Love Local to join small business virtual rally Monday
The Barnstable Patriot
Local business and advocacy organizations across the state are hosting a Virtual Rally and Digital Day of Action for Local Businesses in Massachusetts on Monday, May 17, from 10 to 11 a.m.
Co-hosted by State Sen. Diana DiZoglio and State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, the event will be an opportunity for local businesses, employees and loyal customers to understand policy measures introduced on Beacon Hill aimed at helping with small business recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also is a chance to engage with elected officials, featuring legislative updates on issues such as extending restaurants ability to sell cocktails to-go for two years; placing a permanent cap on 3rd-party delivery app fees; compelling insurance companies to pay out on business interruption insurance claims; and establishing grants for new businesses opened in 2020 that have been unable to access any state and federal funding.
Massachusetts Homes in on Facial Recognition Accountability
According to a recently proposed Massachusetts bill, companies could soon face penalties for misusing facial recognition technology, causing them to pay hefty fines or go to court.
May 07, 2021 •
bill that would penalize companies that misuse such tech via hefty fines and sanctions enforced by the state attorney general’s office.
The bill, according to Rep. Dylan Fernandes, would prevent companies from sharing customers’ data without their consent as a way to protect individuals from financial, physical or reputational harm.
Examples of actions that the legislation would punish include selling customer data to third parties, scanning data to discriminate against customers or using data in a way that would legally impact a customer’s financial status, housing or employment situation.
Dukes County is set to receive more than $3.3 million in federal coronavirus relief funding a hefty windfall nearly the double size of the county’s annual budget.
The money is part of the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, intended to combat the coronavirus pandemic, including public health and economic impacts.
Although much of the federal money will go directly to municipalities and states, more than $65 billion in aid has been allocated to county governments around the country. A total of $400 million has been allocated the six vestigial counties in Massachusetts: Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk, and Plymouth.
The other eight state counties were abolished long ago, with cities and towns set to receive larger allocations of federal aid in lieu of the county funds.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Coalition steering committee member Doug Ruskin, shown here at a 2018 hospital forum, outlined what a Housing Bank on the Island could look like. Gabrielle Mannino
In its first public listening session, members of the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank gave a presentation on their “first draft parameters” to more than 140 attendees via Zoom, and fielded wide-ranging questions from the public.
The listening session featured members of the coalition as well as speakers from various Island organizations.
“We need a comprehensive regional solution with long-range planning and funding appropriate to the scale of the problem,” coalition steering committee co-chair Julie Fay said.