Biden-Harris Administration Increases Lending to Small Businesses in Need, Announces Changes to PPP to Further Promote Equitable Access to Relief

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Small businesses account for 44 percent of U.S. GDP, create two-thirds of net new jobs, and employ nearly half of America’s workers. Now, millions of main street small businesses – especially Black- and Brown-owned small businesses – are struggling to make ends meet in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis.

The Biden-Harris administration has made delivering equitable relief to hard-hit small businesses a top priority. The latest round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding opened just one month ago and it represents a marked improvement on the prior round of the Program last year. Compared to the same point in the Program last year:

  • The share of funding going to small businesses with fewer than ten employees is up nearly 60 percent
  • The share of funding going to small businesses in rural areas is up nearly 30 percent
  • The share of funding distributed through Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions is up more than 40 percent

The Biden-Harris administration is announcing several reforms to build on this success by further targeting the PPP to the smallest businesses and those that have been left behind in previous relief efforts. While these efforts are no substitute for passage of the American Rescue Plan, they will extend much-needed resources to help small businesses survive, reopen, and rebuild. Specifically, the Biden-Harris administration will:

  • Institute a 14-day period, starting Wednesday, during which only businesses with fewer than 20 employees can apply for relief through the Program. These businesses often struggle more than larger businesses to collect the necessary paperwork and secure relief from a lender. The 14-day exclusive application period will allow lenders to focus on serving these smallest businesses. The Biden-Harris administration will also make a sustained effort to work with lenders and small business owners to ensure small businesses take maximum advantage of this two-week window.
  • Help sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals receive more financial support. These types of businesses, include home repair contractors, beauticians, and small independent retailers. Of these businesses, those without employees are 70 percent owned by women and people of color. Yet many are structurally excluded from the PPP or were approved for as little as $1 because of how PPP loans are calculated. To address this problem, the Biden-Harris administration will revise the loan calculation formula for these applicants so that it offers more relief, and establish a $1 billion set aside for businesses in this category without employees located in low- and moderate-income (LMI) areas.
  • Consistent with a bipartisan bill, eliminate an exclusionary restriction that prevents small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions from obtaining relief through the Paycheck Protection Program.  Currently, a business is ineligible for PPP if it is at least 20 percent owned by an individual who has either: (1) an arrest or conviction for a felony related to financial assistance fraud within the previous five years; or (2) any other felony within the previous year. To expand access to PPP, the Biden-Harris administration will adopt bipartisan reforms included in the PPP Second Chance Act which would eliminate the second restriction (the one-year look-back) unless the applicant or owner is incarcerated at the time of the application.
  • Eliminate an exclusionary restriction that prevents small business owners who are delinquent on their federal student loans from obtaining relief through the Paycheck Protection Program. Currently, the PPP is not available to any business with at least 20 percent ownership by an individual who is currently delinquent or has defaulted within the last seven years on a federal debt, including a student loan. Millions of Americans are delinquent on student loans, including a disproportionate number of Black borrowers. Working with the Departments of the Treasury and Education, the SBA will remove the student loan delinquency restriction to broaden access to the PPP.
  • Ensure access for non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents by clarifying that they may use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to apply for relief. The PPP statute is clear that all lawful U.S. residents may access the program, but a lack of guidance from the SBA has created inconsistency in access for ITIN holders like Green Card holders or those here on a visa. The SBA will address this unfair inconsistency by issuing clear guidance in the coming days that otherwise eligible applicants cannot be denied access to the PPP because they use ITINs to pay their taxes.

In addition to these five changes, the Biden-Harris administration has taken – and will continue to take – steps to ensure equitable distribution of relief that values each and every taxpayer dollar. These steps include:

  • Addressing waste, fraud, and abuse across all federal programs. Unlike the previous round of the PPP, loan guaranty approval is now contingent on passing SBA fraud checks, Treasury’s Do Not Pay database, and public records. The SBA now also conducts manual loan reviews for the largest loans in the PPP portfolio and a random sampling of other loans. The SBA has worked, and will continue to work, with its lender partners to create streamlined processes to resolve issues as quickly as possible, while still ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.
  • Promoting transparency and accountability by improving the PPP loan application. To encourage self-reporting of demographic data and better illustrate the impact the PPP is having across various population segments, the Biden-Harris administration has revamped the PPP application.
  • Improving the Emergency Relief Digital Front Door. The Biden-Harris administration is working to update key areas of SBA websites to help more applicants find resources for understanding relief options and completing applications.
  • Continuing to conduct extensive stakeholder outreach to learn more about challenges and opportunities in the implementation of current emergency relief programs. The President has spoken with several small businesses owners in recent weeks to understand their concerns about relief program. And as part of the Administration’s efforts to support America’s small businesses, especially those in LMI communities, the Vice President spoke last week with the CEOs of major banks, to highlight the critical period ahead, the vital role that lenders have to play during this time, and the Administration’s focus on PPP lending to underserved small businesses. In recent weeks, the Vice President has also met virtually with small business owners and Black Chambers of Commerce to discuss the challenges that small businesses face right now, and how passing the American Rescue Plan will provide critical relief during a difficult period. At all levels and across agencies, the administration will continue to engage with communities to inform the design and delivery of vital programs that meet their needs.
  • Enhancing the current lender engagement model. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to further improve access to capital for small businesses, the SBA is launching a new initiative to deepen its relationships with lenders. This model will increase opportunity for lenders to provide recommendations and ask questions about the PPP and drive resolution of open questions and concerns in a more streamlined way.

State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Crashed and Burning

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Article source: State House News Service

Author: Matt Murphy

 

FEB. 19, 2021…..A four-legged octopus with a question mark hanging over its head is certainly not the image you want to see when you log on to book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine.

But after months of waiting for protection from the deadly coronavirus, that’s exactly what Baby Boomers found Thursday morning — a quizzical cephalopod and a message that read, “This application crashed.”

Gov. Charlie Baker had announced just a day earlier that people 65 and older, or with two or more underlying health conditions, including asthma, could begin booking appointments. The signups would start at 8 o’clock in the morning, he said. No need to stay up all night.

It felt hopeful. And then …

“My hair’s on fire about the whole thing,” Baker told GBH’s Jim Braude and Margery Eagan.

Within a few hours, the site was back up and running, and though still frustrating to users, 60,000 people were able to book new appointments, the administration said Friday. But not even his singed follicles and a mea culpa from the state’s Maryland technology vendor PrepMod could clean up the fallout the governor was left with after another hiccup in the state’s rollercoaster rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The concept of a politically damaging website failure is one Baker should be familiar with since he campaigned against Democrats on it in 2014 after the state botched its Health Connector launch. This newest technology setback also came at a time when the administration was in need of a win and trying to push the narrative that its vaccine distribution performance had been improving vis-a-vis other states.

Massachusetts now ranks sixth in the country for first doses administered per capita, according to the CDC. But that was cold comfort to many lawmakers fielding calls from frustrated constituents desperate to get an appointment for themselves, their parents or a loved one.

“We need the next few months to go a lot smoother,” Rep. William Driscoll said.

Driscoll, of Milton, and Sen. Jo Comerford, of Northampton, were recently appointed by Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka to chair the new Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness. The oversight committee didn’t have to look far or wait long to find its first subject.

Driscoll and Comerford will convene a hearing next Thursday to explore what’s gone right and wrong with the state’s vaccination program, and they’ve invited Baker himself to take the hot seat.

The oversight role is not one the Legislature tries to play often, and when it does it can sometimes be an uncomfortable fit. But Baker is not the only one whose hair has been on fire lately, and Mariano may have helped set the tone as he went on the Sunday show circuit last weekend criticizing Baker’s vaccine program.

