Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
On Aug. 10, Gov. Charlie Baker signed most of a $1.15 billion economic development bond bill that was passed unanimously by the House and Senate during a final push before the end of the formal legislative session.
More than $530 million is earmarked for municipalities and other public instrumentalities for design, construction, building, land acquisition, rehabilitation, repair and other improvements to publicly owned infrastructure.
Another $50 million is set aside for a grant program to coastal communities to stimulate economic development and create jobs in the maritime economy sector and to maintain and protect coastal assets while also considering climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The popular MassWorks program will get $250 million. Since 2010, MassWorks has provided funding to municipalities for infrastructure projects to support and strengthen the economy.
Other portions of the bills provide support for the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation, the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Innovation Fund, coastal dredging projects, grants to assist state and municipal institutions that provide higher education, and grants for the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporations.
The governor approved 63 of the 71 outside policy sections in the bill (H. 4732). He vetoed a provision that would have prohibited a person from making an assertion of patent infringement in bad faith and a provision that would have created a special commission to study barriers to broadband connections.
The governor also sent back six sections with proposed amendments.