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Home > Policy Insights > Chamber Submits Testimony on Proposed Amendments to Senate’s ARPA Funding Bill
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          12:00pm - 1:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
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          City Awake
          Art of Connection: An Evening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

          Join us for an exclusive networking event at the Museum of Fine Arts and enjoy self-guided tours of John Wilson and Van Gogh, showcasing the deep bond of family, friendship, and community.

          06/05/2025

          5:30pm - 8:30pm

          Museum of Fine Arts

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Series
          Transportation First | State of the Airport

          The Transportation First Series offers a platform to discuss the challenges faced by our region, with the input of experts and changemakers.

          06/12/2025

          2:45pm - 4:30pm

          Hybrid | Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

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          Read More
          Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

          Read More
          Authentic Professionalism for Early Career Professionals

          Join us on June 12 for a highly interactive virtual workshop with Strategic Career & Leadership Coach Carole-Ann Penney.

          Read More
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          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
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          Read More
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          For over 30 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.

          Read More
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          The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.

          Read More
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          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

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Chamber Submits Testimony on Proposed Amendments to Senate’s ARPA Funding Bill

November 11, 2021

November 10, 2021

The Chamber submitted testimony on proposed amendments to the Senate’s ARPA funding bill S.2564, An Act relative to immediate COVID-19 recovery needs.

SUPPORT Amendment #1 and Amendment #2: UI Trust Fund

The Chamber supports increasing funding for the Unemployment Compensation Fund to at least $1 billion. Businesses in every corner of the Commonwealth face UI tax increases to pay down the $7 billion deficit in the Unemployment Compensation Fund. The deficit is the result of massive economic shutdowns required during the pandemic, and employers are now shouldering that burden alone. We urge you to adopt this amendment and increase the Commonwealth’s contribution to the fund to $1 billion and to mitigate the burden on employers, particularly small businesses.

SUPPORT Amendment #82: Hospitality and Tourism Funding

The Chamber supports $30 million in funding for the hospitality and tourism industries because these industries are essential to the Massachusetts economy. The pandemic underscored just how many residents are employed in hospitality and tourism jobs; workers in the hospitality and tourism industry accounted for one in five unemployment insurance claims during the first year of the pandemic.1 This funding will help to restore employment for these industries by promoting the industry to out-of-state travelers, many of whom could not visit Massachusetts during the pandemic. We urge you to provide this direct support to the tourism and hospitality industries.

OPPOSE Amendment #159: Unemployment Overpayment Waivers

The Chamber opposes this amendment. The costs of waivers will impact employers, including small businesses, who are already shouldering a $7 billion burden for the costs of unemployment benefits provided during the pandemic. Overpayments are not the result of employer errors, so if overpayments will be waived the state should subsidize the costs of those errors by increasing funding for the Unemployment Compensation Fund to an amount at least equal to the cost of overpayments.

Download the letter here.

Carolyn Ryan

Senior Vice President, Policy & Research

[email protected]
617-557-7310

Download the Letter

Download

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