The Baker-Polito Administration today announced it will invest $186 million of the Commonwealth’s direct federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) toward critical priorities including support for hospitals, health and human services, mental health, and workforce development. Utilizing these federal resources now will help further the Commonwealth’s economic recovery and provide relief for residents hardest-hit by COVID-19, such as lower-wage workers and communities of color.

This $186 million is part of a total of approximately $5.3 billion in direct aid awarded to the Commonwealth through ARPA. The funding announced today is part of $200 million provided to the Administration in recently signed legislation for addressing critical needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Baker has filed legislation to put an additional $2.915 billion of this funding to immediate use to address additional urgent and pressing needs including housing and homeownership, economic development and local downtowns, job training and workforce development, health care, and infrastructure.

“Our administration is putting this $186 million to work now because many communities throughout Massachusetts – especially low-income families and communities of color – have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and cannot wait for assistance. More than 400,000 residents are due to lose enhanced unemployment benefits in the first week of September, making the workforce training funding particularly urgent,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We look forward to working quickly with our colleagues in the Legislature in allocating additional funding and providing residents and families with relief from the housing, economic, workforce, health care, and other challenges which continue to face the Commonwealth as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Investing this $186 million is an important step in helping those who have been hard-hit by the pandemic, and we must continue deploying federal resources to further the economic recovery,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “These funds will help address crucial health care and workforce priorities, and we look forward to quickly getting them out the door and into our local communities.”

Highlights of this $186 million investment plan include:

Health Care

• $55 million for health and human services’ workforce development. Funding will enable 10% immediate time-limited rate enhancements from July through December 2021, helping strengthen and stabilize the state’s provider networks’ workforce in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

• $50 million for fiscally distressed hospitals. This funding will help stabilize safety net hospital systems that have experienced significant financial shortfalls according to the latest data published by CHIA and those serving communities that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. 
• $31 million for inpatient psychiatric acute facilities, both free-standing and in general hospitals. This investment will help bridge a significant staffing gap which is resulting in many individuals not being able to access licensed psychiatric beds and therefore spending extensive periods of time in emergency rooms. Funding will provide temporary supplemental payments to recruit critically needed clinical and direct care staff.

Workforce

• Up to $50 million to help train an estimated 15,000 unemployed or underemployed individuals across Massachusetts by providing industry credentials in critical areas of the economy such as advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology, and construction. Funding will also help scale up workforce development efforts in work readiness programs such as ESOL and the Signal Success soft skills-building curriculum.

The discretionary funds awarded to the Commonwealth through ARPA are intended to support urgent COVID-19 response efforts, replace lost revenue, support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses, and address unequal public health and economic challenges in Massachusetts cities and towns throughout the pandemic. ARPA is also providing a total of $3.4 billion in direct aid for local governments throughout Massachusetts.

Massachusetts expects to benefit from a total of approximately $113 billion in COVID-related federal aid provided through the six pieces of federal legislation enacted during the pandemic. The majority of this funding is outside of the Commonwealth’s discretion. For example, over $50 billion is going directly to individuals and businesses in the form of stimulus payments, Paycheck Protection Program loans, Unemployment Assistance, and other initiatives. Over $3 billion has been awarded to the MBTA, RTAs, airports, and transportation. Approximately $2.9 billion has been awarded in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER Grants) for local schools, over $1.5 billion is being provided for higher education relief, and nearly $700 million has been awarded for child care.

Events, Products and Head-shots… Oh My! Choosing The Right Photographer For Your Business Needs

Whether you need full-color photos for your restaurant menu, headshots for your annual report, or mobile-friendly videos to add to your website, investing in professional photography services can deliver great returns for your business.

Here’s what you need to know about choosing the right photographer for your business needs:

Consider Your Priorities

While virtually anyone can snap digital pictures, there’s a real art to taking clean, attractive photos that enhance your business and appeal to your audience.

Start by making a list of what you need a photographer to do for your company. Are you looking for headshots to add to your webpage, static product shots for a brochure, or action photos for your social media feed? Professional photographers tend to specialize in one or two types of photography such as portraits, real estate, product photos, or live-action images.

Ask About Ownership

Simply hiring a photographer to take pictures for your business doesn’t necessarily give you the rights to use the photos they take on your website, print materials, or business cards. Be sure to discuss ownership of the images up front, and get your agreement in writing. For example, you may need to negotiate a Digital Rights Fee – a contract that clearly outlines how you can use the photographs and whether or not you need to give the photographer credit each time you publish a photo they took.

Discuss Retouching Fees

Thanks to the magic of photo-editing programs like Photoshop, many photographers now offer value-added services to remove small blemishes, clean up backgrounds, and even edit in people into photographs. All this digital photo magic comes at a price, so be sure to explore exactly what photo editing will cost before you sign a contract.

Ask For A Portfolio

Professional photographers are expected to maintain an active portfolio of their work so they can show of their skills to prospective clients. Review recent work of photographers you’re considering using, and as with all contractors, take the time to ask for references.

