Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Senate yesterday passed its version of an economic development bill originally filed by Gov. Charlie Baker in January.
The Senate bill, S. 2423, calls for $744 million in capital spending over the next three years and would make minor reforms to some laws that affect businesses.
The spending would be allocated largely through the state’s capital program, meaning that it would be provided primarily in the form of bond sales rather than appropriations or the state budget.
The largest amount in the bill, $330 million, would go to the existing MassWorks program, intended for infrastructure grants.
Smaller amounts would go to a variety of business-friendly measures, including $25 million in grants for community-based innovation efforts, $45 million for a new grant program for workforce development training equipment, and $30 million for the state’s Transformation Development Initiative, which is aimed at sparking growth in the Gateway Cities.
The bill would add $20 million in flexible spending to the Economic Development Initiative Program, available in cases of “extraordinary opportunity,” which would be defined by the number of jobs created. Without those circumstances, the fund would remain at $30 million.
The bill would also change the Housing Development Initiative Program. It would establish a municipal tax-break program meant to encourage housing production. It would also enable cities and towns to create demand-based parking fees and to use fees collected to fund infrastructure improvements in downtowns.
The bill includes language authorizing Community Benefit Districts, a concept supported by the MMA.
The Smart Growth Trust Fund would be capitalized under the bill, which the administration argues would allow for more stable funding for cities and towns seeking to use the fund.
With the same goal in mind, the bill would also create a dedicated funding source for brownfields redevelopment, providing up to $45 million in re-capitalized funding.
It would also make small changes to the state’s so-called “blue laws” as they apply to distribution centers operated by online retailers, and small tweaks to state liquor laws.
The House passed its version of the economic development bill in early July. The House and Senate versions of the legislation now head to a conference committee to reconcile differences between the versions. The bill has been identified by legislative leaders as a priority for the current legislative session, which ends on July 31.