Chamber News

Bloomberg – Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. effectively prevented coronavirus infections, not just illness, with substantial protection evident two weeks after the first dose, government researchers said. Two doses of the vaccines provide as much as 90 percent protection against infection, according to data from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study…

State House News – The chairs of a legislative oversight committee came out of a lengthy hearing convinced that they need to “dig deeper” into why the Baker administration felt local public-health experts and the emergency plans they’ve fine-tuned for decades were not viable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Jo Comerford of Northampton and Rep.…

State House News – Massachusetts “should not necessarily head down” the road of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for state troopers and other public workers at this point, Gov. Charlie Baker said, voicing an interest in first seeing more “normalization to the whole idea of getting vaccinated.” Asked during a radio interview if he believes the shots should…

The Department of Public Health’s projection of active COVID-19 cases crept above 30,000 on Sunday, reflecting the increase in new cases in Massachusetts that has drawn attention from health experts. Sunday’s estimate of 30,772 active cases, roughly equivalent to the population of Needham, is the highest since Feb. 26 and an increase of more than…

State House News – The check will be in the mail. State and local governments in Massachusetts are set to receive about $7.9 billion in direct aid from the latest round of federal stimulus, and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch said Monday that the state should see that cash around the second week of May. “The…

Boston Globe – President Joe Biden will lay out the first part of his multitrillion-dollar economic recovery package this week, focusing on rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure, followed by a separate plan later in April addressing child and health care. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Sunday the administration’s plans to split the…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration is launching a splash page for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal today in anticipation of opening applications for the much-anticipated critical economic relief program on Thursday, April 8, 2021. “Help is here for venue operators hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The SBA has worked diligently to build the Shuttered Venue…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration announced extended deferment periods for all disaster loans, including the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, until 2022. All SBA disaster loans made in calendar year 2020, including COVID-19 EIDL, will have a first payment due date extended from 12-months to 24-months from the date of the note.All SBA disaster…

State House News – With the Internal Revenue Service moving the federal tax filing deadline back about a month, the Massachusetts Legislature folded a matching extension for the state tax deadline into the unemployment insurance, paid leave and tax relief bill that passed the Senate on Thursday. The U.S. Treasury and IRS announced Wednesday that the…

State House News – The U.S. Treasury has given state lawmakers some breathing room as they consider a tax relief package worth as much as $350 million, indicating that states may cut taxes without being penalized under the new federal stimulus law. The Treasury told the Associated Press that tax cuts are allowed under the stimulus bill…