Good morning,

The state's annual Sales Tax Holiday is taking place this Saturday and Sunday. Here's what businesses need to know:

• Only retail items under $2,500 purchased for personal use are exempt from the sales tax.
  
• Excluded items include meals, motor vehicles, gasoline, electricity, tobacco products, cannabis and alcohol.
  
• The exemption applies to online sales, participation is mandatory for eligible retailers, and certain rentals also qualify. 

Read the Department of Revenue’s extensive list of rules for more information. 

Here's to a busy weekend! 

Want to live longer? Go to a museum or a performance 

Visitors at the Davis Museum on the Wellesley College campus

If you've spent any time on social media lately, you've probably seen people chasing longevity through wearable devices, supplement stacks and endless health metrics.

How about visiting a museum, seeing a concert or taking a dance class?

New research from University College London suggests the arts may be one of the best things you can do for healthy aging. The study found that people who regularly engaged in arts and cultural activities aged more slowly at the biological level.

It's the first study to link arts engagement with measurable changes in epigenetic aging, reports The Wall Street Journal's Dr. Samantha Boardman.

Boardman, a clinical psychiatrist, highlighted several examples of patients who experienced meaningful improvements in mood, energy and overall well-being after making arts and culture a regular part of their lives—whether it was visiting the New York Met or signing up for ballroom dancing later in life.

Researchers say the benefits likely come from a combination of reduced stress, social connection, mental stimulation and the simple joy of experiencing something beautiful.

Fortunately, you don't have to travel to the Met or even downtown Boston.

Our five Charles River Regional Chamber communities are home to more than 700 arts and cultural organizations, from museums and theaters to galleries, music venues and community arts groups, according to the Mass Cultural Council

Many are chamber members. Click here to explore their offerings and maybe even add a few years to your life.

Employers gain new protections under immigration bill

Amid a renewed round of federal immigration enforcement, Beacon Hill has advanced its strongest response yet. 

Last week, lawmakers sent the PROTECT Act to Gov. Maura Healey, where it now awaits her signature.

The bill makes a number of changes aimed at limiting local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement and expanding legal protections for immigrants. But it also includes several provisions employers should know about.

Most notably, employers who receive advance notice of a federal immigration inspection would now be required to notify employees within 48 hours of receiving that notice. This protection extends to certain I-9 audits and was something we advocated for earlier this year.

The same bill designates hospitals, schools, child care centers and courthouses as "sensitive locations." Employers that operate these facilities would receive new legal protections against warrantless immigration enforcement actions at their workplaces.

Finally, the legislation directs the state to publish guidance for businesses on responding to immigration enforcement actions, giving employers clearer direction on their rights and responsibilities.

Is Brookline too bright? 

Photo Credit: Joann Vitali

A new proposal bound for Brookline's Fall Town Meeting could dim the lights.

The effort, spearheaded by a citizens' committee formed at Town Meeting's direction, aims to regulate so-called “nuisance lighting.” 

Their draft bylaw would generally limit outdoor lighting to 3,000 Kelvin and require most lights to be turned off by 11 p.m. or a half-hour after a business closes, whichever is later.

While the rules would be enforced primarily on a complaint basis, they could still require businesses to replace existing lighting over time. A town memo acknowledges "there is still a question of logistics, and affordability, where business feedback is required to gain a better understanding of the implementation and cost of making these changes." 

We agree and hope that, as the bylaw is shaped by the town’s various committees, local business impacts remain top of mind.

The first of those meetings happened last night, when the town’s Economic Development Advisory Board discussed the draft regulations. If you're a Brookline business owner, we want to hear how these proposed changes could affect your business.

Tuesday grab bag

• The MBTA will suspend Green Line C Branch service from Aug. 8-16, with shuttle buses replacing trains while crews continue accessibility improvements along Beacon Street. Details
  
• Panera Bread’s new global HQ in Weston will be at a BXP office building at 133 Boston Post Road, according to the Weston Observer. Panera will occupy 101,933 SF on the fourth floor and, concurrent with the move, will be leaving its offices in West Newton.
  
  
• The League of Women Voters is hosting a candidate forum for the Norfolk County District Attorney race on Wednesday, August 12, at 4 pm, ahead of the September 1 state primary (voters in Needham, Wellesley and Brookline will cast ballots). Registration is required to join the Zoom audience; you can also watch live on The Needham Channel. 
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• Vendor registration for Watertown’s annual Faire on the Square closes on Aug. 28. This year’s event is on Sept. 19 at Saltonstall Park.
  
  
• The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority is launching a redesigned bus network on Sept. 8. Changes include a new route numbering system, two-way service on many routes, expanded service in select areas, easier connections, and more frequent service. 
• 
  
• The 3-mile ALS Walk for Research, Aug. 30, benefits vital ALS research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), a nonprofit biotech founded in Newton. Register.
• 
  
• Exhibitor applications are now open for the Needham Harvest Fair, taking place Sunday, October 4. Businesses and organizations looking to connect with the community and share what they offer can apply now.
  
• Wellesley may soon become the latest of our communities to welcome Wonder, the rapidly expanding food hall concept. The company has filed plans for Linden Square, joining locations in Newton and Watertown, while the Brookline location will open in September. Swellesley Report
  
• Newton-based chamber member Cradles to Crayons Boston expects to distribute 70,000 backpacks filled with school supplies and clothing this August as rising back-to-school costs continue to strain family budgets. (WBUR)
  
• Needham-based Onyx Properties is taking another run at buying most of JCPenney's remaining real estate portfolio, offering $934 million for 117 stores after last year's deal fell apart. The growing real estate firm is also preparing to move its offices into the renovated former Do-It-Yourself building in Needham. (BBJ)

Lawn gets cold shoulder from colleagues

Is Watertown state Rep. John Lawn on the outs with House leaders?

State House News reporter Alison Kuznitz reports that Lawn, co-chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, was not picked to participate in primary care reform conference committee talks, nor did he deliver remarks on the floor last week in support of one of the session’s closest-watched pieces of legislation.

That defies “the expected assignment” and suggests “some tension in House leadership ranks,” Kuznitz writes.

“Aides to [House Speaker] Ron Mariano and Lawn did not answer News Service questions about why the Watertown Democrat did not give remarks on the major healthcare bill,” she added.

On the other hand — Lawn, who is in a re-election fight against Newton City Councilor Alison Leary — has just been endorsed by Gov. Maura Healey.

Watch the video from our recent debate here. 

Mind the gates 

As of yesterday, Needham commuter rail riders must tap in and tap out at the new fare gates at Ruggles Station.

The installation of fare gates at major commuter rail stations is part of the agency's effort to reduce fare evasion and increase revenue. With Ruggles now complete, Needham commuters heading to the Longwood Medical Area and Northeastern now join riders using South Station in passing through fare gates. 

Back Bay is scheduled to get its gates early next year, meaning every major downtown station serving our chamber communities will soon have gated fare collection.

But you can still sneak a ride on the Green Line for free.

That's what you need to know for today. Unless you need to know that 122 years ago this month, the 1904 Olympic marathon was won by a man who drank rat poison mid-race.

Max Woolf (he, him)

Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager

Charles River Regional Chamber

617-431-6101

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