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June 2009 |
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Greater Boston
Chamber Policy
News
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.
Issues related
to all four
goals are
currently before
state
government. The
Chamber is
working with
member
companies,
government
leaders, and
other business
groups to
advance those
issues, as
outlined below. |
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Transportation
Reform: Chamber
supports several
key reforms,
designation of
significant new
funds for
transportation
The Chamber has been
working for
several months
to achieve
significant
reform in the
state's
transportation
system, while
also securing
new funding for
our critical
infrastructure.
The past few
weeks have seen
significant
progress on both
fronts.
Earlier today,
Governor Deval
Patrick signed a
new
transportation
reform law that
begins to
address the
state’s major
transportation
challenges. The
Massachusetts
Legislature also
sent the
Governor a
budget bill
designating a
major new
funding source
for the
transportation
system.
The Chamber
supports the
significant
reforms included
in the
transportation
law, including:
structural
reorganization
for a more
logical, and
less cumbersome,
state
bureaucracy that
eliminates
duplication of
agencies;
pension and
health care
reform; and
progress on the
issue of tort
reform. These
reforms will
bring
efficiencies to
the management
of the system.
Coupled
with these
reforms, the
designation of
$275 million for
transportation
will help
alleviate the
system’s
immediate budget
troubles. These
new funds will
help secure the
state’s
obligation to
bondholders,
while also
delaying toll
hikes and MBTA
fare increases.
The additional
funding is also
a critical step
towards
addressing the
$20 billion
financing gap
for roads and
bridges revealed
by the
Transportation
Finance
Commission in
2006.
Over
the coming
months, the
Chamber will
continue to work
with
administration
officials and
legislative
leaders for more
improvements to
the state’s
transportation
system.
Together, we
will strive to
achieve the
well-funded and
efficient
transportation
system that is
crucial to
ensure economic
growth
throughout the
Commonwealth.
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Rainy
Day Fund: Budget
proposal is a
step in the
right directiononnn
In
its March ’09
Massachusetts
Competitiveness
Scorecard,
the Chamber
proposed that
each year all
state capital
gains revenues
beyond the first
$300M be
allocated to the
Rainy Day Fund,
until the Fund
reaches 15% of
budgeted
revenues.
The legislature recently passed its FY ’10 conference budget which included a proposal transferring a significant portion of new capital gains revenue growth to the Rainy Day Fund. The Chamber thinks this measure is a step in the right direction and will work to have even more capital gains revenues deposited into the Rainy Day Fund. The more that can be done, the better equipped we will be to preserve critical programs, avert tax increases, and weather future recessions.
Massachusetts has used its Rainy Day Fund to blunt the impact of revenue shortfalls, increase funding stability for government programs and services, and minimize the need for tax increases and service cuts during times of economic downturn. Strong reserves have also contributed to improved state bond ratings and reduced borrowing costs. However state reserves have proven inadequate in the face of the current economic crisis – leading to the passage of broad service cuts and tax increases. This presents Massachusetts with an opportunity to retool its approach to budgetary savings and long-term fiscal planning.
The
Chamber will
continue to work
for a strong
Rainy Day Fund
that will help
insulate state
finances from
the economy’s
cyclical swings.
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Education:
Chamber
co-sponsors
report on STEM
education
The
Chamber and
other leading
business groups
have come
together to urge
that science,
technology,
engineering and
mathematics
(STEM) education
be a statewide
priority. The
Chamber
co-sponsored a
report, “Tapping
Massachusetts’
Potential: The
Massachusetts’
Employers STEM
Agenda,”
which was
released
Thursday, June
18th at a
Business Leaders
Breakfast. The
report
represents the
beginning of an
on-going
collaboration
among the
business
community to
ensure that STEM
education is a
priority.
Click
here to view the
report.
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Life
Science
Regulation:
Chamber
successfully
blocks onerous
new requirements
The Chamber helped to successfully block a Senate proposal which would have imposed onerous new licensing and training requirements on pharmaceutical and medical device sales representatives. The education of health care providers by industry representatives is already comprehensively regulated by federal law. Imposing duplicative, new state oversight of life science activities would create an unwelcoming climate for this critical, growing cluster – potentially driving new jobs and investment to competitor states.
The Chamber will continue working to ensure a competitive environment for life science research, training, collaboration, and production commercialization in Massachusetts.
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May
Jobs Update:
Mass adds jobs
for first time
since May 2008
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.
Headlines from the
May 2009 Massachusetts Jobs Update include:
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Massachusetts added 4,900 jobs last month; first monthly job gain since May 2008
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Massachusetts remains 195,000 jobs below previous peak; lowest employment since February 2008
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State leisure & hospitality jobs ranked 31st among states last 12 months
You can find all of the 2008-2009 monthly Massachusetts Jobs Update documents archived on the Chamber’s website,
bostonchamber.com.
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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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Inside
the Chamber |
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On June 3, Representative Marty Walz, House chair of the Joint Committee on Education, addressed the Chamber's Workforce Development Committee. She discussed the ongoing review of the state's education system and classroom innovation.
On June 4, Jim Eisenberg, chief of staff to Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, addressed the Chamber's Government Affairs Committee. He outlined the state's financial challenges and updated members on ongoing budget and reform bill negotiations.
On June 23, Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby addressed the Chamber's Life Science Alliance. She discussed the effort to bring universal electronic medical records to the Massachusetts health care system.
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Upcoming Chamber Policy and Government Affairs Events |
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Government Affairs Forum
Lt. Governor Timothy Murray
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Wednesday,
September 23, 2009
Location TBD
7:45 a.m. Registrationon
8:10 - 9:00 a.m. Program
Click here to register
Financial Services Forum
Eric Rosengren, President & CEO
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Friday, October 2, 2009
Hyatt Regency Boston
7:45 a.m. Registration
8:10 - 9:00 a.m. Program
Click here to register
Executive Forum
Drew Faust, President
Harvard University
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Boston Marriott Copley Place
7:45 a.m. Registration
8:10 - 9:00 a.m. Program
Click here to register
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