Every government affairs team knows the feeling. A bill that was barely on the radar last month is suddenly on the floor of a state legislature, moving fast, and directly affecting your business. The scramble begins. Lobbyists are called. Briefings are assembled. By the time your organization has a response, the window to influence the outcome has already closed.
Why Illinois Just Became the Most Important State in America for Energy Companies
On January 8, 2026, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) into law. The legislation — which takes effect June 1, 2026 — is being described by clean energy advocates as one of the most significant state-level grid policies in the country.
That framing is correct. But what it means for your company depends entirely on what kind of energy company you are.
The Medicaid Earthquake: What $665 Billion in Federal Cuts Means for Every State Legislature in 2026
Your Tracking Software Saw 200+ AI Bills This Session. Here's What It Didn't Tell You
If your legislative monitoring tool has been busy this spring, you're not imagining it.
Across the country, state legislatures have spent the first quarter of 2026 moving AI and data privacy legislation at a pace that has caught many government affairs teams off guard. The volume is real — hundreds of bills introduced, dozens advancing — and for companies that rely on tracking software to stay ahead, the alerts have been relentless.
The Challenges and Opportunities of Child Care Reform in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in the nation to care for a child. According to a recent report by the Massachusetts Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission, many families spend between 20% and 40% of their income on early childhood care. This causes direct harm to families with young children and also strains the statewide economy. Inadequate access and soaring costs drain an estimated $2.7 billion out of the economy every year.
Soaring child care costs are harming families and draining the statewide economy
High costs force many parents and mostly working-class mothers to transition to part-time work or leave the workforce altogether. This can negatively alter the course of their careers which drives the gender wage gap and suppresses economic growth in the state. COVID-19 has added to this effect. The pandemic shocked the supply of child care workers. In the fallout, working mothers picked up the slack. As the state continues to recover from COVID-19, lowering the cost burden of accessible, high-quality child care for working parents will reverse that trend and help families and the economy grow.
State lawmakers are well aware of the urgent need for relief and reform to the child care system in Massachusetts. Speaking recently at an event the Boston Chamber of Commerce, House Speaker Mariano called on the private sector to work with legislators to alleviate the crisis.
The Speaker’s invitation to businesses to propose suitable legislation to provide child care resources to their employees comes on the heels of the recent Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission report that examined the state of child care in Massachusetts. The Commission identified low wage growth for child care workers and program closures as primary contributors to rising costs.
Since March 2020, 17% of early child care and education programs have closed in Massachusetts. This represents nearly 24,000 enrollment slots for children across the state. As enrollment slots and workers disappear, competition and costs for the remaining options increase. The legislature has targeted these supply-side issues with a $100 million proposal that includes program stabilization grants and incentives designed to attract and retain child care workers.
The Commission’s report also identified failures in child care subsidy programs. Bureaucratic and information barriers mean that many eligible families cannot access child care subsidies. For those that do, current child care subsidy reimbursement rates cover only 50% of market-rate costs. This is below the federally suggested 75% which limits the ability of subsidy-eligible families to compete with private payers for limited slots. Even with these program stabilization grants, many working-class families will still struggle to afford quality child care without legislation fixing the leaks in the state's subsidy programs.
The cracks left unfilled by each policy choice must be kept in mind while policymakers are crafting the future of child care in Massachusetts. The required employer-based resources Speaker Mariano promoted can certainly provide needed relief for many families and an aggressive suite of policy options including employer-based resources, increased stabilization grants and easing the access to and competitiveness of public subsidies can meaningfully ease the burden of child care costs in the state.
Facing the challenges of soaring child care costs will require serious investment by present and future policymakers; the Commission’s report estimates at least $1.5 billion annually. However, that investment would be modest in comparison to the powerful tool that adequate child care becomes when it ultimately supports working families, attacks the gender pay gap, and drives economic growth.
