The Council did not meet this week due to the Memorial Day holiday. The Council will meet next Monday.
The GAC met last Wednesday and our guest was James Scafide from the Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley. Jim discussed the Attorney General’s efforts to improve the climate for doing business in Massachusetts.
The Cambridge Public Health Department will hold a public hearing on proposed regulations to ban artificial trans fats at food service establishments. Information on the proposal is available on the Public Health Department website at http://www.cambridgepublichealth.org/policy-practice/transfat/trans_fat_regulation.php
The State has begun construction work on both the Longfellow Bridge and the BU Bridge. This work will result in closure of lanes. Both projects are under the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Information on DCR construction projects is available at Traffic Advisories. The City is also posting advisories on its website at www.cambridgema.gov.
Upcoming GAC Events
The 2008 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme.
June GAC Meeting and Luncheon
June 24, 2008
Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas will address the June GAC Meeting and Luncheon
Noon, Chamber Board Room
If you plan to attend please RSVP to Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or by phone at (617) 876-4213.
Jim Scafide Addresses May GAC
Jim Scafide of Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office addressed the May GAC meeting and luncheon held on May 21st. Mr. Scafide, who heads the Business, Technology and Economic Development Division, spoke about the Attorney General’s efforts to build a relationship based on cooperation between her office and the Massachusetts business community. He reported that the Attorney General is working with Governor Deval Patrick’s office on a regulatory review initiative and that the Attorney General recently announced an initiative to reach out to the technology community on issues of specific concern to that sector.
Mr. Scafide said that his division acts as a liaison between the Attorney General’s Office and the business community. Since his appointment last July he has been meeting with members of the business community from around the state asking for information regarding regulations and practices business people identify as unfriendly to business. He has received several hundred suggestions through those meetings and is following-up on those suggestions. He noted that things that look like simple changes are often more complex or difficult than he initially thought.
The Attorney General has assigned him specific responsibility for reviewing proposed regulations and changes to regulations. Recent work includes reviews of regulations regarding mortgage lenders, brownfield remediation, and data confidentiality. He said that he believes guidance developed with regulations should include a pathway to compliance and that regulations should focus on intended outcomes.
Addressing regulatory issues is important, according to Scafide, because many of the states that offer the greatest competition for our industries have established one-stop permitting processes. This issue has been raised to him as he has met with business leaders. His office is working to learn more about the services offered by competitor states and to identify incentives and opportunities to continue to streamline the permitting process in Massachusetts.
During questions and answers he was asked about utility regulation and the difficulty companies sometimes have in coordinating work with some utilities. He said that he has heard a number of concerns about these issues and that the office will work to address these issues where appropriate. He also asked that anyone with specific concerns contact him.
He was asked about the almost two-year delay in publishing a new State Building Code. Scafide reported that he was recently named to serve as the Attorney General’s representative on the Commonwealth’s Building Code Coordinating Council, a panel established to review changes to the State Building Code. He said that he has only been on this panel since January and it has met only once but that he would look into the likely release of the new code.
Mr. Scafide introduced his newest staff person, Jessica Duhamel, at the meeting. They are both available to hear concerns and provide assistance to members of the Cambridge business community. Jim can be reached at james.scafide@state.ma.us and Jessica can be reached at Jessica.Duhamel@state.ma.us.
For a listing of public meetings, visit the Public Meetings link or the Public Meeting Notices area of the City of Cambridge Web site.