Not only did Mariano say he thought the companion policy made little sense, but the former public school teacher said teachers should be moved up the priority ladder. Teachers happen to be in the next grouping.

The governor’s office has not said if he will accept the invitation to testify, but the committee has also asked Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders and top public health officials to appear.

Driscoll was in the spotlight for the role he will play next week in holding the Baker administration accountable, but he also generated headlines by filing a climate change mitigation bill that would invest $10 billion in infrastructure by 2030.

With former House Speaker Robert DeLeo and his $1.3 billion “Green Works” bill seemingly gone from the discussion, Driscoll is looking to fill that void with a new plan that would extend carbon pricing to emissions not currently taxed, such as those from heating, and authorize $500 million in annual borrowing.

The Senate refused to consider DeLeo’s borrowing plan last session, and Senate Democrats also ignored Gov. Baker’s similar $1 billion bill paid for with real estate transfer taxes. But the lack of investment in climate resiliency was an issue Baker flagged in his letter to the Legislature vetoing the climate emission bill in January, and 2021 is a new year.

Speaking of the climate bill, the Legislature has yet to take up the governor’s amendments, though Baker told the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce that he was hopeful about the direction his dialogue with the House and Senate was moving.

And while he waits, his administration announced it would use $10 million to expand the state’s  electric vehicle rebate program to cover pickups and other large trucks and vans. Putting more electric vehicles on the road is a big part of Baker’s roadmap to get to net zero emissions by 2050.

Baker also told the Chamber that he thought it was “appropriate” and “absolutely necessary” that MCAS exams, even modified tests, be given to students this spring.

The governor’s comments came as a collection of education and civil rights groups, including the two major teachers unions, wrote to lawmakers pleading for them to push the Department of Education to seek a federal waiver to cancel the tests this spring.

Baker didn’t seem at all open to the idea, describing the exams as necessary to get a sense of if and how far students had fallen behind over the last year.

Pointing to the substantial amount of money for K-12 education that would be headed to Massachusetts if President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan passed, Baker said he’d like some of that money to be put toward summer school and programs to help students make up for lost school time. And that would be harder to do if educators don’t know where students must catch up.

As for that stimulus plan. U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan’s office said this week that Massachusetts stands to receive $8.275 billion in direct state and local relief funding from the White House package, including $4.5 billion for state government and the balance going to cities and towns.

What will become your legacy?

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Why did you open the doors to your business? Today’s business owners often say it’s because they want to make a difference, fill a need, solve a problem, or support their community. There’s little doubt that business ownership isn’t just about making money; it’s about making a difference. What role will your business play in supporting, molding, and developing our community? That’s left up to your goals.

Our Members Make a Difference Daily

Our members make a difference in many ways. There are countless ways and opportunities to support our community, give back, or open doors for those living here. We’ve seen members take on incredible challenges or offer simply support.

Creating Important Jobs

Your business is already doing so. For example, you’re creating jobs for the community, which ensures that people can find a way to support their families and to work towards reaching their financial goals. Sometimes, the jobs our members offer can provide new opportunities not otherwise present in the community.

Empowering Employees

Our members also empower their employees. Imagine the opportunities to learn, grow, and expand. Some help to support the educational goals of their employees by supporting flexible scheduling, tuition reimbursement, or continuing education access. This can change the future path of an individual, allowing that individual to achieve his or her goals. Many times, they come back to the community to use those new skills to better it as well. It’s comprehensively worth the investment from all sides.

Contributing to the Positive Culture of the Community

Our members also contribute to the positive culture of the community in many ways. As an independent local association, we help facilitate opportunities to do this by communicating needs. However, many of our members find ways to contribute on their own. They may help to support a sports team by contributing financially or purchasing uniforms. They may help to sponsor an event taking place to raise money for a charity. Though some do so through well-recognized events, festivals, and programs, others do so behind the scenes. They contribute because they believe in supporting the efforts of the organization, residents, employees, or just the community as a whole.

