Government Relations
You can’t be at the Statehouse every day—but we can!
We have been, in fact, for over 40 years, functioning as the voice of Vermont retailers to legislators and other elected officials. With the recent addition of an Executive Director with years of high-level experience in state government, VRA’s representation has become more effective than ever. Executive Director Tasha Wallis testifies before committees, lobbies individual legislators, and organizes grassroots efforts. VRA also introduces and shepherds legislation, promotes retail businesses and improves their ability to be competitive.
The results speak for themselves. VRA played a major role in making Sales Tax Holidays in 2008 and 2009 a reality. In addition, VRA helped head off legislation that would have imposed a $25 license fee on all retail scanners. We also forestalled a sales tax increase on clothing. And, recently, the legislature established a committee to review unemployment insurance inequities that force retailers to pay in more than employees take out.
VRA is also the one-call stop for members seeking accurate information on state specific questions. In addition, all members of VRA receive the Downs Rachlin Legislative Report every week during the legislative session. Members also receive weekly updates on health issues through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Legislative Report.
Congressional Delegation
Senator Patrick Leahy
433 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4242
http://leahy.senate.gov/
Senator Bernie Sanders
SRC-2 United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-5141
http://sanders.senate.gov/
Representative Peter Welch
1404 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4115
http://welch.house.gov/contact.shtml
Federal Government
US Senate (www.senate.gov)
US House (www.house.gov)
Thomas (thomas.loc.gov/) - a web site with federal legislation and some federal government links
US Government Guide (www.firstgov.gov)
State Government
State of Vermont Home Page (http://vermont.gov)
Office of the Governor (www.vermont.gov/governor)
Vermont Legislature (www.leg.state.vt.us)
Tax Department (www.state.vt.us/tax/)
Department of Labor (http://www.labor.vermont.gov)
National Retail Organizations
National Retail Federation (www.nrf.com)
International Mass Retailers Association (www.imra.org)
Food Marketing Institute (www.fmi.org)
