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Senate committee reviews S.327; testimony urges state match to draw down federal SBDC dollars and funds to shore up nonprofits
Summary
At a Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs hearing, Vermont SBDC director Linda Rossi told members the SBDC needs additional state match to draw down a confirmed $833,000 federal award; Common Good Vermont asked for $295,000 one‑time and $267,000 ongoing funding to help nonprofits navigate federal policy changes. Committee members also debated major rewrites to S.327 including a department‑led study and contested changes to employee‑ownership definitions.
The Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee on S.327 heard testimony and technical briefings on proposed expansions to small‑business and nonprofit supports and debated several substantive rewrites of the bill.
Linda Rossi, state director of the Vermont Small Business Development Center (Vermont SBDC), told the committee the SBDC could not accept the full 2026 federal award without an increased state match. "The federal amount that has been confirmed is $833,000," Rossi said, explaining that the SBDC program is a federal–nonfederal cooperative model that requires a 1:1 nonfederal match with at least 50% of the match in cash. Rossi said Vermont has historically provided the cash match and that without additional state funds "we would be leaving federal dollars not able to be drawn down." She told members the SBDC operated on about a $1.2 million budget last year, served 445 individual Vermont business owners who reported securing roughly $9.7 million in new capital, helped start 24 businesses and created or retained more than 200 jobs across 148 towns.
"We are not allowed to charge for our services," Rossi said, noting SBDC…
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