Are You Building a Legacy?

Some entrepreneurs build their businesses themselves as their legacy. They work hard to grow and scale. Others view their greatest impact as what they leave behind within the community. It is the steps they take to make the community better than they found it. Do you hope to leave an imprint? Do you plan to achieve incredible goals?

Many of our members look to find the good and praise it. They volunteer, give away their time, providing discounts on products or services, or simply give their knowledge. They work to support charities, children’s activities, and seniors. They listen, learn, and act to help others in our community to achieve their goals or meet their needs.

As the Chamber of Commerce, we’re proud of the business’s efforts to take these steps. We encourage every member to take another look inside to find out they can build a legacy.

Governor Baker Signs $16 Billion Transportation Bond Bill

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Today, Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and Acting MassDOT Secretary of Transportation Jamey Tesler joined legislators, municipal leaders, and other stakeholders in a virtual ceremonial signing of the $16 billion Transportation Bond Bill legislation. This legislation was signed into law on January 15, 2021, and authorizes funding across all modes of transportation to support and facilitate the ongoing continual efforts of MassDOT and the MBTA to invest in and modernize the Commonwealth’s transportation system.

“The Transportation Bond Bill builds upon our Administration’s ongoing commitment to create a 21st-century mobility infrastructure that will prepare the Commonwealth to capitalize on emerging changes in transportation technology and behavior,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “MassDOT and the MBTA have continued to implement widespread improvements throughout the transportation system and this new bond authorization will further support capital investment planning to rebuild, modernize, and expand the capacity of the Commonwealth’s transportation infrastructure.”

“Our Administration continues to work closely with our statewide municipal partners to help identify ways in which they can make further improvements to their transportation infrastructure,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “This bill includes authorization for municipally-focused programs, such as the new Municipal Pavement program, which will support the continual efforts of municipalities to provide connectivity and healthy and safe transportation options for community members.”

The legislation includes nearly $5.1 billion to continue modernizing the MBTA, $100 million to improve the pavement condition on state numbered municipal roads, $50 million to ensure municipalities have resources needed to continue efforts to build ‘Complete Streets’ infrastructure to encourage the public to travel more on foot and by bicycle. The bill also includes $70 million for the Municipal Small Bridge Program and expands the use of designated bus lanes and transit signal priority through two new grant programs. Additionally, the bill authorizes the MBTA to use well-established procurement methods such as Job Order contracting for smaller projects.

“The Transportation Bond Bill supports our efforts to rebuild, modernize, and expand the capacity of the Commonwealth’s transportation system,” said Acting Secretary of Transportation and CEO Jamey Tesler. “We are grateful to the members of the Legislature and the advocates who worked so hard to get this bill approved.”

The bill also responds to the needs of municipal partners by reauthorizing or creating five funding partnerships to supplement and complement the Chapter 90 program, and reauthorizes the popular Municipal Small Bridge Program and Complete Streets Program. In addition to local bottleneck reduction program already mentioned, a third municipal funding initiative would improve the condition of roadways by authorizing $100 million for a municipal pavement partnership program to help cities and towns care for state-numbered routes that are locally owned.

Highlights of the Transportation Bond Bill are as follows:

  • $4.4 billion for use as funding for Highway federal aid projects
  • $3 billion for Transit System Modernization Investments (MBTA)
  • $1.25 billion in Non-Federal Aid for use as funding in Highways projects that are not eligible for federal funding
  • $1.25 billion for the new Next Generation Bridge program
  • $70 million for the popular Municipal Small Bridge Program
  • $50 million for the popular Complete Streets program
  • $20 million for ‘public realm’ COVID-related Shared Streets and Spaces program
  • $100 million for a new Municipal Pavement program for pavement projects on locally owned but state numbered roads
  • $100 million in four new programs to provide financial assistance for municipalities seeking to improve infrastructure, such as bus lanes or bus signal prioritization projects, and connectivity
  • $350 million for the Cape Cod Bridges approaches project
  • $825 million for South Coast Rail
  • $595 million for Green Line Extension
  • $89 million for Aeronautics Division
  • $760 million to support the Regional Transit Authorities and Rail & Transit’s Mobility Assistance Program and Rail improvements
  • Construction Zone Speed Limits that allows posting of speed limits in construction zones and doubling of speeding fines for violations