References and Further Reading
Special Legislative Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission - March, 2022
The Untold Cost of Inadequate Child Care - The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, April, 2022
Massachusetts' Economy Loses $2.7 Billion due to Child Care Problems Every Year, New Report Finds - GBH News, April 28, 2022
Why Has COVID-19 Been Especially Harmful for Working Women? - Brookings, October 2020
Massachusetts House Push for New Child Care Funding -- But It Won't Provide Direct Relief to Parents, Families - MassLive, April 11, 2022
Diving into the Commonwealth's Most Promising Startups
Few startup markets are as competitive and thriving as Massachusetts and, more specifically, Boston. Ranging from crypto goldmines to plant-based meat alternatives, the talent is far-ranging, making the Bay State one of the hottest markets in the country. Despite a cut-throat market, these successful startups are making it work in the Commonwealth’s thriving startup scene.
Motif
Perfectly coinciding with the rise of alternative meat options, Motif has made a name for itself in the plant-based food space. While the company was first created with the goal of producing ingredients that secondary companies could use to make their own plant-based products, Motif soon came to develop its own line of food that was met with rave reviews across the board. Alternatives include beef, pork, and chicken, all of which could be sold directly to third-party distributors interested in expanding their plant-based line. Shifting their model from an ingredient supply business to selling the foods directly has not been a breeze for Motif -- but a process that is nevertheless proving worthwhile.
Kintent
One group that recently earned major funding is Kintent, which helps companies meet compliance standards. Receiving funding from both TolaCapital and Openview and led by a powerful team aiming to close the affordability and thoroughness gap in compliant software companies currently on the market, Kintent is already making waves. In a nutshell, Kintent is helping to make sure all SaaS companies are up to code and working with strong security to ensure the safety of all parties involved, including meeting standards like HIPAA. The increased funding is set to go toward continuing to expand and helping to round out the expansion team, including sales agents.
https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/03/kintent-aims-to-automate-away-enterprise-compliance-tasks/
Flipside Crypto
Crypto has taken the world by storm in recent years, both positively and negatively, with harsh crashes and falling values lately. One startup in the cryptocurrency space, Flipside Crypto, is aiming to use blockchain tech to grow with the market and one day rival brick and mortar institutions that have been the long-standing norm. To help do this, the company has recently received a $50 million investment to be used for expansion and continuing to source crypto’s next biggest thing in decentralized finance.
Phoenix Tailings
Focused on mining and increased output that makes economic and sustainable sense, Phoenix Tailings is bravely challenging the most established mining companies out there. One of the primary approaches is taking the traditional mining waste, called tailing ponds, and using this waste to extract the remaining important metals that primary companies typically cast aside. Some of these refined metals are valuable enough to be used in phones, cars, and the aerospace industry, yet so many companies skip over the opportunity. Based in Woburn, Phoenix Tailings is set to completely disrupt the market in the most sustainable and economically sound approach.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/05/12/business/woburn-startup-aims-break-chinas-grip-rare-metals/
Zoning Reform is Key to Solving the Housing Crisis in Massachusetts
The cost of rent and housing has been steadily increasing in Massachusetts while wages have remained stagnant, making it increasingly difficult for people to find a place to live. Local officials can reverse this trend by pairing zoning reforms that open up high demand areas to increased market-rate construction with inclusionary zoning requirements that ensure housing options exist for families who cannot afford market prices.
The Crisis
There is no doubt we are facing a housing crisis. The state has seen tremendous economic growth in recent years, but the supply of housing has not kept pace with the demand. As a result, the cost of housing has skyrocketed, and many families are being priced out of their homes. The problem is driven by local zoning codes that restrict the construction of new housing in high-demand areas. These codes often date back to the mid-20th century, when the state was facing a different set of challenges. In light of the current crisis, it is clear that these codes need to be updated to allow for the construction of more housing. Only by increasing the supply of housing can we hope to address the affordability crisis that is currently gripping the state.
There is no one-stop solution, however. Market-rate construction often fails to provide enough units, and with such an extreme shortage of available housing in the first place, these new homes are quickly scooped up with higher-than-asking bids or all cash offers from families desperate to own a home. This naturally pushes housing prices above affordable limits.
On the other hand, affordable housing construction requirements that are too onerous or designed to favor NIMBY-ism (Not In My Backyard) can make housing unviable where it is needed the most (and it’s needed everywhere now). This has the unintended consequence of depressing the overall amount of housing that is added in high-demand areas. This, in turn, can create a negative effect on housing affordability.