Fuente del artículo: State House News Service

Author: Matt Murphy

 

A deal to raise tax collection estimates by more than $4.2 billion and spend nearly $48.1 billion in fiscal year 2022 came together Thursday with House and Senate lawmakers filing a compromise budget that would also make the state’s controversial film tax credit permanent.

The budget deal, according to House and Senate officials, accounts for surging tax collections over the last six months that have far outpaced the projections agreed to by legislative leaders and the Baker administration at the start of the year.

The expectation of additional tax revenue was used by budget negotiators, in part, to create a $350 million trust fund that could be tapped in future years to help cover the cost of a $1.5 billion school funding reform law passed in 2019, known as the Student Opportunity Act.

El budget filed Thursday evening (H 4002) also reflects the decision of negotiators to cancel a planned draw on the state’s reserves of at least $1.5 billion and proposes to make a supplemental deposit of $250 million into the state’s pension system.

House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz and Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues announced the compromise Thursday afternoon, and leaders in both branches hope to pass the budget on Friday and send it to Gov. Charlie Baker for his review.

Massachusetts is one of just four states in the country that started its fiscal year on July 1 and does not have an annual budget in place. Though the budget is already eight days late, the Legislature and Gov. Baker put in place a temporary budget totaling $5.4 billion to keep government operations funded through July.

The Legislature and Baker postponed implementation of the seven-year school funding reform law during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the new budget increases Chapter 70 school aid by $219.6 million in fiscal year 2022 to $5.5 billion. The spending puts the state back on track to meet the state’s funding commitment over the next six years, and one budget official said the new trust fund would protect against future setbacks.

In addition to resolving disagreements over spending, leaders for the two branches came to an agreement that would permanently extend the state’s tax credit for film production in Massachusetts, which supporters have defended as a job creator but critics have derided as too expensive.

The compromise plan calls for the January 2023 sunset of the tax credit to be cancelled, but would increase the eligibility threshold for a production company by requiring at least 75 percent of its filming budget to be spent or at least 75 percent of principal photography days to take place in Massachusetts.

The House had voted to simply eliminate the tax credit’s expiration date, while the Senate proposed a four-year extension tied to an increase in the minimum number of filming days from 50 percent, a cap on eligible salaries at $1 million, and a ban on the transfer of credit.

The salary cap and transferability ban were not included in the final compromise.

The compromise budget also scrapped a Senate-backed plan to raise fees on Uber and Lyft rides to generate new money for the municipalities, the MBTA, regional transit authorities and other infrastructure needs.

The House has voted in favor of tiered increases in transportation network companies fees in the past, but they were vetoed by Gov. Baker and the branch did not include the fees as part of its budget proposal this year.

After fearing the worst at the start of the pandemic, legislative budget writers have largely avoided having to deal with the massive tax collection downturn forecast by economists at the start of the pandemic.

Instead, Democratic leaders have had the opposite challenge – how to allocate billions in unbudgeted revenues.

After agreeing in January to an estimate of $30.12 billion in taxes, Michlewitz and Rodrigues agreed in the budget filed Thursday to increase the tax revenue projections for fiscal 2022 to $34.35 billion, a whopping $4.23 billion increase.

The new projection reflects what House and Senate budget official described as an increase of $362 million, or about 1 percent, above preliminary tax estimates for fiscal 2021 of roughly $34 billion. The Department of Revenue has not yet released final tax revenue figures for fiscal 2021, but lawmakers are expecting a sizable surplus to spend after leaders verbally rejected Baker’s call for a two-month sales tax holiday.

The new flexibility in the fiscal 2022 budget allowed negotiators to fund accounts across the board at the higher level of what was recommended by either the House or Senate, adding roughly $300 million in additional spending added to the $47.7 billion budgets passed by both branches this spring.

That step led to larger bottom lines for higher education, nursing homes, local health departments, mental health programs and early educator salaries.

The conference committee also agreed to boost funding for some accounts beyond what had been proposed previously, including an additional $17 million for the Workforce Competitive Trust Fund, $18 million for career-technical institutes, and $9.5 million for one-stop career centers.

House Speaker Ron Mariano’s initiative to incentivize training for jobs in the offshore wind industry also got included with a boost from $10 million to $13 million, and a new cyber security consortium will work community colleges and state universities to create careers opportunities in cyber security.

Additionally, the compromise bill, according to officials, would cancel a planned withdrawal of at least $1.5 billion from the state’s “rainy day” fund, and projects a deposit into the reserve account of more than $1.1 billion in capital gains taxes that would drive the balance of the emergency fund to $5.8 billion by the end of fiscal year 2022.

Other highlights of the compromise budget include one-time raises for sheriffs of about $20,000, the extension of an historic rehabilitation tax credit, a new tax credit for the hiring of disabled workers and the conversion of a child care tax deduction into a refundable credit that would allow more low-income families to qualify.

The final compromise also dropped a provision described in a letter last week by 40 House lawmakers as an “anti-worker” measure added to the Senate budget that would have reversed the state’s law requiring triple damages in wage and hour lawsuits.