North Central Mass Development Corp Provides Financing to Dogfather Vending

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The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) recently approved a $20,000 loan to Mark Gallant, owner of Dogfather Vending LLC at 67 Main Street in Boylston, MA, a new food-truck center and commercial kitchen.

Mark Gallant has owned and operated Dogfather Vending, a family-owned food-truck, since January of 2010. Mark recently relocated and expanded his business to include a commissary kitchen and food-truck center, which functions as a base of operations for food truck vendors to prepare food, replenish supplies, and store their food trucks.  Dogfather Vending  is conveniently located in Boylston, just over the Worcester line and with nearby access to highway 190 and 290. The $20,000 loan helped with equipment and fit-up cost for the new location. This micro loan created one part time position, retained six seasonal part-time and three full-time jobs. For more information on Dogfather Vending visit www.thedogfathertruck.com.

As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $150,000 for working capital, equipment, inventory, expansion and working with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.

Designing the first 15 feet of your store

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They say that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and nowhere is that more important than in the retail industry. You’ll need to draw customers into your store from the moment they step foot inside, and this requires care and attention to detail when planning the entrance to your shop. Here’s what you’ll need to consider.

Cleanliness

Of course, you want to keep your entire store clean, but you should pay particular attention to the entrance. If prospective customers see dust and dirt when they first walk into your store, they’ll likely turn around and walk back out again. From their perspective, how can they expect you to offer quality wares when you can’t even care for your store? Dust the shelves and sweep or vacuum the floors daily, and clean any permanent fixtures, like lighting and ongoing displays, at least weekly. Depending on your location and the local weather conditions, you may need to clean more often.

Window Displays

Your store’s front windows are your most powerful tools for drawing in prospective customers. Aim to display your best offerings right at the front so that customers will want to come in to see more. When placing those products inside your store, though, you’ll want to place them near the back so that customers have to walk by all your other wares to find what they are looking for. This encourages impulse purchases, making it more likely that customers will buy more than just the single item they originally sought.

Product Placement

You’ll need to carefully consider the placement of the rest of your products as well. The front of your store should show off some of your most desirable items, but you don’t want the best things to be up front. Aim for a mix of popular items and those that don’t sell as frequently. By dispersing your best products throughout the store, you can guide customers through the aisles so that they’ll see as much as possible.

Be Prepared to Make Changes

Over time, you’ll likely discover that some products do better in particular areas of your store. Try to identify any patterns that emerge so that you can make adjustments to your displays as needed. Take note of customer feedback in this area as well. After all, it is your customers who matter most when it comes to making decisions about purchasing your products. Listen to what they are telling you.

Of course, none of this matters if you don’t offer the products your customers are looking to buy, so take care in choosing the products you offer. Look to strike a balance between quality and affordability. If you notice that the quality of the products from a particular supplier seems to be diminishing over time, it may be time to find a new supplier. Design your store to draw in customers in the first place, and keep up the quality of your products to keep those customers coming back again and again.

Barbara Mahoney joins Chamber Board

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The Chamber’s Board of Directors selected Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO of Leominster Credit Union to fill the vacancy on the Board caused by the retirement of John O’Brien for the remainder of his unexpired term that runs through June, 2022. In accordance with the Chamber’s by-laws, vacancies on the Board caused by resignation or otherwise shall be filled by the Board for the unexpired term or until the succeeding election of Directors. 

