Government Central

Council Approves Meal and Hotel Tax Increases
The Cambridge City Council voted to approve proposals to add .75% to the meals tax and 2% to the lodging tax at the July 27, 2009 Special Summer meeting. The authority to enact these local option taxes was granted by the State as part of the State budget as a means for communities to address reductions in State local aid. The City Manager recommended this action to address an additional $2 million reduction in State assistance beyond what was anticipated when the City budget was approved in May.
With the increase in the State meals tax from 5% to 6.25%, the meals tax in Cambridge will be 7% beginning and the lodging tax will increase from 12% to 14%. The State increase in meals and other sales taxes went into effect on August 1, 2009 and the local option increase will go into effect on October 1, 2009.

The week prior to the Council meeting, Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy met with representatives of the restaurant and hotel/motel communities to discuss this proposal. Members of both industries asked the City to look at opportunities to use additional funds from this tax increase to promote the City’s restaurant industry and tourism. The City Manager has agreed to look at this in the next budget.

November City Council & School Committee Elections
July 31 was the deadline to file nominating petitions to run for the nine seats on the Cambridge City Council and six seats on the School Committee. Eight of the nine incumbent City Councillors will be joined by twelve challengers and five of the six incumbent School Committee members will face four challengers including two former members of the School Committee. Councillor Marjorie Decker missed the deadline to file nominating papers and has announced she will run as a write-in candidate. School Committee member Luc Shuster announced some time ago that he would not be seeking re-election.

Deadline Passes for Comments on New Biosafety Regulations
The Cambridge Public Health Department accepted comments on draft Cambridge Biosafety Regulations and proposed Cambridge Biosafety Committee Policies and Procedures until July 31, 2009. The purpose of these regulations is to ensure health and safety in laboratory facilities working with what are called Biosafety level 3 (BL 3) materials that are not covered under the current Recombinant DNA ordinance.

More information on this regulation is available from the Cambridge Health Department Web site at www.cambridgepublichealth.org/news/biosafety_regulation_hearing. If you would like a copy of the CCC’s comments, contact Director of Government Affairs Terrence Smith at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org. The Cambridge Public Health department is expected to issue final regulations are sometime in the fall of this year.

Chamber Works with Partners on Federal Follow-on Biologics Regulations
Over the past several months the Chamber has worked with partners at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, member life science companies, and national organizations on federal legislation that establishes the time period when developers of biologic treatments retain exclusive rights to those treatments. This issue is of vital importance to the life science industry and to Cambridge because establishing too short a period will reduce incentives for investment and innovation.

The cost to industry to complete research and development of a successful biologic treatment is almost $1 billion and the vast majority of products never get beyond the research stage. Proposals currently before the US House and Senate would limit the period when developers of these treatment would hold exclusive rights to as little as five years. Such a short period would have a detrimental effect on research in the United States, which would have a severe impact on the Cambridge economy.

The Chamber has joined with industry partners in supporting a twelve year protection period for this intellectual property. The June 24, 2009 Boston Herald published a column co-authored by CCC President & CEO Kelly Thompson Clark and Worcester Chamber of Commerce President Richard Kennedy titled, “A Dose of Biotech Grows the Economy.”

The twelve year period was developed during the last Congress with the leadership of Senator Edward Kennedy. Congressman Michael Capuano is a co-sponsor of legislation in the House. The Chamber has also been in contact with Senator Kerry, Congressman Markey and other members of the Massachusetts delegation regarding the importance of this legislation to the life-science industry in Cambridge and throughout the Commonwealth.

The 2009 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme Corporation. For more information on GAC activities or to sign up to receive a weekly Government Affairs Update by e-mail, contact Director of Government Affairs Terrence Smith at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or (617) 876-4213. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16