Chamber News

State House News – State budget writers have agreed to build fiscal 2022 spending plans on the assumption that state tax revenues will grow by 3.5 percent over upgraded projections for the current fiscal year, signaling that the damage done to the state’s finances by the COVID-19 pandemic may not be as severe as once…

State House News – Although public health officials confirmed the first case of the new COVID-19 variant on Sunday, Massachusetts notched some improvement in its overall pandemic outlook over the long weekend. The Department of Public Health (DPH) reported a total of 8,172 new coronavirus cases over the three-day weekend alongside 251,214 new tests, pushing…

EASTHAMPTON — As residents of the Lathrop Retirement Communities approached the common area Monday, they were met with a long-awaited message. “Vaccine Clinic Day!” a sign outside of the building said. “Hope is here!” Over the course of eight hours on Monday, pharmacists from Walgreens administered the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to nearly all residents and staff…

The Baker Administration announced the expansion of vaccine locations in each region of the commonwealth at pharmacies, health-care providers and a second mass vaccination site to boost the capacity to administer vaccines by the thousands per week. The commonwealth will continue to add vaccination sites. Information on available sites will be available on a rolling…

The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, will re-open the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan portal to PPP-eligible lenders with $1 billion or less in assets for First and Second Draw applications on Friday, January 15, 2021 at 9 am ET. The portal will fully open on Tuesday, January 19,…

SBA has announced Ascent, an interactive digital platform packed with resources women business owners need to set, and achieve, their business goals. Ascent is designed for the “missing middle” — growth-oriented women entrepreneurs who are beyond the start-up phase and already generating revenue yet looking to grow and scale. Most learning resources for business owners focus on…

Cape Cod Human Resources Association invites business owners and human resource professionals to our monthly virtual meeting. Topic: A conversation on diversity and inclusion in the workplace Presented by: Dr. Angela Crutchfield – PESSCE Unlimited, LLCJanuary 28, 2021–7:45 – 9:00 am Please join us for an interactive discussion with Dr. Angela Crutchfield on diversity and…

State House News – Gillette Stadium has been home to a near-undefeated football season, two outdoor hockey games, a Major League Soccer final, dozens of concerts, and next week, it will host another landmark event: the first mass vaccination site in Massachusetts. In six days, Gillette will open its doors to hundreds of first responders…

State House News – While the development and approval of two effective COVID-19 vaccines offer great promise that the public health crisis inflicted by COVID-19 will soon fade, the sputtering rollout of the vaccines is bogging down the economic recovery, the leader of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said Tuesday. Many of the uncertainties…

The state is currently implementing unemployment-related provisions from the most recent federal stimulus. Key details on these programs can be found here to assist claimants with questions about their continuation of benefits.