House Pads Long-Term Economic Development Bill

Live Theater Tax Credit, Project Labor Agreements, Civil Service Changes Generate Discussion

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JUNE 27, 2024…..Live theater productions are expected to see a revival in Massachusetts, and municipalities could exert greater control over construction projects that employ a more diverse workforce under a sprawling economic development package the House passed Thursday night, which also updates how cities and towns hire public safety employees.

The House economic development package (H 4789) mirrors Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal, featuring major investments to reauthorize the life sciences initiative for another decade and make a parallel investment in climate technology.  It features $3.4 billion in long-term bond authorizations, and an additional $700 million in tax credits, according to Speaker Ron Mariano’s office.

The House approved the bill on a 155-2 vote, after representatives adopted three mega-amendments to their version of Healey’s “Mass Leads Act.” Republican Reps. Nicholas Boldyga of Southwick and Marc Lombardo of Billerica voted “no” on the legislation.

“H 4789 proposes more capital authorizations than the past three economic development bills combined, enabling us to make bold, targeted investments to promote growth across all regions and sectors of our economy,” Rep. Jerry Parisella, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, said Thursday afternoon during opening remarks on the bill.

The Beverly Democrat added, “These investments will ensure that Massachusetts can overcome economic headwinds and lead the nation in vital sectors, such as our life sciences industry, and remain a global pioneer in climate technology and offshore wind.”

Bond authorizations in the bill total $3.4 billion, including $400 million for MassWorks public infrastructure grants, $150 million for municipal library projects, $100 million for an Applied AI hub, $100 million for the Rural Development Program, $100 million for the Seaport Economic Council grant program, $99 million for advanced manufacturing, $75 million for the Massachusetts TechHub and $10 million for alternative protein companies, according to a summary from Mariano’s office.

Adding to an already long list of projects competing for limited funding under the state bond cap, lawmakers tacked more than $540 million in local investments into the bill, including $2 million for the Adams Presidential Center in Quincy, $2 million to prepare building a sports complex to house the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in western Massachusetts, $10 million to design and construct a new community center in Boston’s North End, and $20 million for a Route 128 interchange improvement project in Beverly.

Other projects involve $50 million for a life sciences training development in Boston’s Nubian Square; $10 million for Massport to plan for and rehab the North Jetty on the South Boston waterfront to support the offshore wind industry; and $10 million for Manchester-by-the-Sea to modernize and expand electrical power and infrastructure for the Cell Signaling Technology campus.

Policy reforms in the bill look to install consumer protections around ticket sales, empower municipalities to require project labor agreements (PLAs), and improve oversight of combat sports like mixed martial for young adults under age 18, among other changes.

Lawmakers adopted a Rep. Marjorie Decker amendment strengthening the bill’s initial PLA provision by instructing municipalities or agencies to consider how the agreements would affect construction efficiency and costs, project safety and quality, prevent disruptions or delays to the projects, expand apprenticeship programs and workforce development in the construction industry, and promote opportunities for women, minority workers and veterans.

Decker’s amendment also directs the Department of Labor Standards to develop regulations to increase the diversity of contractors in PLAs, including incentivizing a certain percentage of contracts with minority-owned businesses. Decker, a Cambridge Democrat, expressed hope that the bill would eliminate “frivolous lawsuits” that she said intimidate municipalities from setting construction project standards.

“Today is an important day that will absolutely have an impact on our communities to have more autonomy and make sure that people in their communities have access to jobs that allow them to take care of their families and have a quality of life that we all deserve,” Decker said.

Rep. David Biele, who joined the House in 2019, used his inaugural speech to promote a five-year live theater tax credit pilot program aimed at steering pre-Broadway, pre-off Broadway, national tour launches and regional professional theater productions to Massachusetts. The credit comes with a $7 million annual cap, after lawmakers gave the initiative a $2 million boost in a consolidated amendment.

Biele said Massachusetts used to be a destination for shows, before other states lured them away with incentive programs.

Moulin Rouge, one of the last-pre Broadway shows that launched here and ran for 17 weeks, led to $2.9 million spent on direct jobs, $4 million spent on local restaurants, and $465,000 spent on local hotels, Biele said. Nearly 52,000 tickets were sold, with more than half of showgoers living outside of Massachusetts, he said.

“As we speak, bookings are being made for future engagements for live theater productions, here in Massachusetts and across the country. But let me be clear, the shows want to come to Massachusetts, given our proud history and leadership of supporting arts, culture and theater, but had incentives to go elsewhere — until now,” Biele said. “This legislation changes that dynamic, putting Massachusetts on a level playing field, bringing those productions and those economic engines back to the commonwealth.”

Through consolidated amendments, the House approved policies including granting sales and use tax exemptions to eligible data centers, launching an educator diversity pilot program through an alternative teacher certification process, modernizing the civil service laws, and establishing a grant program to grow and diversify the pool of licensed clinical social workers.

Rep. Kenneth Gordon, co-chair of the Public Service Committee, said the revised civil service parameters, such as creating an alternative pathway for filling entry-level police and fire roles, marked the most significant changes in decades.

“This body recognizes the issues faced by municipalities, but also values the protections provided by Chapter 31 — protections for veterans, for Black and Latino communities and other marginalized groups, and for our public safety employees. So we created a compromise,” Gordon said, as he described working with stakeholders such as unions, veterans and civil rights groups. “The approach we take is balanced, giving every group some of what they want, but no group all of what they want.”