Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate committee hears push for state funding to sustain multilingual emergency communications
Summary
Witnesses told the Senate Committee on Government Operations April 4 that S.111 would help replace federal CDC funding and keep the Vermont Language Justice Project able to produce timely videos and other materials in many languages for emergencies and public-health guidance.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations heard testimony April 4 on S.111, a bill to provide state funding to support multilingual emergency communications handled through the Vermont Department of Emergency Management and the Vermont Department of Health, witnesses said the funding is needed after a federal CDC grant ended.
Supporters told the committee the Vermont Language Justice Project (VLJP) has produced hundreds of short videos and audio resources in dozens of languages during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent emergencies, and that sudden federal funding cuts have left the project unable to pivot during new crises.
“Allison Segar, director of the Vermont Language Justice Project, said she launched the project five years ago in response to COVID-19 after seeing that emergency communication and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
