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The Chamber's 2009 legislative agenda is focused on four goals: strengthening Greater Boston's workforce, making the region's business climate more competitive, strengthening critical industries, and fixing Greater Boston's infrastructure. The Chamber is working with member companies, government leaders, and other business groups to advance those
issues, as outlined below. |
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POLICY |
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In This Issue |
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Education Reform
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Unemployment
Insurance
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2009
Accomplishments
Recap |
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Education Reform:
Chamber and
coalition partners
working for January
bill
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The Chamber
continues to work
with state
government leaders
and other members of
the Race to the Top
Coalition for
passage of a state
education reform
bill by mid-January.
States must apply to
the federal
government for phase
one of ?Race to the
Top? funds by
January 19. The
State Senate passed
a bill in November,
and the House is
expected to debate
legislation at the
beginning of
January.
In a December 15
letter to House
members, the Chamber
urged adoption of
three key measures:
(1) Increasing the
Charter School cap
to 18% ? to meet the
demand for charter
school spaces,
currently far in
excess of supply;
(2) Providing tools
to turn around
underperforming
schools ? to enable
superintendents and
the state education
commissioner to make
drastic changes in
the lowest
performing
districts; and (3)
Establishment of
Horace Mann Charter
Schools ? to enable
local school
districts to create
Horace Mann Schools
without having to
obtain union
sign-off. These
three steps will
greatly expand
options for parents
and students, and
strengthen public
schools throughout
Massachusetts. |
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Unemployment
Insurance: Chamber
lobbying for rate
relief and reform
legislation |
The economic
downturn has led to
a dramatic increase
in the state?s
unemployment rate,
and a subsequent
depletion of the
trust funds that pay
unemployment
insurance (UI)
benefits and Medical
Security Trust Fund
(MST) benefits
(health care for
unemployed
residents). As a
result, current law
will impose a 42%
increase in UI tax
rates for
Massachusetts
employers in Q1 of
2010 unless special
legislation is
passed. Such an
increase would add
an average $250 in
UI costs per worker
on top of premiums
that are already
among the highest in
the nation.
On the UI issue, the
Chamber and its
partner business
organizations
(Associated
Industries of
Massachusetts,
Massachusetts
Business Roundtable,
Massachusetts
Taxpayers
Foundation) have
been working with
state government
leaders for
legislation that
would 1) avert an
increase in UI rates
from the current
schedule E up to
schedule G, in favor
of a more modest
increase to schedule
F, and 2) reform the
UI system?s
experience rating
and workforce
attachment
provisions. This
legislation could
save employers more
than $200 million
compared to current
law, and help to
mitigate an obstacle
to new hiring. In
addition, targeted
reforms could help
ensure a more
equitable UI system,
while contributing
to the long-term
solvency of the
trust fund.
On the MST issue, at
the end of November
the Patrick
Administration
adopted three
measures to close
the Fund?s
shortfall: a
one-year doubling of
the
$16.80/worker/year
fee paid by
employers (total
cost ($60 million),
a reduction of some
MST benefits, and a
transfer of $30
million from the
state?s operating
budget into the
Fund. If the
Legislature passes a
bill to set UI rates
at Schedule F next
year, it will more
than compensate for
the MST fee
increase. In
addition, the
Chamber and other
business groups have
urged the
administration to
merge the MST into
Commonwealth Care,
which serves a
similar population.
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2009 Accomplishments Recap |
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On November 18, the
state legislature
held its final
formal session for
2009. The second
half of the
2009/2010
legislative session
will resume in early
January, with all of
the 2009 bills still
under consideration.
At this half way
point,
click here to review highlights
of the Chamber?s
2009
accomplishments,
both in the
Legislature and in
other areas. |
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For more information on the Chamber's policy agenda, contact Jim Klocke, executive vice president, Tim Sweeney, director of public policy, or Sarah Lanning, assistant director of economic development. |
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JOBS |
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November Jobs
Update: State
unemployment rate
drops to 8.8%
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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 the state's 2002 peak.
Headlines
from the
November
2009
Massachusetts
Jobs Update
include:
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Massachusetts
lost 1,700 jobs
last month;
posted a 2.5%
job loss in the
last 12 months,
moderately
better than the
US annual job
loss rate of
3.5%
- The state
unemployment
rate dropped to
8.8%, second
consecutive
month of decline
and
substantially
lower than the
US rate of 10.0%
- Seven of the
12 regions added
jobs last month;
all 12 regions
shed jobs
year-over-year
- Education,
Health Services,
and Professional
& Business
Services led job
gains last month
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INSIDE THE CHAMBER |
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On December 2,
Representative Brian
Dempsey, House
Chair of the Joint
Committee on
Economic Development
and Emerging
Technologies,
addressed the
Chamber?s Government
Affairs Committee.
He discussed a range
of issues including
gaming, economic
development,
competitiveness
issues, and job
creation. |
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CHAMBER POLICY STAFF
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Jim Klocke, executive vice president
Tim Sweeney, director of public policy
Sarah Lanning, assistant director of economic development
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