Senate Passes Kerry's Small-Business Innovation Plan

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., a senior member of the Small Business Committee, today applauded the unanimous Senate passage of two small-business research programs Kerry originally sponsored as the committee's former chairman.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs under the Small Business Administration offer competitive awards to innovative small businesses. Reflecting Kerry's original legislation, today's vote will reauthorize both programs for eight years, making the new sunset date Sept. 30, 2017.

"This is a shot in the arm for small businesses in Massachusetts and throughout the country," said Kerry. "This vote ensures that these programs do not lapse so that small, high-tech firms from Springfield to Newburyport can continue to utilize them to develop technologies to keep our military strong, advance medical breakthroughs, and develop energy sources that are renewable and clean."

Small businesses awarded funding through SBIR or STTR work through three incremental phases. Today's legislation will increase the awards from $100,000 to $150,000 for Phase I and from $750,000 to $1 million for Phase II.
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North Adams Officials to Revote School Committee Members

Staff reports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City and school officials will meet a second time to vote in two new members of the School Committee. 
 
The joint convention of the City Council and School Committee will be held on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the City Hall conference room and via Zoom. 
 
Damon Grimes and Paul Moriarty were jointly elected on Monday to fill two seats vacated by resignation. They were two of four candidates standing for election.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the School Committee, said she had received in inquiry about the votes, which were done by secret ballot.
 
"I have been advised that voting by ballot was not permissible in this circumstance," she said, after consulting the School Committee's attorney Adam Dupere and city solicitor KP Law. 
 
To ensure the validity of the votes and conduct of the election, the joint convention will reconvene and formally confirm the selection of Grimes and Moriarty.
 
"I apologize for the inconvenience of having to reconvene," the mayor said in a statement. "My intention in using a ballot was to address concerns raised following our previous convention, when some members expressed discomfort with publicly voting for or against individual candidates. 
 
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