Ms. Mahoney has been active in the Chamber and community since she joined Leominster Credit Union in 2003. Her community involvement has included serving on the Chamber’s Economic Development Taskforce, serving as Chair of the MassHIre North Central Workforce Investment Board and serving on the Board of the St. Bernard’s High School Foundation. 

Chamber Welcomes Cruz and Keating to Professional Staff

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The Chamber is pleased to announce the addition of Maribel Cruz as Community Business Advisor and Scherrie Keating as Membership Specialist.  

Ms. Cruz will be responsible for supporting the Chamber’s economic development and small business efforts. Her role will include engaging and supporting the Latinx business community in North Central Massachusetts. She is bilingual in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and English. She joins the Chamber from the City of Gardner, where she served as Economic Development Coordinator since 2017. Prior to working for the city, Ms. Cruz worked in banking for nearly twenty years, rising through the ranks from Teller to Small Business Relationship Manager at Bank of America and Santander. She is a resident of Leominster and is active in the community, including serving on the Boards of Community Health Connections, the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, Square II in Gardner, and the MassHire North Central Workforce Board. She is also a graduate of the Chamber’s Community Leadership Institute and has served on our Loan Committee.

Ms. Keating will support the Chamber’s member recruitment and retention efforts on a part-time basis. She comes to the Chamber with a unique background, experience and skill set. She is an owner of a small business founded in 2016 called Diabetes Kare Consulting, which focuses on providing education and training in the healthcare industry. She has been a very active member and a passionate champion of the Chamber. She has often credited the Chamber with helping her grow her small business. She serves on our Ambassadors Committee, has Chaired our Connect North Central program this past year and is currently enrolled in our Community Leadership Institute. She is a registered nurse by training, graduating from Fitchburg State University and holds numerous professional health care certifications. She is also a Cancer survivor and health care advocate. She lives in Ashby and is active in the community.

“We are thrilled to have these two talented professionals join our team. Scherrie’s experience as a business owner and Chamber member, as well as her passion, energy, communication skills and her inspiring personal story make her a unique fit to help support our efforts to engage business leaders,” said Roy Nascimento, President & CEO of the Chamber, and “Maribel’s experience in economic development and banking, along with her communication skills and strong roots in the community make her the perfect fit for this new role in helping to support small businesses throughout North Central Massachusetts.”

State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Riding Shotgun

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Article Source: State House News Service

Author: Matt Murphy

 

FEB. 12, 2021…..Grandma never had so many friends.

Kids, grandkids, neighbors. Strangers online. Suddenly everyone this week was craving a little quality time with the older and wiser among us, looking to get out of the house and go for a drive … maybe to Gillette Stadium, or the Eastfield Mall.

The sudden popularity of the so-called Silent Generation had to do with Gov. Charlie Baker’s new policy on vaccinating the 75-and-older cohort. Beginning Thursday, Baker said that anyone who accompanied an eligible senior citizen to a state-run vaccination site could get the shot as well, regardless of their age or health.

The new policy was Baker’s latest attempt to turn around his administration’s much-critiqued COVID-19 vaccine program and get more shots in the arms of the most vulnerable residents. The companion policy was packaged with the announcement of new mass vaccination sites opening this month at the Natick Mall and former Circuit City in Dartmouth as Baker spent a good part of the week touring vaccination clinics.

Later in the week, the administration announced improved features on the state’s appointment website and the expansion of call center hours to include evenings and weekends.

Joan Hatem-Roy, CEO of Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore, said the companion policy would be a “game changer,” making elderly citizens more likely to reach out for help and be willing to go somewhere like Fenway Park, which may seem like an overwhelming proposition otherwise.

But Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders had no sooner articulated the details of the new policy than the criticism came pouring in. There were, of course, the family members who had just brought their loved ones in for a shot and felt they missed their chance at getting vaccinated themselves (they can still get a first dose when the 75+ person gets their second).

There were also people who felt making the young and healthy eligible before, say, teachers or people aged 65 to 74, was a major miscalculation. And others still thought the policy, while well-intentioned, would exacerbate an equity problem that already exists in the distribution of vaccines, favoring the elderly who have children or family that can take time off of work and have access to a car.

