On July 10, I wrote to constituents ahead of the Senate’s debate on the economic development bond bill (S.2856).
Read on to learn more about the work I engaged in to ensure rural priorities were included in the base bill, information about the provisions included in the bill, and insight into some the amendments my team and I filed to make sure this package works for the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district.
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On Thursday, the Senate will debate a significant economic development bill, S.2856 — An Act relative to strengthening Massachusetts’ economic leadership. You can read the bill here. (It advanced out of Ways and Means on Monday and amendments were due yesterday at 2:00 p.m.)
The legislation builds on the Mass Leads Act filed by Governor Maura Healey this February. The House of Representatives debated and passed its economic development bill two weeks ago.
This is our chance to ensure that this legislation recognizes the unique economic needs and opportunities of rural and western Massachusetts communities — so my team and I have been busy.
Back in May, as the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies considered the Governor’s proposal, I testified before the Committee and shared that the needs and opportunities in rural Massachusetts differ from those in more urban parts of the Commonwealth, and similarly, the economic development solutions for rural regions will be separate and distinct.
Watch my testimony here. Read my testimony here.
I also submitted with 26 colleagues a letter from the Massachusetts Rural Policy Advisory Commission (RPAC) that included a number of critical recommendations. The full version of the letter can be found here.
When the Senate bill was released to come to the floor, I was heartened to see many of these priorities included — music (or bonding) to my ears:
- $100 million for a new Rural Development Fund
- Creating a Rural Development Program within the Executive Office of Economic Development
- $30 million for development of a regional food hub by UMass Amherst
- $40 million for a quantum innovation hub located in western Massachusetts
- $90 million to improve or redevelop abandoned, vacant, or underutilized properties — more than double the previous funding and just what we need to help transform the many abandoned mill buildings in our communities.
- $15 million for a grant program to support the growth of the agricultural, commercial fishing, and cranberry-growing sectors, including promotion of climate resiliency and acquisition of eco-conscious gear.
- Hundreds of millions in bonding authorizations for existing grant programs for cultural facilities, travel, tourism, the arts, and much more.
Where our priorities weren’t already included, I filed amendments. Seventeen of them in fact.
See all amendments here, and read below for brief summaries of some of the amendments I filed. You’ll notice I filed policy proposals as amendments as well. I’m doing everything I can to get our priorities to the finish line as the end of Formal Session looms.
We’ll debate this bill on Thursday. You can follow along here. I’m delighted that I’m hearing from constituents about amendments that you would like me to cosponsor. Keep it coming.
Thank you for your continued advocacy — people power is what makes government work. More updates soon.
Here are some of the amendments that my team and I filed:
- Rural development fund
This amendment increases the bottom line of the Rural Development Fund by $100 million to $200 million, and earmarks $50 million for wastewater and public water supply expansion in rural communities.
- Strengthen agriculture, fishing, and cranberry economies
This amendment increases the funding authorization to $30 million for a grant program to support the growth of the agricultural, commercial fishing, and cranberry-growing sectors, with a focus on promoting climate resiliency and environmental benefits in the farm and fisheries sector.
- Geographic equity in funding authorizations
The amendment requires that funding be distributed in a way that considers geographic equity for the following programs:
The MassDevelopment Site Readiness program
A program by MassDevelopment to provide matching grants to community development financial institutions (CDFIs)
A new MassImpact capital grants program to support large, transformational projects
A new climate-tech grant program
- Strengthening our local food system
This amendment appoints a Food System Coordinator to the statewide Food Policy Council. The Food System Coordinator will serve in an advisory capacity to all relevant state agencies to inventory and examine existing state programs which relate to the food system — helping the state meet its goals to end hunger in the Commonwealth. This amendment also codifies the successful Massachusetts Farm to School Grant Program in statute, a program which is already strengthening the Massachusetts food and agriculture economy and improving student health and nutrition. Lastly, this amendment enables farms and businesses who donate food to non-profit food distribution organizations, such as food banks, to receive a tax credit (of no more than $5,000 in a taxable year) in an amount equal to the fair market value of the donated food. This provision puts real money back into farmers pockets and provides valuable, culturally relevant, and requested produce to residents who are experiencing food insecurity.
- Ensuring equity in agricultural development
This amendment creates a special legislative commission to study and develop recommendations for promoting equity in agriculture for socially disadvantaged groups in the commonwealth, focusing on opportunities in rural, suburban, and urban agricultural settings. This amendment also creates a new fund, the Next Generation Farmers Fund, for an agricultural workforce development grant program. The fund would award grants to higher education institutions, vocational technical schools, or community-based organizations to provide workforce development training to first time farmers with priority consideration to programs that serve populations which have previously not had equitable access to the agricultural industry.
- Trails for all
This amendment directs the Department of Conservation and Recreation to make comprehensive recommendations on ways to improve access for people with disabilities or limited mobility to paved and unpaved trails. DCR is to work with the disability community, outdoor recreation leaders, conservation experts, trail users and others to review current trail access, consider best practice guidelines, hold open public forums, and issue its recommendations. State Parks are public lands, and these trails should be open to all the public.
- Zero carbon renovation fund for small businesses
This amendment authorizes $15 million for a program to help decarbonize and improve climate resiliency for small businesses.
- Economic Development Through Agriculture Preservation
We are losing farmland. We lost 7% of our farmland from 2017-2022, and once farmland is converted to another use, it does not return to being farmland. This amendment ensures we can preserve valuable by making it easier to allow some nonagricultural activities on land in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction program, allowing the Department of Agricultural Resources to buy and hold farmland when it goes up for sale to ensure it remains as farmland, and ensuring that any food processing areas on farmland are taxed as farmland.
Local capital authorization amendments:
- King Street Bridge in Royalston
$1,000,000 for the design, engineering, repairs, and improvements to the King Street Bridget in Royalston.
- Academy of Music in Northampton
$1,000,000 for capital repairs and improvements to the Academy of Music in Northampton.
- Town of Northfield water system needs
$4,000,000 for water system needs in Northfield.
- UMass nursing regional simulation lab
$4,000,000 for a research and education regional simulation lab at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing at UMass Amherst.