 

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce was named a finalist for the prestigious 2021 Chamber of the Year award, presented by the Alexandria, VA -based Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber is one of four finalists in its category – along with chambers in Cumming, GA; Leesburg, VA; and Tuscaloosa, AL.

The award is the most prestigious and competitive recognition presented annually by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). ACCE is an association of more than 9,000 professionals from 1,600 chambers of commerce.

The Chamber of the Year award recognizes the leadership role chambers have in their communities. Those honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, economic development and quality of life.

“This year’s finalists are among the most impactful organizations within the industry,” said ACCE President & CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. “Following a tumultuous year, these chambers emerged as community champions, providing catalytic leadership to address their region’s greatest challenges and opportunities for prosperity.”

Chamber of the Year winners will be announced by ACCE on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

“We are tremendously honored to be named a finalist for this national award. This is a collective achievement and a tribute to the innovation and passion of our members and the many business leaders that support our mission and  work so hard to build a stronger economy and quality of life in the communities that we call home here in North Central Massachusetts,” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “I want to thank our staff, board leaders and all of our members for their support and commitment to the important work we do collaboratively to advance North Central Massachusetts.”

Chambers of commerce interested in competing for the award first must qualify by participating in a vigorous multi-stage process. Organizations entering the Chamber of the Year competition must meet minimum thresholds around membership performance and financial management.

Chambers compete based on meeting key performance criteria on the ACCE Annual Operations Survey. Qualifying chambers enter the competition with a written application addressing all aspects of organizational operation and programmatic work. Applications are scored by peer chamber executives to determine finalists. Winners are selected from  finalists based on an interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals. To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into four categories based on annual revenue, membership, area population and other factors.

The Baker-Polito Administration and the Massachusetts State Lottery announced registration details for the Massachusetts VaxMillions Giveaway, which will begin on July 1.

Massachusetts residents ages 12 and up and who are fully vaccinated prior to each drawing are eligible to enter the giveaway.  Residents ages 18 and older who are fully vaccinated prior to each drawing will have the opportunity to enter to win one of five, $1 million cash prizes. Residents between 12-17 years of age who are fully vaccinated prior to each drawing may enter for the chance to win one of five $300,000 scholarship grants.

Beginning Thursday, July 1, eligible residents will be able to enter the giveaway at VaxMillionsGiveaway.com.  For residents who do not have access to the internet or require assistance, a call center will be available to assist with registration beginning July 1. The call center can be reached by calling 2-1-1 during the below hours:

• Monday-Thursday: 8:30 AM-6:00 PM
• Friday: 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
• Saturday-Sunday: 9:00 AM-2:00 PM

Live call center workers will be available in English and Spanish, and 100 additional languages will be available through translators.

VaxMillions Giveaway Drawings will be held once a week for five weeks beginning Monday, July 26 and continuing every Monday through August 23. The first drawing for the giveaway will occur on Monday, July 26, with registration for that week’s drawing closing on Thursday, July 22. Winners will be announced later in the week following each drawing.

Residents are reminded that they have time to get fully vaccinated in order to enter the drawings. An entry before one of the weekly entry deadlines makes you eligible for all of the weekly drawings that take place after you register. 

The full schedule of drawing and announcement dates is below. Residents are reminded that some COVID-19 vaccines require two doses, and they must receive all doses before entering the drawing. 

Residents must be fully vaccinated before registering, but if they are not vaccinated by the registration date for a certain drawing, they will still have the opportunity to complete vaccination and register for subsequent drawings. Residents will only have to enter once to qualify for all drawings occurring after the date of their registration.

Massachusetts residents 18 years of age and older who have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, will have a chance to win one of five, $1 million cash prizes. 

Massachusetts residents between 12 and 17 years of age who have received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will have a chance to win one of five $300,000 scholarship grants via a 529 College Savings Plan managed by the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA). Funds in a 529 plan can be applied to cover tuition, room and board, and related expenses at any college, university, or technical or trade school or other post-secondary educational institution eligible to participate in a student aid program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Winners with a qualifying disability may elect instead to receive an equivalent financial contribution to a special needs trust or federally qualified ABLE account to cover qualified expenses.

The Commonwealth launched the Massachusetts VaxMillions giveaway as one of many strategies to increase awareness of the availability and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and encourage residents to get vaccinated to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe.

Only lawful, permanent residents of Massachusetts who are fully vaccinated can enter the drawings. Residents must have received their vaccine doses within Massachusetts. Residents must be fully vaccinated prior to submitting their entry. 

There are over 900 vaccination locations across the Commonwealth, with appointments and walk ins widely available. Residents seeking a vaccine can visit mass.gov/COVIDVaccine to find a vaccine location that is convenient for them.

For more information on the Mass VaxMillions Giveaway, visit VaxMillionsGiveaway.com.

Residents can email  to report any instances of fraud or suspicious activity associated with the VaxMillions Giveaway Promotion.