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          Join us for the BIMA's thought leadership panel around AI in the advertising industry and gain insights from Noor Naseer.

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          Hill Holliday

          arrow-go
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          Make Your Voice Heard: Reimagining Nightlife with Corean Reynolds

          Corean Reynold was recently appointed the Director of Nightlife Economy for the City of Boston, where she brings a wealth of experience and a passion for fostering an equitable and thriving nightlife ecosystem.

          10/04/2023

          6:00pm - 7:30pm

          Roundhead Brewing Company

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          Government Affairs
          2023 Government Affairs Forum: State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg

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          9:45am - 11:00am

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          Read More
          Transformational DEI Certificate

          Join our Transformational DEI Certificate! Our comprehensive learning & development offerings are designed to connect and grow strong leaders who lead both inside and out of the office.

          Read More
          Women’s Leadership Program

          Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.

          Read More
          Boston’s Future Leaders

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          Read More
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          arrow-go
          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).

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
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          2023 Fierce Urgency of Now Festival

          The Fierce Urgency of Now Festival brings Boston’s diverse young professionals together with business leaders, organizations and their peers to build connection, advance careers and ignite positive change.

          09/12/2023 -

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          Greater Boston

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          Read More
          Women’s Network

          For nearly 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
          Massachusetts Apprentice Network

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          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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