Policy Committee Updates
November 2025

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

• On September 3, the Council hosted a webinar on the regional impact of the recent stop work order issued by the Trump Administration for the Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut.  The program drew over 200 Council members and other interested businesses in the region.   We are also considering further advocacy on this issue, working closely with Orsted and Eversource, the two members involved in the project. Watch Webinar.
• On September 5, the Energy & Environment Committee presented the latest installment of the Council’s New England Innovates series. The program, titled “Protecting New England Communities from Forever Chemicals” featured a fireside chat Congressman Jake Auchincloss focused on the rising concerns over chemicals in drinking water, food, and daily use products, primary known as PFAS. Following the discussion with the Congressman, Dr. Dan Rush of Waters Corporation, led a panel discussion with several experts on PFAS detection and remediation. View Program Agenda
• On November 4, the Energy & Environment Committee convened for a discussion with Eric Kanter, Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director for Congressman Jared Golden and Rob MacGregor, Republican Staff Director for the House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, and Mineral Resources for a discussion on the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776)  In addition to hearing insight into the bipartisan permitting reform bill, members also participated in an advocacy and programming planning discussion.
• On December 3, the New England Council’s Technology and Innovation as well as the Energy and Environment Committees will host a virtual meeting with Mark Sanborn who serves as the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator for Region 1. Register here.

FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE

• On September 12, the Committee met with Rep. Stephen Lynch following a larger Council breakfast program.  During the meeting, the Council provided the Congressman with a preview of the forthcoming new report on the economic impact of the financial services industry in the region, and heard from him about key issues before the House Financial Services Committee, on which he serves as a senior member.
• On October 27, the Council released a new report, “The New England Financial Services Industry: Driving Innovation and Growth in Our Region and Beyond.” Prepared in collaboration with many of our members, this report highlights the tremendous economic impact of the financial services industry in New England.  The release marked the culmination of over 6 months of work by the Financial Services Committee, working closely with PwC, on this project.  In addition to the report itself, the Council also released state-by-state fact sheets detailing the impact of the industry in each state.  Read the Report and the State-by-State Fact Sheets.
• On December 3, the committee will host a Capitol Hill Briefing in Washington, DC, for Congressional staff and Council members.  PwC will present an overview of the report, followed by a panel discussion with several NEC members discussing key themes in the report.  Register here.

HEALTHCARE COMMITTEE

• The Healthcare Committee has seen progress in recent months on several of the group’s top legislative priorities:
  • Rare Disease Innovation: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July included the ORPHAN Cures Act that the Council has supported in recent years.  The provision is aimed at encouraging innovation to treat rare diseases.
  • SUPPORT Act: earlier this year, the Senate passed the SUPPORT Act that the Council has supported over the past few years.  The bill, which reauthorizes key prevention, treatment and recovery programs for patients with substance use disorder, including programs to support the behavioral health workforce, is awaiting the President’s signature . More information.
  • Multi Cancer Early Detection: In July, the Healthcare Committee shared a letter of support for S.339/H.R. 842, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage (MCED) Act. The bill seeks to allow Medicare to cover MCED tests in a timely manner following FDA approval and evidence of clinical benefit. Currently, most vulnerable patients could face years-long waits to access the latest innovations in cancer detection.  Read the letter.  The bill was advanced by the House Ways & Means Committee in September.
  • The Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act (H.R.5343) has received strong support from Committee members, and the Council is planning to share a letter of support for the legislation, which advanced in the Ways and Means Committee by a bipartisan vote of 38-3 in September.
• Building upon MCED advocacy, the Healthcare Committee will host an event as part of the New England Innovates series focused on early disease detection. The program will examine the challenges and opportunities surrounding early disease detection in the healthcare sector. Congressman Jim McGovern is confirmed to deliver keynote remarks on the role of federal research funding in the field of early detection, as well as examine challenges and opportunities for federal government involvement. The program will also feature a panel discussion with Council members highlighting their own work in the early detection space.  Register Here.
• On December 2, the Healthcare Committee is scheduled to convene for a planning meeting, and will also hear Nick Valenti, who serves as Legislative Aide for Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Register Here.

HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

• On September 17, the Council sent a letter to House & Senate Appropriations Committee leadership expressing our support for continued federal research funding.  The letter highlighted the tremendous economic impact of federal funding through the NIH and NHS specifically, as well as the national and global impact of the innovations developed in the region. Read the Letter.
• On September 23^rd the committee held its fall general business meeting, during which the committee’s new co-chair, Jennifer Grodsky, Vice President for Federal Relations at Boston University was introduced.
• On September 23, 2025, the New England Council submitted comments on the proposed rule “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media.” Read the Comment Letter here.
• On September 29 we sent a letter to members of the New England delegation on regular order appropriations. In the letter we expressed that while were pleased to see continued funding for Pell Grants included in both the House and Senate versions, we were concerned by the elimination of Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) funding, and the deep cut to Federal Work-Study (FWS) funding in the House version. Read the letter.

HOUSING WORKING GROUP

• The Working Group hosted a Fall meeting on September 3, which began with a presentation by Senate Banking Committee staff on the ROAD to Housing Act, which the committee recently advanced.  Following the presentation, two new working group co-chairs were introduced: David Gasson of the Housing Advisory Group, and Amy Iseppi of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.  The Working Group also discussed NEC advocacy in support of the ROAD to Housing Act, as well as other legislative priorities and programming ideas.
• Following the meeting, the Housing Working Group sent a a letter of support for the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act to the region’s Senate delegation.  In the letter, the Council outlined several specific provisions of the legislation that it believes will help address housing challenges in the region.  Read the Letter.  Additionally, Jim Brett’s op-ed endorsing the ROAD to Housing Act ran in several New England business publications in September.  Read the op-ed here.
• The Working Group held a meeting on November 4 to discuss legislative updates pertaining housing policy advancing in Congress, as well as any regulatory disruptions resulting due to the government shutdown.

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION WORKING GROUP

• On July 8, 2025, The New England Council sent a letter to the region’s Senators and Representatives urging them to support legislation reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology (STTR) programs before they are set to expire on September 30, 2025. In the letter, the Council specifically expressed its support the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 recently introduced by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) in the Senate, and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) in the House, which would permanently reauthorize both programs. Read the letter.
• On September 18, the working group hosted its fall general business meeting. The meeting included a presentation by Mass Tech Collaborative to brief the group on the Northeast Microelectronics Hub.
• On October 16 the working group hosted a meeting featuring a presentation by Alan McQuinn, professionals staff member on the House Science Space and Technology Committee, who updated members on the Committee’s work on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
• On December 3, the Tech & Innovation Working Group will partner with the Energy & Environment Committee to host the EPA Region 1 Administrator who will discuss administration priorities with a focus on AI and Robotics. Register Here.

TRADE WORKING GROUP

• On September 15, 2025, the Trade Working Group hosted a virtual event open to all Council members where the Wilmer Hale experts who provided a briefing on President Trump’s tariffs in February will provided an update on where things stand and where tariff policy is projected to go in the months ahead.
• On October 30, 2025, the Trade Working Group had a meeting featuring Haley Adams from Senator Elizabeth Warren’s staff.  She provided an overview of the Trump Administration’s trade and tariff policy and discussed the efforts underway just that week in the Senate to reverse the Administration’s emergency declaration for tariffs on Brazil, Canada, and the global community. She also mentioned a report written by Senator Warren related to China trade relations.
• On October 31, the Council submitted a comment letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as part of that agency’s mandated review of the US-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA) on the 6^th anniversary of the agreement’s implementation.  In the letter, the Council expressed its ongoing support for the USMCA and highlighted the importance of free trade between the US and these key trade partners.  Read the letter.

TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

• On June 26, 2025, the members of the Council’s T&I Committee met with Nate Birnbaum, Legislative Assistant to Senator Ed Markey. He discuss a variety of policy issues including surface transportation reauthorization prospects, aviation and air traffic control issues, rail projects, water resources and climate resilience, and infrastructure funding. After Nate’s presentation, the Committee discussed several items of interest that the Committee should be focused on in the months/year ahead, including surface transportation reauthorization, gas tax/EV tax, and WRDA reauthorization.
• As the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee prepares to consider surface transportation legislation in the coming months, the committee is in the process of preparing a set of regional priorities to share with policymakers as any reauthorization package advances.