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January 15, 2015
I'm always looking for new ways to help Massachusetts companies start, grow and thrive here. We need to continue to support all sectors of our economy, foster innovation and improve education and workforce training opportunities. I look forward to a new session advocating on behalf of smart economic development policies for MetroWest and the Commonwealth.
Continue reading to learn about some of my economic development priorities for the new session, including civic innovation, crowdfunding, entrepreneurship and education.
For other news and updates, please connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.
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A terrific group of people from the tech community and government shared feedback on the latest version of the Innovative Communities bill.
A product of a November Tech Hub Caucus policy "Idea-a-thon" event, the new Innovative Communities Program would connect and educate Massachusetts startups and municipalities. The program is the result of a collaborative process, pulling together best practices from existing government programs and incorporating input and ideas from startups, government offices and municipal groups.
The bill creates a new program charged with guiding startups through the purchasing process and helping them to more easily pursue local government contracts. Startups would have the opportunity to sell their technology to innovative cities and towns that have chosen to be designated as "Innovative Communities." These civic technology solutions would allow communities to better serve residents and use resources more efficiently and effectively.
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This bill authorizes the state's Executive Offices to establish a pilot Innovator-in-Residence program, placing successful entrepreneurs in state agencies to identify ways to make agency services and operations simpler, more efficient and more responsive. The program would encourage improved public-private coordination, address entrepreneur and business obstacles and opportunities and identify ineffective or duplicative government programs.
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This bill amends the Uniform Securities Act in Massachusetts to include an exemption to securities registration requirements for emerging businesses seeking small-scale investments through crowdfunding. The bill helps local small businesses raise seed funding and grow more easily while still protecting investors from overly high-risk investments.
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The legislation creates a State Seal of Bi-literacy to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. The bill supports foreign language educational programs in the Commonwealth as a way to promote global trade and prepare our students to compete in a global economy.
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I will also file legislation to make the tax process more predictable and transparent for companies in all industries and encourage companies to maintain or establish their corporate headquarters in Massachusetts.
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Warm Regards,
Senator Karen E. Spilka
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Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka
Room 320, State House
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
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