Legislative Updates

Passed as part of the final Government Funding Package for FY2023

Projects with secured funding in M3:

$1,000,000 for the Town of Burlington for the Mill Pond PFAS Filter Facility

The Town of Burlington will install a new filter facility at the Mill Pond water treatment plant to remove chemical compounds known as PFAS6 from the water supply as required by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection). The project will improve water quality for all residents of the Town, along with the commercial properties that utilize Town water.

$363,400 for Middlesex Community College’s Bedford Biotech Labs

Middlesex Community College will develop a specialized Life Sciences Center in Bedford to offer biotechnology classes and expand offerings in new areas such as bioinformatics. The project aims to develop a high level genetics lab course and short-term industry training in quality assurance, microscopy, as well as providing research opportunities.

The Baker-Polito Administration announced the launch of the MGCC grant programs and these opportunities are now accepting applications atempoweringsmallbusiness.org. The $75M appropriated by the Legislature and signed by the Governor will be deployed in two programs:

$25M for the New Applicant Grant Program,a program for small businesses that did not qualify for the prior round of MGCC grants due to a lack of documented revenue loss

$50M for the Inclusive Grant Program, a program for businesses that reach underserved markets and historically underrepresented groups, or are minority-, women-, or veteran-owned businesses, or are owned by individuals with disabilities, or who identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community

The deadline to apply isApril 4, 2022. Read more about these programs on MGCC’s website

You can also review other small business support programs offered by MGCC, includingBiz-M-Power(a crowdfunding matching grant program) andEmpower Digital(a grant program to help businesses do more online), which are offered withSmall Business Technical Assistanceproviders.

October was one for the books as the Senate made history with the passage of the VOTES Act! On October 6th, we voted and passed this major election reform bill known as the VOTES Act. We now wait for the bill to be brought to the floor in the House. As Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, I’m proud to have led the work on this landmark election reform bill, which makes vote-by-mail, early voting, and same-day registration permanent in Massachusetts. With the record voter turnout in the 2020 election, we must build on this momentum and have as many people as possible exercise their fundamental right to vote. While other states across the country are making it harder for people to cast ballots, our state is striving to protect and expand voting rights.

We continued to keep busy with two major hearings for the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet, and Cybersecurity. Our hearings largely focused on data privacy, an important issue before the committee. We heard testimony from key stakeholders and experts on ways that Massachusetts can be protecting its citizens from data misuse. We also have several bills before the committee on broadband and digital equity, which has become a priority over the past couple of years as so much of our lives have moved online. We look forward to continuing working with experts, advocates, and organizations to find ways to improve digital equity so that all residents may have internet access.