Non-competition Updates

There appears to be some movement on the effort to cut back on the use of non-competition agreements in Massachusetts. This has been a long-term priority of mine. These agreements restrict employee mobility, hampering new venture formation and contributing to unemployment. They are bad for the innovation climate. At the same time, employers feel them …

Turnpike Air Rights Parcels 12 – 15 Citizen’s Advisory Committee

Last Thursday, March 27, 2014 the Turnpike Air Rights Parcels 12 – 15 Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) met to discuss the future of Parcel 13. A feasibility study for Parcel 13 was presented by MassDOT and the MBTA to highlight the unique challenges of the site for the community and potential developers. There will be …

Unemployment Insurance Rates for Construction Firms

One of the more complex issues currently before us is the rate structure for unemployment insurance. One of the major features of the Senate’s recently passed bill was a shift in rates that would charge more to companies who routinely layoff workers on a seasonal basis. This is only fair to other businesses — it’s …

Title Clearing Bill

The Senate press Release regarding the Title Clearing Bill appears below — I was pleased to support this bill in the vote today. ===================================== Senate Passes Bill to Protect Homeowners BOSTON – The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation to restore the titles of foreclosed properties after thousands of foreclosure sales in Massachusetts were determined …

Please add Working against Poverty

It would be helpful if your categories included working against poverty. We don’t like to look at poverty in Massachusetts, but it is there. Here are some examples; With the Congress not extending unemployment benefits, many will be forced to use food banks, which report being drawn down seriously. In the Commonwealth we allow 4000 …

Insurance Discounts for Driver Training

We received an inquiry from a parent whose child took a rigorous driver safety training course above and beyond the basic Driver’s Ed program. The question was: Why don’t insurers offer a discount for graduates of these programs? The answer is that many insurers do offer such discounts. In fact one of the programs says …