#2021-23 August 20, 2021

Baker “Not Considering” New Mask Guidance

On Monday, when faced with questions on masks in light of the entirety of Massachusetts now experiencing “high” or “substantial” transmission of COVID-19, Governor Charlie Baker (R-Swampscott) said he has no plans to revisit his administration’s guidance for wearing masks indoors.  Baker, instead, indicated that any new mask decisions - in schools or otherwise - are best left with local officials at this time.

While his administration continues to pay close attention to case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19, he believes Massachusetts is in a different category than other states because of its higher vaccination rate - at 65 percent, Massachusetts has the second highest vaccination rate in the country, behind only Vermont.  The CDC reports that 85.6 percent of Massachusetts adults have had at least one dose.

The Governor’s reluctance to impose a new mask mandate or issue guidelines consistent with those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has drawn criticism from some Democrats on Beacon Hill and teachers’ unions as schools prepare to welcome students and staff back to the classroom in a couple of weeks.

Last week, all 14 counties in Massachusetts became territory where the CDC defines COVID-19 spread as high or substantial, which triggers a recommendation from the federal agency that all people wear masks in indoor public settings regardless of vaccination status.  Baker has advised masks indoors only for those at higher risk from COVID-19 or who live with an adult that is unvaccinated or at a higher risk for severe illness. 

City of Boston to Again Require Masks Indoors in Public Settings

On Friday, Acting Mayor Kim Janey announced a new mandate requiring everyone ages 2 and older regardless of vaccination status to wear a mask in all indoor public settings in Boston starting next week. 

The new order, from the Boston Public Health Commission, takes effect at 8 a.m. on Friday, August 27 in retail stores, restaurants, bars, performance venues, event spaces, social clubs, and municipal buildings across the city.  Gatherings in places of worship will be exempt from the order, as will private residences, private buildings inaccessible to the public, and performers who maintain six feet of distance from their audiences. 

Acting Mayor Janey said the new mask mandate is part of a "five-point plan" to address the more infectious Delta variant alongside ensuring equitable access to vaccines and booster shots, a vaccine-or-testing requirement for city workers, HVAC improvements in schools, and a mask mandate in schools and city buildings.

To view Boston’s new mask mandate, please click here. 

Governor Baker: Use Surplus $$$ To Reduce Employer UI Burden

On Wednesday, under a new proposal from Governor Baker (R- Swampscott) that would utilize surplus revenue, employers would see their long-term obligation to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance fund cut by $1 billion.

Baker filed legislation to spend almost $1.57 billion in surplus tax collections from the budget year that ended July 1 after revenues exceeded expectations for the year by roughly $5 billion.  The surplus, under Baker’s proposal, would also allow state government to cancel a planned draw of $1.1 billion from reserves to cover fiscal year 2021 operating expenses, and to deposit another $1.1 billion in capital gains taxes into the “rainy day” fund, pushing its balance to a record $4.63 billion.

Baker recommended using some of the remaining $568 million available to spend to cover union contract agreements, bonuses of up to $2,000 for state employees required to work during the pandemic and 800 new shelter beds for the next year.  And he asked the Legislature to reconsider its decision to delay for one year the implementation of a tax deduction for donations to charity.

The Governor’s plan to offset the cost of the unemployment benefits paid out over the course of the past 16 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic comes as the business community has been pressuring the administration and the Legislature to use federal relief funding to pay down that long-term debt.

While the unemployment rate in Massachusetts ticked down below 5 percent in June, it reached a nation-leading peak above 17 percent at the height of the pandemic, straining the unemployment system and leaving employers on the hook to rebuild the fund used to pay out worker benefits.  The proposal now heads to the House and Senate for their consideration.

Association to Release 6th Edition of the Record Retention Quick Notes; Host Corresponding Virtual Program on September 9

The Association is pleased to announce the upcoming release of its 6th Edition of our Record Retention Quick Notes - a handy reference guide covering a wide range of federally mandated record retention requirements and recommendations that has been completely updated - and corresponding virtual training program both scheduled for September 9, 2021.

As you are aware, retention and management of bank records is more complicated than just deciding what to keep, in what format and for how long.  More than ever our members must have in place an effective records management program that compliance professionals can rely on to ensure that they can obtain information when needed regardless of the source: loan or deposit operations, human resources, trust, among others.

In this virtual program, we’ll address the following topics:

• The types of information that constitutes a record that should be maintained
• Where record retention requirements can be found
• Best practices to follow
• How to set up or enhance a bank’s records management program
• Risks involved in records retention
• Details of an effective and comprehensive program
• Organizing the program; using a taxonomy hierarchy
• Litigation needs; do’s and don’ts
• Destruction of records and information, when and how this should be done
• What documents should be kept in original form and what can be digitized
• Massachusetts laws and rules governing records retention