This event is part of the Chamber’s new series, The Racial Wealth Gap.
07/13/2022
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Virtual
This free, members-only event is designed specifically for our small to medium-size member companies who want to expand their network of contacts, generate new business leads, and learn the most effective strategies for networking.
07/19/2022
8:00am - 9:00am
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Join us for the fist in-person MITX event of the year! Come and network with people in the tech and innovation industry.
07/26/2022
5:00pm - 8:00pm
Sam Adams Taproom
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.
We are now recruiting for our 2022 fall DEI cohort! We hope you’ll join us in our mission to increase DEI fluency and change in the Boston business community – starting with you.
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.
We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.
For more than 25 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.
Through MITX (the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange), we’re building valuable connections between the people and ideas behind technology and its impact on the future of customer experiences, all to create a community that’s finding tomorrow’s solutions together.
We support small business through public policy initiatives, events designed to connect small businesses in Greater Boston to their peers and established business leaders, professional development offerings, and free small business advising.
Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.
Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.
On July 17, the Chamber submitted testimony on H.4854, An Act enabling partnerships for growth, to the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. The economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic shutdown is unparalleled. This economic development bill offers a vehicle for much-needed investments in our workforce and reforms to begin the first phase of economic recovery. Just as important, we urge the Legislature to avoid policies that would discourage or hinder economic activity.
We respectfully urge the committee to consider the following provisions and their impact on the state’s economy both during the ongoing economic recovery as well as in the future:
Section 122: Bad Faith Assertions of Patent Infringement
The Chamber supports legislation targeting bad faith patent demand letters, but a crucial clarification to Section 122 is necessary to protect good actors from unintended consequences. Specifically, language in section 5 exposes original patent owners to lawsuits if someone in the future acts in bad faith. The phrases “otherwise, directly or indirectly, arranged” and “any person who otherwise caused,” mean that a patent owner may be responsible for whatever happens with a patent even after it is sold or licensed. For example, if a patent owner sells their patent to a company which then sells it to a patent assertion entity, the entity receiving the bad faith demand letter may be able to argue that the original patent owner is responsible.
In addition, the Chamber urges the committee to retain the provision exempting operating entities, research institutions, higher education institutions, and other legitimate entities in section 2. Language that specifically excludes such entities is important, and without it there could be long-term effects on the willingness of legitimate entities to do the kind of work in Massachusetts that generates patents.
Reinsert Sections 76-84 and 199 of H.4259: Housing Choice
The high cost of living in Greater Boston, including the cost of housing, affects the ability of regional
employers to attract and retain a talented workforce. Because of this, the Chamber urges the Committee to reinsert Sections 76-84 and 199 from H.4259 which allows local authorities to adopt certain zoning changes that promote best practices in housing production with a simple majority instead of the two-thirds supermajority currently needed. By loosening the supermajority requirement, this bill can spark the momentum needed to solve the state’s housing crisis while still balancing existing municipal authority.
The Chamber also supports the following four provisions in H.4854 that aid employers during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and can further stimulate and incentivize economic activity across the state.
Section 190: Regulatory Approval Extensions
Section 190 extends certain regulatory approvals in effect between March 10, 2020 and March 10, 2021 for one additional year beyond the lawful term of approval. By reducing this administrative burden, this section grants businesses much-needed flexibility during the economic recovery.
Sections 117 and 121: Expansion of the Apprenticeship Tax Credit
Sections 117 and 121 allow the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development to expand the state’s apprenticeship tax credit program to growth industries new to the apprenticeship model and deemed critical to the regional economy. Work-based trainings, including apprenticeships, are valuable investments in the state’s workforce because they offer hands-on learning and develop essential employability skills.
Section 77 and line-item 7002-8004: Technology Research and Development and Innovation Fund
Section 77 replaces the Scientific and Technology Research and Development Matching Grant Fund with a new Technology Research and Development and Innovation Fund. This fund uses grants and loans, provided for through the $45 million authorization in line-item 7002-8004, to support the growth of the state’s innovation and technology ecosystem and long-term research and development activities. By prioritizing initiatives with the greatest potential to stimulate economic and employment opportunities, this new fund will aid the Commonwealth’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and strategically position the state for future success.
Sections 97-110 and 118-120: Expansion of the Housing Development Incentive Program
Sections 97-110 and 118-120 increase from $10 million to $30 million the amount of Housing Development Incentive Program tax credits that the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) may authorize each year. Among other changes, these sections create a new definition for gateway-like municipalities to provide DHCD further flexibility in dispersing funding to communities with a need for increased housing production.
Popular Resources