Local officials must judge the effectiveness of their housing policy combinations by two measures. First, is the supply of market rate housing allowed to match demand in desirable areas? Keeping in mind that this housing crisis affects many tenants who would not qualify for affordable housing vouchers, so their housing demand must be met as well. Second, are there enough designated affordable housing options to fill the cracks left by a white hot housing market?
A Two-Pronged Solution
Allowing market-rate housing development of all kinds - including duplexes, quadplexes, and mixed-use apartment and commercial buildings - in high-demand neighborhoods can help to solve the supply side driver of housing affordability. Density can bring welcome change to Massachusetts neighborhoods, in the form of abundant housing options, without the devastating effects of gentrification when allowed in areas throughout the state, and not just the urban core.
Duplexes, quadplexes, and other multiplexes are an efficient use of land and infrastructure, and by allowing them in higher-demand neighborhoods, we can create more affordable housing without displacing current residents. Mixed-use development combining residential with retail or office space is another way to increase density while providing amenities and services that residents need.
The inclusionary zoning mandates that are popular in Massachusetts today can work alongside the modernization of zoning codes to ensure that market-based construction does not leave anyone behind. When used together, market-rate construction and inclusionary zoning create abundant, affordable housing in high demand areas.
References and Further Reading
Worcester Weighs New Policy to Increase Affordable Housing - WGBH, May 25, 2022
Fixing Greater Boston's Housing Crisis Starts with Legalizing Apartments Near Transit - The Brookings Institute, October 14, 2020
Surging Prices and Scarce Inventory Are Driving Greater Boston's Apartment Hunters to Their Wits' End - Boston Globe, March 15, 2022
Is Inclusionary Zoning Creating Less Affordable Housing? - Strong Towns, April 11, 2018
Concern About Climate Change is Falling
A recent poll has narrowed down what Massachusetts residents care about most. And among the many issues that the Commonwealth is grappling with, climate change is falling under the weight of rising concerns over health care and education.
The poll, conducted by the Barr Foundation and MassINC Polling Group, surveyed nearly 2,000 people and included questions about:
Climate change
High fuel costs
Education
Taxes
Health care
Economy
Less than half of those surveyed cited climate change as one of their top concerns in the state. That statistic is particularly troublesome when comparing the figure to what it was only years before in 2019. Specifically, MassINC found that 47% of respondents agreed that climate change was a high priority, but in 2019, the figure was 54%.
The poll further broke down the results by demographics and political preference to better understand which group most supported climate change compared to other policy concerns. In general, Democrats believed climate change was one of the more serious threats, with 64% agreeing and 30% saying it was somewhat serious. On the other side, 22% of Republicans said yes, climate change is a high-priority problem, while 26% said it was only somewhat serious.
However, health care topped the lost as the priority for residents in Massachusetts, with nearly one-third of respondents saying it is the most important issue facing the state. This is not surprising given the high cost of health care and the recent debate over access to insurance. Education is the second-most important issue, with 16 percent of respondents saying it is the top priority. The economy, taxes, and transportation are also high on the list of priorities for residents.
Shifting opinions on climate change are not hard to believe. Just this year, the US economy has dramatically adjusted and re-adjusted as the nation tries to build toward a post-pandemic recovery. Economic momentum has been halted for many reasons, not least of which are the war in Ukraine; bringing other concerns like gas prices and the economy to the forefront for residents.
Direct relief for these immediate concerns most likely dominate the Commonwealth’s recent perceptions. Gas prices skyrocketed almost overnight and past efforts at economic relief have brought stimulus programs that have eased some pain through the COVID years. Alternatively, approaches to combatting climate change take years to progress and that can be frustrating to those who care about resolving the issue.
Once the current political and economic environment have a chance to readjust, it’s reasonable to assume that climate change will reemerge as a pressing issue for residents. Massachusetts and New England are warming at an alarming rate, and the possibility that the effects will be deepened in the coming years in the state is likely. There is no doubt that climate change will soon impact our communities and the urgency to solve this global crisis will soon reappear at top of the priority list.