By Bob Katzen
The Senate approved, on a voice vote, without a roll call, a $575 million economic development package. Senators added millions of dollars in local projects for their districts to the original bill proposed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
The House has already approved a different version of the measure and a conference committee will hammer out a compromise version.
Provisions in the Senate bill include $100 million to support and promote economic growth and job creation in the defense sector; $75 million to support the development and application of AI; $25 million to support downtown and main street vitality in Massachusetts cities and towns; $2.5 million to help convert vacant storefronts into pop-up opportunities for new small businesses; $20 million to support construction of early stage and high growth business; $25 million to support arts, culture and the creative economy; and aiming to stop Cryptocurrency ATM misuse by fully banning the operation of these kiosks. Supporters said that scammers in recent years have directed older adults to use crypto kiosks to send money which is often not recoverable when the fraud is discovered, leading some seniors to lose their entire life savings.
Other provisions require that large AI developers are complying with new safety requirements by requiring independent, third-party safety audits; criminalizing the creation, possession or sharing of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in response to new AI technology and computer programs capable of generating synthetic images that are indistinguishable from real photos; prohibiting the possession, operation, manufacture or sale of robots that are equipped with weapons—including firearms, chemical agents, weaponized lasers and explosives.
The package also includes creating a group to study the feasibility of a future international soccer tournament to be held in Massachusetts; making music affordable by reining in predatory ticket scalping and instituting a 110% cap on prices charged by ticket resale platforms for music concert tickets; giving cities and towns the option of re-establishing “Happy Hour” discounted alcohol sales policies; allowing cities and towns to permit public alcohol consumption in designated outdoor districts; increasing the production of new housing units through automatic two-family zoning across Massachusetts; and creating safety rules for fast electric scooters and e-bikes.
“Today the Senate took action to maintain the commonwealth’s economic edge while giving Massachusetts residents, families and businesses the best bet at success,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “The bill we passed today will help small businesses cut through red tape, provide opportunities for new families to find a home they can afford and set our state up to face the challenges and embrace the opportunities of the coming years.”
“It’s critically important to keep the Massachusetts economy on the cutting edge, and this economic stimulus package does just that and more,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “This bill hits all sectors of the state’s economy, jumpstarting scientific research, spurring housing development, investing in workforce development and business growth; supporting the defense industry and setting limits on the overreach of artificial intelligence. With the federal government no longer a partner, we need to continue to be ambitious and utilize the tools that we have to grow and develop the economic engine of the commonwealth.”
“We have a responsibility to invest in the future and to create opportunity for everyone who calls Massachusetts home,” said Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover), Senate chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. “I’m proud this economic development bill threads that needle, by strengthening our leadership position as a hub for industries of the future while uplifting small businesses and working families who are the backbone of our economy.”
“Senators did not have the interests of the taxpayers in mind when passing the economic development bill,” said Paul Craney, the executive director of the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “All it does is spend more taxpayer money and make it harder for a tax rebate to occur. If senators want to help make Massachusetts more affordable, they should cut or eliminate broad based taxes. Spending more tax dollars will never do anything but continue to make our state more expensive to live in and do business in.”