Peter Hirschfeld
ReporterHelp shape my reporting:
The Vermont Statehouse is often called the people鈥檚 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鈥檒l 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 开云体育鈥檚 Capital Bureau located across the street from Vermont鈥檚 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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The debate over the future of energy policy in Vermont hit a key turning point this week when Republican Gov. Phil Scott presented Democratic lawmakers with what he鈥檚 calling his 鈥淐limate Action Management Plan.鈥� -
The Vermont Asylum Assistance Project furloughed two legal fellows and closed intake for new cases after an order by the Trump administration cut off a key source of federal funding for the nonprofit. -
Republican Gov. Phil Scott wants to repeal Vermont's emissions reduction mandates, but some Democratic lawmakers worry his plan would set back the state's climate action plan. -
Elected officials across the political spectrum have said they want to deliver major policy changes in education, housing and other areas, but six weeks into the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers haven鈥檛 made much progress toward those goals. -
Major floods in 2023 and 2024 destroyed local food security infrastructure, and the Vermont Foodbank says it wants to be prepared to address local needs after natural disasters in the future. -
Legislation approved by the House Tuesday would allow prosecutors to pursue hate crime penalties even when the direct victim of an offense isn't a member of a protected class. -
The 306-foot-tall monument cost $102,000 to construct in the late 1880s, but the price tag to keep it viable as a historic site 鈥� and popular tourist destination 鈥� will far exceed that figure. -
At the largest political rally Vermont has seen since President Donald Trump was inaugurated last month, the crowd erupted into spontaneous chants in support of transgender people, immigrants and other groups that have become early targets of the new administration. The protest was part of a nationwide movement called 50501. -
Gov. Phil Scott is now looking to roll back or revise almost every major climate bill enacted by the Democratically-controlled Legislature over the last four years, and the environmental advocates who previously enjoyed so much influence in Montpelier now find themselves on the defensive. -
Earlier this week, Gov. Phil Scott touted a spending plan that 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 raise taxes or fees.鈥� On Thursday, however, Scott said his administration will be presenting lawmakers with a bill in the coming weeks that would assess a new fee on EVs.
