Economic Development Bill

The Economic Development bill is in conference committee with the July 31st end of session deadline.

 

The nearly $3B bill is a critical tool for maintaining the commonwealth’s successful life sciences sector and making a similar massive investment in the climate tech landscape.

 

What’s in it for NECA Contractors?

 

Climate Bill:

The Climate bill, formally known as An Act for Accelerating a Responsible, Innovative, and Equitable Clean Energy Transition, is in conference with committee members racing to meet the July 31st end of session deadline.

 

A critical component of the bill aims to combat climate change through electrification – using electricity to power electric heat pumps for heating and cooling, electric vehicles to get around, and using efficient appliances. Similarly, we need a modern and reliable electric grid.

 

What’s in it for NECA Contractors?

  • Community Labor Standards:
  • Streamlining Siting and Permitting Processes:
    •  Introduces a streamlined application and permitting process for clean energy projects that generate electricity.
    • The Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) will issue consolidated permits for large projects, while municipalities will handle permits for smaller projects.
    • A new Division of Clean Energy Siting and Permitting will be established within the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to oversee the siting and permitting of small energy projects at a local level.
    • The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will create a dashboard to provide data for deploying clean energy infrastructure
  • Clean Energy Procurements and Grid Access:
    • Distribution companies are mandated to secure long-term contracts for clean electricity and energy storage.
    • A framework for grid access and interconnection will be established, with cost allocation based on project size.
    • Support will be provided for the development of a multi-state clean energy market and other grid-enhancing technologies.
  • Creation of New Divisions/Offices within EOEEA Agencies:
    • An Office of Environmental Justice and Equity will be formed to implement environmental justice principles.
    • A Division of Public Participation within the DPU will be funded through an Intervenor Support Fund to assist stakeholders in intervening on matters before regulatory bodies.

 

Housing Bond Bill

The $58B Housing Bond bill which authorizes borrowing for housing, related grants along with several policy reforms, including fund for large-scale, mixed-income, multifamily housing and a flexible municipal grant program for housing-related infrastructure, and a fund to subsidize conversions of commercial properties to housing. The bill is before the Governor.

 

What’s in it for NECA Contractors?

  • Includes a contractor requirement for employer that they must apprenticeship programs to train the next generation of construction workers (over $1M)

 

Senate Supplemental Budget Bill

The supplemental budget bill allocates additional funding to the fiscal year budget that wasn’t included in the once a year budget agreement and can also implement new policies.

 

This year’s bill allocates $432 million in funding from FY 2024 appropriations that would be made available through FY 2025 and includes new policies around electric vehicles and charging stations. The bill is in conference committee with the July 31st end of session deadline.

 

What’s in it for NECA Contractors?

  • Electric vehicle procurement language that falls outside the bidding and prevailing wage laws. NECA and IBEW have been participating in meetings with the Conference Committee to address our concerns.

 

Getting these bills over the finish line: What does Conference Committee mean? A conference committee is comprised of members of both parties of the House and Senate. They work out a compromise version of both the House and Senate versions of the bill before the end of session on July 31st. The compromised bill is then sent to the full House and Senate bodies for a final vote before being sent to the Governor for consideration. The Governor has 10 days to review it before either signing, vetoing or amending the bill. For certain spending bills, she can also veto specific line items, or submit her own changes as an amendment for the legislature to reconsider.

 

We will continue to update the NECA Membership as these progress and provide a more in-depth analysis of the impact of each when they are signed into law. Stay TUNED.