A conference committee of state Senators and Representatives reached an agreement earlier this week on a major spending bill, which will utilize $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support various economic stimulus and pandemic response programs.

The compromise bill, H.4269, An Act Relative to Immediate COVID-19 Recovery Needs, appropriates funds among categories that include economic and workforce development, education, energy and the environment, health and human services, housing, the judiciary, and oversight activities.

The bill cleared the House of Representatives yesterday, and is expected to pass the Senate later today before proceeding to the Governor for his signature or vetoes.

Each chamber had previously passed its own version of an ARPA spending plan (the House in October, and the Senate in November). Differences between the two proposals were reconciled in a conference committee, which produced the compromise version.

Click here to download the full text of the bill.

The legislation proposes to allocate $4 billion among the following categories:

By subject matter, the proposed legislation includes, but is not limited to, the following expenditures:

The bill provides tax relief for small-business owners who would have otherwise been required to pay personal income taxes on state or federal relief money.

The bill ensures continued funding for the Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) program through June 2022 to help incentivize the purchase of electric vehicles.

Click here to access the full text of the legislation. As the bill is a conference report, it cannot be further amended by either branch; it may only receive an up-or-down vote as written.

MassDOT is planning to open a new round of the Shared Streets and Spaces grant program in January 2022. MAPC will host a webinar on the next round of funding on Wednesday, January 5th, 2022 at 10:00 AM; click here to register for the webinar. The new round of funding will focus on transit and roadway safety.

The webinar will provide details regarding the new round of funding, and will include a presentation from MassDOT. The webinar will also include a presentation from the Barr Foundation on a new report, Quick and Creative Street Projects, that provides results from 23 municipalities that received program funding throughout 2020 and 2021.

The Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program was first established in June 2020 in the wake of the pandemic to assist municipalities in meeting their individual needs for more and safer outdoor recreation, commerce, community activities, and mobility. The program was then relaunched in November 2020 to help municipalities address the particular challenges of winter amid the ongoing public health crisis. Grant-funded projects have ranged from dedicated bus and bike lanes to seasonal parklets, road diets, safer crosswalks, and new bike share stations.

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has assembled a Funding Resource Team comprised of consultants and Regional Planning Agency staff to help identify appropriate funding sources for Local Rapid Recovery Plan (LRRP) projects. The Team is able to provide guidance on funding application requirements, key aspects to highlight in applications, expected levels of effort, grant timelines, and more. 

Each LRRP community is invited to submit a brief application for specific funding assistance. The application will include general information about the community and questions to determine the appropriate funding assistance for projects identified within the municipality’s LRRP. Click here to access the application; only the designated LRRP community liaison from a municipality should submit the application. Applications are open until December 17th, 2021, however liaisons are encouraged to complete the application as soon as possible. 

Up to two projects per community are eligible to receive guidance from the funding resource team. The choice of which projects will be reviewed for funding assistance is at the discretion of the municipality.

Within 1-2 business days of receiving an online request, technical assistance team members will reach out to schedule an initial 1-hour online meeting between the RRP community and a member(s) of the Funding Resource Team. This meeting will focus on sharing information about the project, local capacity to pursue, and potential funding options for each project.  

In Case You Missed It: Check Out the 495/MetroWest

In response to nationwide supply chain issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 495/MetroWest Partnership has undertaken an effort to support and promote businesses in the region engaged in manufacturing, supplying raw materials, warehousing, transportation, and logistics. The Partnership is pleased to launch the 495/MetroWest Supply Chain Directory, an online informational resource focused on enhancing information about these businesses, aimed at supporting regional supply chain resiliency and encouraging local sourcing. The new directory can be accessed online at 495Supply.org.

The project was funded through a grant awarded from the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, as part of its 2021 Regional Pilot Program, a statewide effort to spur economic activity as the state reopened following pandemic-related closures.

The directory launched with over 250 businesses across the 36 cities and towns served by the 495/MetroWest Partnership. Eligible businesses may request to be included in the directory via a portal available directly on the site; there is no cost to a business to be listed. To be eligible, a business must have a physical presence in one of the region’s 36 cities and towns, and produce unfinished goods, components, or materials not intended for retail sale to the public, or otherwise be engaged in transportation and logistics.

The directory is intended to be a living project; businesses interested in being included are encouraged to submit their information through the +Add Your Business portal at the top of the directory.

Statistics about businesses currently listed in the directory:

Information available through the directory includes basic company descriptions, products or services produced, website and contact information, as well as client industries served. The new directory also includes information on transportation and logistics, highlighting the region’s convenient proximity to large and small airports, ports, highways, and rail infrastructure. 

To view recordings of all past virtual events, visit the "Events & Committee Meetings" section of our website 495Partnership.org.