2014including for mental health needs\u2014and we\u2019ll also work to give our healthcare providers more flexibility on licensing, staffing and referrals and ease ANR\u2019s procedural requirements to accommodate surge capacity needs at healthcare facilities.<\/em><\/p>\n

And we\u2019re looking to ease up on barriers to communications infrastructure to make sure those systems aren\u2019t interrupted.<\/em><\/p>\n

Additionally, the Public Service Department is developing an interactive map of free Wi-Fi hotspots to support our students and workers now learning and working remotely.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the federal level, we continue to assess what\u2019s being passed and being considered in Washington, which will provide more relief for workers and businesses. I want to thank our congressional delegation\u2014Senators Leahy and Sanders and Congressman Welch\u2014who have been so supportive and taking my numerous calls each and every time I make them.<\/em><\/p>\n

I also want to thank the legislature\u2014particularly leadership\u2014who have been standing ready to act on our needs in this crisis and who we will continue to work closely with on several of the proposals outlined.<\/em><\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve already made clear, these are just the first steps of many to come that we think can make a difference for Vermont, but we know\u2014I know\u2014that many more will be needed and we\u2019ll take those steps together. We\u2019ll take each challenge as it comes, calmly and with the best interest of all Vermonters in mind. Each and every decision we make will be informed by the best science and with information from subject matter experts to protect Vermonters.<\/em><\/p>\n

I want to close by again commenting on how proud I am of the people of our state and how encouraged I am with what I\u2019ve seen as we pull together. Little things like neighbors encouraging others to get takeout from our restaurants, businesses donating masks and personal protective gear to hospitals, bus drivers delivering meals and learning materials on the routes they used to pick up students on and folks taking a moment to thank the custodians for working overtime to keep our spaces clean and safe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Just like Irene or the Great Depression of the 30s or the flood of 1927, we will get through this and we\u2019ll get through it together.<\/em><\/p>\n

– End Transcript –<\/strong><\/p>\n

**Following Friday\u2019s press conference, the Small Business Administration approved Vermont\u2019s request, meaning small business owners suffering economic injury due the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans, offering up to $2 million in assistance per business.\u00a0Click here to read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PRESS RELEASE GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT HIGHLIGHTS MEASURES TO HELP SUPPORT WORKERS, FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY COVID-19 20 MARCH 2020 Montpelier, Vt. \u2013 At a press conference Friday, Governor Phil Scott and members of his administration outlined the recent implementation of initiatives \u2013 as well as forthcoming actions \u2013 to help provide relief for individuals, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476\/revisions\/477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncssinc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}