RAM Applauds MA House Passage
of Energy Affordability Bill
Last week at the State House, the MA House of Representatives debated and passed H.5175, An Act relative to energy affordability, clean power and economic competitiveness, a significant bill to address energy affordability in the Commonwealth. The bill cuts $1 billion from the Mass Save program, a well-intentioned program but one that has ballooned over the years, funded by assessments on ratepayers, to become the primary tool in financing the state’s decarbonization efforts. The bill also returns 70% of alternative compliance payments (ACPs) to ratepayers over three years, expands clean energy procurement authority, and reduces barriers to possible future nuclear development.
House leadership estimated the reforms will save ratepayers roughly $3 billion in the coming years. RAM thanks and congratulates the House for their committed focus on energy affordability, noting that the bill directly confronts our energy affordability challenges and will lower costs for our small businesses, consumers, and families struggling with rising utility bills.
While more work lies ahead, last week’s action was a significant and important step forward. The bill now moves to the Senate.
MA Senate Advances Small Business
Unit Pricing Exemption Bill
In the Senate, RAM supported legislation was unanimously approved to update the state’s Unit Pricing small business exemption. S.2978, An Act updating the unit pricing exemption threshold, carves out gift cards and lottery products from the calculation of total gross sales, allowing more small operators to qualify for the exemption under the existing $5 million sales threshold. The bill also adds “motor fuels” to the exempt list as well, codifying in statute the existing exemption on gasoline, which currently relies on an “in-store sales” interpretation.
This action to update our unit pricing law’s small business exemption provides important cost relief to vital community partners – small, neighborhood markets and convenience stores. RAM applauds the Senate for their leadership on this issue. The bill now moves to the House.
Massachusetts Rent Control Ballot Initiative –
What Retailers Should Know
Massachusetts voters are likely to see a statewide ballot question in November 2026 on a proposal titled An Initiative Petition to Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases. If approved, this measure would repeal the state’s long-standing ban on rent control and establish a restrictive statewide cap on annual rent increases for most residential units. Under the proposal, annual rent hikes would be limited to the annual change in the Consumer Price Index or 5%, whichever is lower. New construction is exempt for ten years, as well as owner occupied buildings with four or fewer units.
Housing for Massachusetts is a broad coalition of Massachusetts citizens, small property owners, family-owned real estate companies, affordable housing developers, and housing advocates, including many real estate groups and housing economists. HFM cautions that broad rent control policies can discourage new housing production, reduce maintenance investment, and constrain the overall housing market, slowing economic growth and making it harder for employers to attract workers.
For retailers whose success depends on vibrant local communities, easier recruitment of employees, and healthy consumer demand, it is essential that local communities are provided a growing supply of housing units to continue supporting the partnership between consumer and retailer.
Annual Health Insurance Survey
Many small businesses renew their health insurance in the first quarter, or early second quarter of the year. If you have already renewed, are reviewing your 2026 rates now, or may be receiving your renewal shortly, we would like to hear from you. Collecting small business health insurance cost information from our members is critical for our efforts to seek fairness for small employers in choices and premiums.
Click here to access our brief survey.
RAM Encourages Member Participation in the
MA Employee Survey (MES)
The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) is currently conducting the Massachusetts Employee Survey (MES), a biennial survey that asks a representative sample of Massachusetts employers to share their experiences and challenges in offering health insurance and related benefits to their employees. The MES tracks and monitors employer health insurance offerings, employee take-up rates, health insurance premiums, employer contribution amounts, plan characteristics, and employer decision making. The information generated by this critical survey is an important way to make sure those involved in the decision-making process understand what is truly happening in our retail community.
RAM encourages any members who receive this survey to take the time to fill it out. The survey is by invitation only; if you have been invited to take the survey, learn more and get started at mahealthsurveys.gov/mes.
MA Restaurant and Bar Show
April 26-27, 2026
Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston
The event sponsors are generously providing our industry members including: restaurant, bar, catering, hotel, grocery store, foodservice/hospitality operator, management and staff -- with complimentary registrations to attend.
This complimentary code is not extended to Non-Exhibiting Suppliers to attend the show, all suppliers to the industry must be exhibitors to participate.
Click here for more information and a free registration code
