BUSINESS BRIEFS: Hot to Trot, Soc. Wkr Licensing, New Energy Board, and more

SPONSOR OF Business Briefs in the Franklin Observer

The chamber serves the communities of Bellingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Milford, Mendon, Millis, and Upton. More information is available at https://www.tricountychamberma.org

Hot to Trot 5K

Join Tri-County Chamber for the Annual Hot to Trot 5k on Saturday, July 27, 2024. This race grows bigger each year, so don’t miss out on all the fun. It’s a mostly flat family-friendly course, a perfect route for seasoned runners looking to PR, for the casual runner that’s in no rush, and for the entire family to take a walk before the day gets too hot! Every registrant will receive a cool performance-wicking t-shirt, breakfast, and maybe even a medal? Awards are given out to top runners, but the biggest hit of the day is our awesome t-shirts! In order to be guaranteed a t-shirt in your preferred size register by Monday, July 12th.

ASWB Opposes Eliminating the Social Worker Licensing Exam

The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) strongly opposes the Amendment #275 to House Bill 4789 passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives that seeks to eliminate the licensing examination requirement for Licensed Certified Social Workers. While we believe this is a well-intentioned effort to support social workers with better investment, removing a competence measure threatens to undermine and compromise the quality of care provided to a countless number of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents every day by social workers. We believe there are many ways to support social workers and licensure candidates while not reducing professional standards.

Gov. Announces new Energy Advisory Board

The Healey-Driscoll Administration has announced the formation of the Energy Transformation Advisory Board to advise and guide the state in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. The Advisory Board will include a broad range of stakeholders, including labor, business, finance, environmental justice advocates, utilities, technology providers, building owners, developers, and generators, among others. This group will advise the newly established Office of Energy Transformation (OET), which is charged with affordably, equitably, and responsibly accelerating the gas-to-electric transition and readying the electric grid to meet the state’s climate and clean energy mandates. OET also announced today its first three priority focus areas: transitioning away from the Everett Marine Terminal liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, decarbonizing how we meet peak electric demand, and establishing alternative mechanisms to finance the clean energy transition.

The Heat is On for Employers

The Biden Administration has announced first-of-their-kind regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect millions of American workers exposed to dangerous heat on the job. Sunrise has been urging OSHA to update these standards as part of the Climate Emergency Campaign. The OSHA regulations would require employers to monitor workers and provide rest areas with shade and water. Additionally, the regulations would require employers to create heat safety plans, establish heat safety coordinators, and undergo extreme heat safety training. These regulations would provide protections for an estimated 35 million workers.