March 14, 2007 GAC Update 

The Council did not meet as members attended the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, DC. The U.S. Chamber released a report card on the nation’s schools and Massachusetts was given an A for most categories graded. The Commonwealth announced a program on Friday that will provide $100 million in infrastructure grant funding for public infrastructure improvements to support business expansion.Upcoming GAC Events

Upcoming GAC Events

The 2007 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme.

City Manager Robert Healy Guest for March GAC
Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy will be our guest at the March 27 GAC luncheon and meeting which will be held at noon at the Chamber Board Room. GAC members mentioned last fall that they would to hear from the City Manager annually so this is your opportunity. Please e-mail tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone (617) 876-4213 if you plan to attend.

April GAC TBA

Vice Mayor and State Representative Toomey to Address May GAC
Cambridge Vice Mayor and State Representative Timothy Toomey, Jr. was scheduled to be our guest in January and had to cancel due to legislative responsibilities at the State House. He will now be our guest on Tuesday, May 22nd at noon at the Chamber Board Room. Please e-mail tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone 617-876-4213 if you plan to attend.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Gives Massachusetts High Grades for Education

The United States Chamber of Commerce released a report this week titled “Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness.” The report card gave Massachusetts an A in seven of the nine categories.  These include:

• Academic Achievement (where Massachusetts ranked first)
• Academic Achievement of Low-income and Minority Students
• Return on Investment
• Truth in Advertising about Student Proficiency
• Rigor of Standards
• Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness
• 21st Century Teaching Force

Massachusetts received a C for Flexibility in Management and Policy and a B for Data Quality. The report is available at www.uschamber.com/reportcard.

State Announces Grant Program for Job and Business Expansion

Last Friday the Executive Office of Economic Development announced the Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion (MORE) Jobs Capital Program. This program will provide $100 million in grants over the next two years for infrastructure improvements needed to support business expansion and job growth. More information on the MORE Jobs and Capital Program is available at www.mass.gov/MOREjobs.

For a listing of public meetings, visit the Public Meetings link or the Public Meeting Notices area of the City of Cambridge Web site.