The scammers on Craigsllist didn’t help, either.

The Department of Public Health reported Thursday that 232,900 shots were administered over the previous seven days, but the new supply of about 108,000 doses a week is still not enough to meet demand.

Long lines at mass vaccination sites in Springfield and Danvers led to the deployment of small teams of National Guard to handle logistics, and people were reportedly hanging around for leftover shots at the end of the day.

The administration also said it was slowing distribution to hospitals in favor of “high throughput locations, like mass vaccination sites, retail pharmacy sites, and community health centers until more vaccines are made available by the federal government.”

“All patients and hospital staff with existing appointments will get their first and second shots, and the administration is hopeful more vaccines will arrive soon for more providers, including hospital systems,” a COVID-19 Command Center spokeswoman said.

Everyone’s got an opinion on Baker’s vaccine rollout these days, and most of them concern his management of the effort or personal belief systems about what is the fairest way to go about the massive project. Former state Sen. Benjamin Downing had his own thoughts.

The 39-year-old East Boston transplant from Pittsfield announced Monday that he would be running for governor, starting early ahead of what could be a crowded 2022 Democratic primary after eight years of Baker.

“I think the vaccine rollout has been fumbled pretty badly, and I think there are surprisingly simple solutions to the position that we’ve found ourselves in, and you see that in other states, you see that in some of our own communities,” Downing told the News Service in an interview announcing his campaign.

Even though Baker hasn’t said whether he’ll seek a third term, if he doesn’t run surely Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will, and she’ll have to do so on this administration’s record. Which means the 2022 campaign is on.

And by the time voters go to the polls, mail-in balloting and same-day voter registration may be a permanent part of the election landscape in Massachusetts. Secretary of State William Galvin said he would be filing a bill to do just that, and Sen. Cynthia Creem and Rep. John Lawn filed separate bills that were similar to Galvin’s proposal.

Sen. Becca Rausch also wants to see vote-by-mail and same-day registration enshrined in law, but she went further than anyone, proposing to make Election Day a holiday and push the relatively late September primary up to June.

The contest to become the next speaker of the House is also on. Speaker Ron Mariano said so himself the day he succeeded DeLeo in the top post.

Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka rolled out their leadership teams and committee assignments Friday. Spilka’s top advisors are unchanged, with Majority Leader Creem holding down the number two slot.

The same is not true in the House where a change at the top trickled down through the ranks. As had been rumored, Mariano tapped Rep. Claire Cronin for majority leader after the Easton Democrat guided the House through debates on policing accountability and abortion access last year as Judiciary Committee chair.

Mariano has also surrounded himself with Rep. Kate Hogan, who takes over as speaker pro tempore, Assistant Majority Leader Michael Moran and Second Assistant Majority Leaders Joseph Wagner and Sarah Peake.

Mariano, 74, has already made clear he won’t be around for as long as former Speaker Robert DeLeo, who occupied the speaker’s office for 12 years, and the next speaker could come from among that group, or returning Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz.

Undersecretary for Climate Change David Ismay won’t be returning at all. The former Conservation Law Foundation attorney resigned after the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance released a video of him telling the Vermont Climate Council that there were no more big polluters to “turn the screws on” in Massachusetts, therefore it would be the consumers whose “will” would need to be broken.

Few even tried to argue that what Ismay said was wrong, but his clumsy choice of wording left him with few defenders. He carried the metaphor too far, and not even Gov. Baker stuck up for him. So he quit.

And speaking of quitting, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh got a little closer to the day he will resign to become U.S. secretary of labor after a Senate committee voted 18-4 to send his nomination to the full Senate for confirmation.

In anticipation of that moment, Rep. Chynah Tyler filed the home rule petition approved by the City Council and signed by Walsh to call off the special election that would be triggered if the mayor resigns before March 5.

The Boston delegation had a Zoom call Monday to discuss, and were in agreement that they would recommend it to the speaker. Now the question is how quickly can the House, and Senate, act. It doesn’t hurt that Rep. Dan Ryan, a Charlestown resident, is the new chair of the Committee on Election Laws.

The week started with Congressman Richard Neal at the State House joining Gov. Baker to talk up their shared desire for another federal stimulus package.

With the Senate engaged in its impeachment trial, Neal’s Ways and Means Committee is working to turn President’s Biden $1.9 trillion stimulus package into legislation that he said Congress could pass by mid-March, before enhanced unemployment benefits for millions of Americans expire.

But it’s not just the unemployed who need the help, Baker said.

“The feds can play a huge role with respect to vaccinations, testing, school reopenings for both K through 12 and higher education, food insecurity, housing, rental, energy and water assistance, small business support, and support for states, local governments and territorial governments…..,” the governor said.

Baker welcomed Neal to the State House a day after Tom Brady won another Super Bowl ring, only this one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sunday, it turned out, was also the day Baker would return the climate bill to the Legislature with a slew of amendments, hoping lawmakers feel like being team players.

The Weekly Download: 5 Management Keys for Effective Virtual Leadership

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Managers and leaders have been forced to adapt to the rapid changes unraveling at the workplace. As the world races to stop the spread of Coronavirus, many companies have been left to rely on remote workers and flexible positions that combine in-person days with work from home schedules. For managers, the challenge is to find effective ways to motivate and lead their teams remotely in what is referred to as virtual leadership. The Chamber has put together these five management keys for effective virtual leadership:

Use Challenging Objectives

Leaders can often spot talent in their employees. The challenge is to find effective ways to nature and develop these skills, especially in a virtual workspace where traditional approaches are obsolete. However, thanks to modern technology, managers can develop strategies to ensure each employee gets their share of challenging objectives that propels them to the next level. The challenges should also focus on developing individual talents while fulfilling daily scoreboard expectations.

Constant Feedback and Virtual Meetings

Communication is vital for productivity and collaborations, which is why open office plans, shared time and breakrooms were workspace highlights pre-COVID. In the new virtual world, leaders must ensure adequate communication frameworks that allow for constant feedback and meetings. The continuous back-and-forth communications help to cultivate a direct approach where issues are aired and resolved quicker. Feedback also allows managers to clear confusions and rally the team towards common goals.

Attack Problems as They Emerge

Watching from afar is no longer an option in virtual workspaces. With no direct contact and analysis, leaders have found it harder to predict employee issues as we shift from a time of random crisis to long-term crises with varying impacts. For leaders, this means problems should be identified and resolved as soon as they emerge, and several issues may arise. Emotions, communication problems, breaking company culture and codes, poor judgment and wrong decisions must all be tackled early so the team can grow.

Personal and Professional Harmony

Leaders in the virtual world are facing a test to ensure personal and professional lives are in congruence. Employees working from home have no supervision present, which opens a window for distractions. Managers are responsible for leading by example, ensuring professional dress codes during virtual meetings and encouraging home setups that promote better focus. Balancing personal and professional life is the ultimate milestone of managing remote workers.

Encourage Self-Knowledge and Self-Motivation

Self-knowledge and self-motivation are vital for career success. During these COVID times, employees are expected to acquire more soft skills to perform better. Leaders must encourage employers to continue learning new skills, building confidence and shaping their careers. The leader should be outright decisive, respectful, kind, inclusive and reliable as employees can pick up on these traits for their motivation.

As a leadership organization, ourselves, we agree that the task at hand isn’t an easy one for leaders in the virtual environment. However, there are various changes and tools available for managers. Here at the Chamber, our goal is to be a catalyst for positive change, convene leaders and influencers, and be a champion for the community. Virtual leaders must adapt to the needs of their teams and customers while maintaining an increased level of communications for the foreseeable future.