Government Affairs Update: Advocacy in Action

This update originally appeared in the Fall 2026 edition of The Chamber Report, mailed in September.

As we head into the fall, the Chamber has stayed active on behalf of our members at the federal, state, and local levels. We testified to protect regional funding, advocated on major energy legislation, and deepened our work with municipalities across North Central Massachusetts. We also have two signature events this season that connect our members directly with the officials and candidates who shape the policies affecting their bottom line: our Legislative & Candidates Reception on September 24 and our 11th Annual Congressional Luncheon on October 15. Details on both are below.

Federal Affairs

Congressional Luncheon. We are pleased to host our 11th Annual Congressional Luncheon on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton. This popular event gives members the opportunity to hear directly from Congressman Jim McGovern and Congresswoman Lori Trahan about the issues being worked on in Washington and what they mean for our region’s business community. We are grateful to our Premier Sponsor, Fitchburg State University, and our Supporting Sponsor, GAAMHA, for making this event possible, and we thank Matthew Bruun for serving as emcee.

Races we are watching. Our region spans both the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts, so we are following this fall’s federal races closely. At the top of the ticket, U.S. Senator Ed Markey faces a challenge from John Deaton. In the 2nd Congressional District, Congressman McGovern advanced without a primary opponent and currently faces no Republican challenger in November. In the 3rd Congressional District, Congresswoman Trahan was unopposed in her primary and faces Republican Gary Grossi of Acton, who also had no primary opponent. We will keep monitoring these races given how much the delegation matters to our region’s businesses.

State Affairs

Energy legislation. Energy affordability remains a top concern for our member businesses. This session, the Chamber supported the House’s energy affordability bill (H.5151), which aimed to address rising costs. We opposed the Senate’s competing measure, S.3166. Our concerns centered on the costs to ratepayers and businesses, the loss of consumer choice, open-ended new government spending, and new risks to grid reliability and Massachusetts jobs. We continue to push for energy policy that puts affordability and reliability first for the employers and families of our region.

State budget. Governor Healey signed the $63.4 billion Fiscal Year 2027 state budget into law on July 9, a roughly 4 percent increase over the prior year that raises no new taxes or fees. The budget makes targeted investments in economic development, workforce, education, and housing, and delivers increased support for cities and towns, including a $40 million increase in Unrestricted General Government Aid, and $30 million in new funding distributed by population to better support small and rural communities. We were especially glad to see funding for the Regional Economic Development Organization (REDO) program included in the final version, and we appreciate our regional delegation’s support for this vital program that supports regional partnerships and technical assistance that helps our businesses grow.

Tourism funding. We continue to advocate for strong, predictable tourism funding for our region. The FY2027 budget moves the share of state gaming revenue dedicated to tourism from 1 percent to 2 percent, a change expected to represent roughly a $2.5 million increase for tourism efforts statewide. On a separate track, we are also working to secure language in legislation that will ensure the state tourism grant marketing dollars are distributed in full by a date certain, giving regions like ours the timing and certainty needed to run effective marketing campaigns.

State races we are watching. In addition to the race for Governor between Governor Maura Healey and challenger Mike Minogue, a number of state representative and state senate districts across our region feature contested races this fall, including two open state representative seats. We are following these closely, as the outcomes will shape the legislative delegation that represents North Central Massachusetts on Beacon Hill and advocates for our business community.

Local Affairs

Municipal engagement. Our staff continued to meet with local officials throughout the region this summer and fall. We provided testimony in Fitchburg that successfully fended off a proposed 50 percent reduction to our tourism funding during the city’s budget process. In Leominster, after the $15,000 supplemental appropriation restored to our funding earlier this year, we again saw a $15,000 reduction for the FY27 budget. We are actively engaging the Mayor to restore that funding and hope to see it solidified in the budgeted amount going forward. We also met with the Town Administrator in Templeton to share the Chamber’s economic development and tourism resources, and we are exploring ways to further partner on economic development with Ayer. Our staff continued to attend city council meetings in both Fitchburg and Leominster, which keeps us in the room when decisions that affect our members are being made.

A regional milestone in Lancaster. In August, we joined local officials in Lancaster to recognize the new “Welcome to Lancaster” sign installed by the Chamber, the 10th welcome sign sponsored across the region as part of our One North Central economic development plan. See page 26 for the full story.

Legislative & Candidates Reception. Our signature Legislative & Candidates Reception returns on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Chocksett Inn in Sterling. This event puts our members in the room with local officials, mayors, our legislative and congressional delegation, statewide constitutional officers, and those running for office for an evening of networking and conversation. We thank our Premier Sponsor, Mount Wachusett Community College, and our Supporting Sponsor, Open Sky Community Services. This is an open invitation to candidates. Any candidate who has not yet signed up is welcome to contact Travis Condon to take part.

For more information about any of these government affairs updates or to discuss specific policy concerns, please contact Travis Condon, Director of Public Affairs, at 978.353.7600, ext. 224, or via email at .