The Beacon Hill Report - October 2, 2014

Date: October 01, 2014

Cape Wind (the off shore wind energy proposal for Nantucket
Sound) announced a lease deal to begin operations at the South Coast Marine
Terminal in January 2015 despite the fact that they continue to fight lawsuits
and are still assembling financing. The two-year lease will pay $4.5 million to
use the facility to build wind turbines in Massachusetts instead of Rhode
Island as originally planned.

But consumers were confronted with the area’s lack of access
to affordable energy, principally natural gas – at least when compared to the
cost of wind and solar energy – when National Grid announced a 37% increase in
electricity bills effective in November. While advocates and energy experts
have long predicted the increase, the news came as a shock to many consumers
and small business owners. Other large energy providers like Northeast
Utilities are almost certain to announce similar increases soon to be effective
in January.   

The cost of energy will now shoot to the top of the list of
concerns of many small business owners, especially those with machinery or
refrigeration units that require large amounts of energy to operate.
Massachusetts has got to find a way to bring more low cost natural gas to the
state as residential and small business consumers are increasingly reliant on
natural gas to heat their homes and businesses, as is the region to make
electricity. The pipelines that ship natural gas to our area do not currently have
sufficient capacity to meet the increased demand. The early shutdown of coal
burning power station in Salem, MA and the shutdown of nuclear power plant in
Rowe, VT have added to the problem of limited availability of power. State
policymakers must seriously explore all forms of energy, including water, natural
gas and nuclear, to expand the mix of lower cost fuels to support economic
growth.     

Mandated Paid Sick Leave Ballot Question

NFIB assumed a leadership position in the fight to defeat
Question 4 on the ballot in November. 
Ballot Question #4 would mandate paid leave for all workers at all
businesses with 11 or more employees and require unpaid leave at all businesses
with fewer than 11 workers. This proposal goes beyond simple sick leave and
allows employees to take “sick time” to care for family members and time off
(paid or unpaid) may be taken in as little as 1 or 2 hour increments. This will
be expensive and administratively burdensome for MA businesses, especially in
small businesses and in the service industries.

The NO on 4 Committee responded to gubernatorial candidate
Charlie Baker’s opposition to Question 4 and support for a modified sick leave
law that applied paid leave to companies with more than 50 workers, similar to
Connecticut. The Baker proposal also clarified that businesses that offered ten
or more days of paid time off would be deemed to have satisfied the mandated
sick leave rules. The committee spokesperson noted that the Baker proposal shed
light on the unintended consequences of the details in the question as
proposed. He reiterated that Question 4 as proposed is bad for businesses,
especially small businesses and the service industries, job creation, families
and communities.   

Subscribe For Free News And Tips

Enter your email to get FREE small business insights. Learn more

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Learn More

Or call us today
1-800-634-2669

© 2001 - 2024 National Federation of Independent Business. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy