On February 22, 2017, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) spoke to New England Council members at a Congressional Roundtable Luncheon at the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, NH.  The Senator is pictured here (right) with John Schwenk of BAE Systems, who sponsored the event. 

Senator Shaheen discussed recent issues before the U.S. Senate, including national security, immigration, and the Affordable Care Act, and highlighted her priorities for the 115th Congress.  The Senator is pictured here (right) with Ellen Christo of the University of New Hampshire. 

Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), a member of the influential House Ways & Means Committee, addressed NEC members at a Congressional Roundtable hosted by the Hampshire House on February 23, 2017, in Boston.  The Congressman is pictured here (right) with Tim Leshan of Northeastern University. 

On February 27, 2017, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, was the featured guest at a Congressional Roundtable hosted by NEC member State Street at their downtown Boston office.  The Congressman is pictured here (left) with Board Member Ed Kenealy of Liberty Mutual.

Registration is now open for the NEC's 2017 Annual Spring Event in Washington, DC.  This popular two-day event will be held on Wednesday, May 3, and Thursday, May 4, in our nation's capital.  The tentative agenda includes"

• Wednesday, May 3, afternoon - Federal Policy Briefing
• Wednesday, May 3, evening - Capitol Hill Reception
• Thursday, May 4, morning - Congressional Breakfast
• Thursday, May 4, late morning/early afternoon - Policy Committee Meetings

Registration fees are $500 for NEC members and $700 for non-members.  Stay tuned for more details, including a more detailed agenda and speakers, in the coming weeks. 

On February 21, 2017, The New England Council presented a briefing on "The New England Energy Landscape:new History, Challenges and Outlook," to New England Congressional Staff an other interested parties.  The well attended briefing was held in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) were the honorary co-hosts of the event. 

The briefing, which was attended by Congressional staff from various New England House and Senate offices, began with an overview of the report by its author, Peter J.Howe, a veteran business journalist who is now Senior Advisor at Denterlein, an NEC member.  Following the presentation, a panel of NEC members discussed the current challenges facing the New England energy market. The panel was moderated by NEC Energy & Environment Committee Chairman Mark Kalpin of WilmerHale.  Panelists included James Daley of Eversource, Susan Fleck of National Grid, and Fred Zalcman of DONG Energy.

The New England Council's new report, "The New England Financial Services Industry: Around the Corner and Around the Globe," which was released in late January, continued to receive media coverage in February:

• Hartford Business Journal
• MaineBiz
• Providence Journal

The Council's February 22 Congressional Roundtable with Senator Jeanne Shaheen was covered by several local media outlets:

• Union Leader
• WMUR

The most recent episode of DC Dialogue aired on NECN on February 19, 2017.  In the first segment, Jim Brett and Eileen Curran were joined by Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, who discussed the impact of President Trump's immigration policies and what it means to be a sanctuary city, as well as plans for the extension of the MBTA Green Line into Somerville.  Later in the show, we were joined by UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins, who explained how the immigrant travel ban is affecting both higher ed and healthcare, and also discussed the importance of federal funding for medical and scientific research.