budget cuts

May Day Rally in Vermont - Advance Media Coverage
April 29, 2013
MONTPELIER — In 2009, the Vermont Workers’ Center convened the first-ever May Day rally as a way of demonstrating political support for single-payer health care. Four years later, this annual “day of action” will include a call for increased government spending on... Keep Reading »
In Support of a 'People's Budget'
April 19, 2013
One of the most important lessons I’ve gained in life is that when you have a problem, you figure out what’s causing it and get down to the root of the matter. Gov. Shumlin’s proposals to cap Reach Up and limit the Earned Income Tax Credit are a clear example of misunderstanding... Keep Reading »
Dignity For All: Put People First Statement for a People’s Budget
February 13, 2013
Vermont's Put People First movement delivered this unity statement to members of the Vermont Senate and House Appropriations Committees at the February 11, 2013, Budget Hearings held at 15 VT Interactive TV sites throughout the state. Many dozen members of Put People First testified at the... Keep Reading »
Advocates Emphasize Public Budgeting According to Needs, Not Revenue
December 13, 2012
Advocates from the Vermont Workers’ Center are calling for increased public participation in the state budgeting process. The grassroots group based in Burlington sent a new proposal late last week to the Shumlin administration, reiterating key demands they had made in September. The... Keep Reading »
Vermonters Speak Out on Budget
November 20, 2012
Residents spoke at video-conference sites across Vermont on Monday evening, stressing social service needs they said the state should take into account when preparing the next state budget. Residents weighed in during a second public meeting called to invite citizen input into the budget process... Keep Reading »
Public Weighs In On Budget Process
November 20, 2012
The state held the second of two public forums Monday to give Vermonters a chance to weigh in on budget priorities. The forums, mandated by the legislature last session, require the Governor to hold public meetings on budget priorities before the budget is written and presented to the... Keep Reading »
Why We Need Public Participation in Developing the State Budget
October 25, 2012
Cross-posted from the Public Assets Institute's blog: Vermont’s fiscal 2014 budget development process is officially under way. And in what has become the new normal, the Shumlin administration is asking its agency managers to cut their budgets. Fiscal 2014 begins on July 1, 2013;... Keep Reading »
Beyond Vermont: Voices for a People's Budget in Florida
April 27, 2012
The People's Budget Review in St. Petersburg, Florida, is mobilizing tens of thousands of residents to make their voices heard in this year's local budget process. The mobilization is slated to culminate in September for the adoption of the city's final budget and revenue plan. Here... Keep Reading »
The People’s Budget Bill: In Times of Austerity, a Tool for Rights-Based Change
April 2, 2012
Vermont’s Put People First Campaign is organizing communities for a proactive solution to budget cuts and health care financing reform. Recalling that the real purpose of budget and revenue policies is to meet people’s fundamental needs, the Campaign has developed, in partnership... Keep Reading »
Hundreds of Vermonters Testify for People's Budget at State Budget Hearings
February 15, 2012
The Put People First! The People's Budget Campaign of the Vermont Workers' Center mobilized over 150 Vermonters to testify at the state budget hearings held across Vermont on February 12, 2012. In their testimonies, Vermonters described their struggles to meet their fundamental needs... Keep Reading »