On January 16, the Chamber testified at a public hearing on a first-in-the-nation data privacy regulation [201 CMR 17.00] that will impact all Massachusetts employers regardless of size or industry.  The Chamber advocated for revisions to the regulation and the need to implement it in a way that does not unnecessarily burden employers or harm competitiveness during these challenging economic times (click here to view testimony).

The regulation, under consideration by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR), has a May 2009 general compliance date and includes a sweeping new set of requirements for employers – including data encryption and inventory, third-party vendor certification, and a series of other requirements that will demand material changes in business practices along with ongoing financial and resource investments by Massachusetts companies.

The Chamber has worked closely with the administration and OCABR, the Attorney General’s office, the Legislature, and member firms in recent months to delay the implementation of the regulation, and to work for key revisions that will better enable members to comply with them.

While the Chamber helped secure delays in the effective dates of this regulation, it contains provisions that merit further improvement.   The Chamber believes data privacy can be enhanced in Massachusetts without significantly impacting jobs, investment, or the overall economic competitiveness of the state. As such, the Chamber will continue to provide a strong voice for the employer community in the days ahead as it works with government and industry stakeholders for data privacy regulations that further the commonly shared goals of protecting personal information and growing the economy.

On January 9, the Chamber testified at a public hearing of the Department of Public Health (DPH) on proposed regulations draft regulations [105 CMR 970.000] on the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Conduct (click here to view testimony). 

Since this industry code of conduct was proposed – first in legislation and then in draft regulation – the Chamber has remained steadfast in its assertion that 1) there is a critical distinction between R&D-related & educational activities and sales & marketing activities, and 2) such a distinction must be reflected in the treatment of those activities in the final regulation.

The Chamber has also worked to stress the potential negative impact of overly restrictive regulations on clinical trials. On January 9, the Chamber co-authored a Boston Herald op-ed with the New England Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation emphasizing the importance of preserving our research and clinical trial market. 

Between now and March 11, when the Public Health Council will vote on the proposed regulations, the Chamber will continue  to work collaboratively with public officials and industry leaders toward a final regulation that reflects the shared goals of driving innovation, and improving health care outcomes.

Last week, Governor Patrick released his FY '10 budget, which included two proposals that address critical Chamber issues: 1) raising the cap on charter schools, and 2) strengthening the Rainy Day Fund.

Raising the charter school cap in low-performing districts is essential to closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students, driving classroom innovation, and strengthening the skill set of tomorrow’s workforce. Charter schools have proven to be an effective tool in raising achievement and offering educational options to students and parents. By raising the cap, Massachusetts can work to ensure that its economy leverages the educated workforce that has become the state’s most important competitive resource.

Also, the creation of a mechanism to strengthen the rainy day fund with capital gains revenue and protect against future shortages in state revenues would further the state's leadership in the area of long-term budget planning. State rainy day funds have insulated Massachusetts from far greater service cuts in past downturns, as well as in the unprecedented crisis the state now faces. It makes fiscal sense to smooth out economic boom-bust cycles by saving money during periods of growth and continuing to use this reserve account as a hedge against future downturns.

In the coming weeks and months, the Chamber will work with the Patrick Administration, Senate President Therese Murray, and new Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo to advance these ideas and strengthen the state's economy.

In a Boston Business Journal op-ed on January 23, Chamber president & CEO Paul Guzzi called on state leaders to avoid the anti-business policies of the New Deal that helped prolong the Great Depression.  Instead, Guzzi presented four specific ways that Massachusetts could leverage the federal economic stimulus bill to strengthen our economy.  Read the op-ed here.

Each month, the Chamber releases a monthly jobs update to administration officials, legislators, key policy-makers, and Chamber members, informing them of the state's latest job numbers, emerging trends in job creation, and the state's current employment numbers in relation to our 2002 peak.  

The Chamber's December 2008 Monthly Jobs Update shows that Massachusetts lost 16,800 jobs last month.

Other key findings include:

• Massachusetts lost 16,800 jobs last month; posted 1.3% job loss last 12 months, slightly better than US job loss rate of 1.9%

• State falls to 139,900 jobs below previous peak; lowest employment since June 2006

• Only one of 12 regions added jobs last 12 months (MetroWest)

• State sheds jobs in seven of eight supersectors last 12 months; only Educ. & Health Services gain

Compare this month against previous jobs reports here.