In June, the Committee met with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Amanda Lefton, who discussed her agency’s priorities and the Biden Administration’s goals for renewable energy projects in the region.
On October 28, the Committee presented a virtual event, “The Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on the New England Energy Landscape.” The program featured a panel of Council members in the energy sector, including representatives of Holland & Knight, the League of Conservation Voters, National Grid, the New England Power Generators Association, and Orsted. Watch Here.
In November, the Council submitted a comment letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) highlighting concerns about energy reliability this winter and encouraging the agency to consider all possible solutions to avoid interruptions to power service and combat the rising costs of energy this winter. Read the Letter.
Financial Services Committee
Earlier this year, the House passed one of the Committee’s top priorities, the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022, known as SECURE 2.0. The Council wrote to the New England House delegation in support of the bill last year, and in November, wrote to the region’s Senate delegation as negotiations to finalize and pass the bill proceed. Read the Letter.
In recent months, the Committee has had the opportunity to meet with several members of the House Financial Services Committee in conjunction with larger Capitol Hill Report Events. On June 13, committee members met with Rep. Stephen Lynch, and on September 13, with Rep. Jake Auchincloss. These small group meetings provided members in attendance with updates on committee activity, and the opportunity to ask questions and raise their own issues with the Congressmen.
In October, the Committee sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency in favor of a comprehensive review of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) System that began in the fall of 2022. The letter highlighted the accomplishments of the FHLBank Boston branch and the progress that their programs have seen as the region moves past the pandemic. Both the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBank Boston) and several of its members are members of the Council. As such, we have a strong interest in the comprehensive review and its potential impacts on our broad membership. Read the letter.
The Committee is monitoring the development of new regulations pursuant to the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA), and specifically how they will define the financial services industry as critical infrastructure. The Committee will review the proposed regulations once released and will likely submit comments.
On December 1, the Committee hosted a post-election policy outlook briefing presented by Council member Ozzie Palomo of Chartwell Strategy Group. Watch Here.
Healthcare Committee
The Healthcare Committee’s new subcommittees continue to drive the committee’s work and agenda, and each met for the second time in September. The new subcommittees are:
Addiction & Behavioral Health Subcommittee
Health Equity Subcommittee
Health Innovation & Technology Subcommittee
Workforce Subcommittee
As a direct result of the subcommittees work the Healthcare Committee held two events this fall:
New England Innovates: Combatting Alzheimer’s Disease – On October 25, the Council hosted an in-person program focusing on some of the leadership in the region around combatting Alzheimer’s Disease. Sen. Ed Markey will deliver keynote remarks, followed by a panel discussion with NEC members leading the way in finding new treatments for this disease. The panel included representatives of the Alzheimer’s Association MN/NH Chapter, Biogen, Brown University, Eli Lilly & Company, and Jackson Laboratories. Watch Here.
Roundtable Discussion on the Intersection of Food Security and Health Equity – On November 2, the Committee hosted a roundtable discussion featuring Congressman Jim McGovern. The Congressman updated members on the recent White House Conference on Hunger, and members shared with him some of their own initiatives to combat food security. Learn More.
Higher Education Committee
In July, the Council launched a new online version of our Partnerships for the Talent Pipeline Directory. After multiple print editions over the past 6 years, this resource has been transitioned to a searchable, sortable online database that highlights over 100 programs involving Council members – both educational institutions and employers. View the Directory.
In September, the Higher Education Committee partnered with the Technology & Innovation Working Group on a letter to the New England delegation in support of the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Read the Letter.
In September, a new committee co-chair was announced following the retirement of longtime co-chair Paula Rooney of Dean College. Dr. Robert Johnson, President of Western New England University, has agreed to serve as co-chair, joining Dan Egan, President of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Rhode Island (AICURI).
The Committee met for a planning discussion on October 6 and identified several priorities as the 118th Congress approaches, including continuing to advocate for doubling the maximum award amount for the Pell Grant.
Technology & Innovation Working Group
In recent months, passage of legislation that was ultimately known as the CHIPS & Science Act was a top priority for the working group. The Council initially weighed in with New England members of a Conference Committee appointed to reconcile the difference between the House and Senate’s initial versions of the bill. And in July, after compromise legislation was introduced in the form of the CHIPS & Science Act, the Council wrote to both the Senate and House delegations urging the bill’s passage. The working group is now monitoring the implementation of the bill.
In September, the Technology & Innovation Working Group partnered with the Higher Education Committee on a letter to the New England delegation in support of the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Read the Letter.
In coordination with the Healthcare Committee, the Working Group sent a letter to the New England delegation regarding a change to the R&D expense tax deduction that was included in the 2017 tax reform legislation and goes into effect this year. Under the 2017 law, companies who invest in R&D will no longer be able to deduct the full amount of expenses in the calendar year they are spent, and the deductions will instead be amortized over 5 years. The Council’s letter urged Congress to pass a fix to allow companies to continue to deduct 100% of R&D expenses each year. Read the Letter.
We are also in the early stages of planning a New England Innovates program for early 2023 focused on the region’s Blue Economy.
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
The Committee hosted a meeting on October 3 featuring a briefing from William Seabrook, Legislative Assistant for transportation and infrastructure issues in the Office of Rep. Stephen Lynch. Congressman Lynch is a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Mr. Seabrook updated members on possible legislative activity on transportation issues before the end of the year, Watch the Meeting.
On December 13, the Committee will host a briefing on the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) or as it is more commonly known, the bipartisan infrastructure law, one year following the bill’s passage. Samantha Silverberg, Deputy Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator and Special Assistant to the President for Transportation and Infrastructure Policy at The White House, will be the featured guest speaker. Learn More.
Trade Working Group
On December 12, the Trade Working Group will host a post-election policy outlook meeting, featuring analysis on what to expect regarding federal trade policy in the 118th Congress. Trade Working Group chair Nasim Fussell of Holland & Knight and Kimberley Claman of Liberty Mutual will present the briefing. Learn More.
Visit the Issues Section
Stay up to date on the work of the Council’s Policy Committees in the Issues section of our website.