(House) Lawmakers are busy in Montpelier this week working their way through some of the big bills of the session.
So the House and Senate have scheduled long periods on the floor.
In the House, an economic development initiative won preliminary approval Thursday.
Among other things, the bill includes an incentive to companies that hire people who have been unemployed for five months or more, and have run out of unemployment benefits.
There are also provisions encouraging foreign investment, agricultural industries, and job training.
Representative Bill Botzow of Pownal is chairman of the House Commerce Committee.
(Botzow) "We do know that we are in hard times and the initiatives put forth in this bill have been created in that environment. But they have been tactical and they are strategic and they are designed to move us out of that environment."
(Host) The House has a lengthy list of other bills to work through, including one that would crack down on drunk driving.
The Senate also has a number of pending bills on its calendar.
That includes a proposal intended to better make sure government meetings are open to the public.
You can follow the action on the floor of the House and Senate whenever they’re in session by visiting vpr.net and clicking on the live streams from the Statehouse.