The Board of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce approved the 2012 Legislative Agenda on Wednesday, March 28 (scroll to bottom to see agenda). This marked the end of a long and diligent process of the Chamber to identify the legislative priorities and needs of Western North Carolina’s business community.
The legislative agenda process began with a survey of businesses across the region. For the first time the Asheville Chamber partnered with five other chamber’s (Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber, Henderson County Chamber, Haywood County Chamber, Madison County Chamber, and Transylvania County Chamber) to get a clear picture of the legislative needs from across the region. From the survey, it was clear that membership priorities revolved around tax reform, education funding, and regulatory reform.
Following the survey, the Chamber convened the Governmental Affairs Task Force for three meetings to hear from community presenters and learn about Asheville’s legislative needs. The group heard from Buncombe County Schools, Mission Hospital, UNC Asheville, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, Senator Burr, Asheville Downtown Association, and Mountain Housing Opportunities.
The Task Force was able to use the survey and community presentations to identify the needs of Chamber business members and create a draft agenda. This agenda then went before the Chamber’s Executive Leadership Committee and finally the Chamber Board for revision and approval.
The Chamber will now begin work to advocate on member’s key priorities. This will take place at the upcoming Legislative Luncheon on April 20 when the agenda will be presented to state legislatures and on the ground in Raleigh during the Short Session. Finally, the Chamber will be taking a group of business leaders to Raleigh and Washington, D.C. to meet with our legislative leadership and convey WNC’s needs.
Click here to learn more and register for the Legislative Luncheon.
The Chamber is eager to represent your business. If you have questions or comments please contact Jeff Joyce at jjoyce@ashevillechamber.org.
2012 State Top Priorities
Job Creation
• Support programs and state legislation to help all businesses, irrespective of size, to create and maintain jobs, including tax incentive strategies, grants and an expand the small business preference for companies seeking contracts with the state
• Supports the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as a sovereign nation that has determined what is in the best interest of its citizens, in their efforts to amend their Tribal Gaming Compact with the State of North Carolina to permit live dealers at their gaming tables. (Approved by Chamber Board October 10-21-11) Encourage leadership to move forward with a live gaming agreement and address the agreement during the Short Session.
Regulatory Reform
• Protect and attract jobs through continued regulatory reform. The Chamber encourages the balance of environmental protection with job creation by streamlining and making the regulatory process more transparent.
Tax Reform/Fiscal Issues
• Support tax reform efforts resulting in “across the board” tax rate reductions- broadening the tax base to help lower rates for businesses and individuals; eliminating special tax breaks, simplify compliance, and ensure no specific industry is targeted
• Examine the Unemployment Trust Fund. NC currently owes $2.6 billion to the federal government. The Chamber encourages the creation of a solution that addresses sustainability and solvency.
Education/Workforce
• Support early education; more flexibility for local school boards and community colleges to make decisions on innovative programs, lottery funds, and budget decisions; and restoring to the University of North Carolina System the management flexibility needed to manage budget reductions and to retain and recruit university employees.
2012 State Agenda
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• Support programs and state legislation to help all businesses, irrespective of size, to create and maintain jobs, including tax incentive strategies, grants and an expand the small business preference for companies seeking contracts with the state
• Supports the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as a sovereign nation that has determined what is in the best interest of its citizens, in their efforts to amend their Tribal Gaming Compact with the State of North Carolina to permit live dealers at their gaming tables. (Approved by Chamber Board October 10-21-11) Encourage leadership to move forward with a live gaming agreement and address the agreement during the Short Session.
• Oppose efforts to erode NC’s Right-to-work laws
EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
• Support early education; more flexibility for local school boards and community colleges to make decisions on innovative programs, lottery funds, and budget decisions; and restoring to the University of North Carolina System the management flexibility needed to manage budget reductions and to retain and recruit university employees.
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
• Request the completion of the I-26 Connector Project, including aesthetics design components
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
• Support incentives and programs to enhance green building and energy conservation efforts
FISCAL ISSUES
• Support tax reform efforts resulting in “across the board” tax rate reductions- broadening the tax base to help lower rates for businesses and individuals; eliminating special tax breaks, simplify compliance, and ensure no specific industry is targeted
HEALTHCARE
• Support legislation that reforms Medicaid without loss of benefit or cost shifting to business
• Support improved access for patients and fair payment for providers, including mental health services
2012 Federal Priorities
1. Tax Reform & Job Creation
• Encourage pro-growth tax policies that preserve American’s global competiveness and support businesses’ ability to grow, invest and create jobs. Broaden the tax base to help lower rates for individuals and corporations, eliminate special tax breaks, simplify compliance, and ensure no specific industry is targeted
• Support state efforts to provide incentives and job training to attract and grow jobs, including more directed support to community colleges for workforce training and education
• Support programs and state legislation to help all businesses, irrespective of size, to create and maintain jobs, including tax incentive strategies and grants
• Support the critical infrastructure needs of the Blue Ridge Parkway to maintain this key economic development driver in the region
2. Energy/Alternative Energy and Regulations
• Encourage pro-growth energy action that increases diverse energy supplies, supports the development of alternative fuels, reduces the cost of energy, improves efficiency, and promotes environmental stewardship while putting Americans back to work.
• Ensure that the EPA evaluates economic impact and job loss in its regulations, as is currently required by all major environment laws
• Support efforts by Congress to craft comprehensive environmental legislation which reduces greenhouse gas emissions
and protects our economic competitiveness and quality of life. We recognize that members of Congress are held accountable to constituents for decisions on cost and impact and federal agencies such as the EPA do not have the same accountability for economic consequences
3. Education Funding
• Provide more directed support to community colleges for workforce training and education
• Strengthen the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and other key programs
• Preserve the current maximum Pell Grant award for qualified students
• Preserve current funding levels for research grants and contracts with universities
• Improve the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps; support special emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), U.S. history and economics, investment in school improvement, and encourage innovation.
4. Healthcare
• Preserve and enhance funding for medical research for NIH (National Institute of Health), CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention), and AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) to promote associated economic development in WNC. Expand the number of Graduate Medical Education residency slots available to NC to address growing physician shortages; protect healthcare providers from arbitrary payment reductions that result in cost shift.
• Encourage business involvement during the development, implementation and administration of the federally mandated NC Health Benefit Exchange for individuals and small businesses.
5. Transportation
• Support multi-year legislation to provide long-term funding for states to undertake major infrastructure projects. We appreciate the Senate’s passage of MAP-21 (S 1813) , a two-year, $109 billion reauthorization bill that also makes reforms to eliminate inefficiencies and infuses $1 billion to boost the Department of Transportation’s innovative transportation program (road and bridge improvements transit upgrades; freight, port and rail expansions; and new options for bicyclists and pedestrians) We encourage the US House to pass companion legislation to avoid shutdown of highway and transit programs when SAFETEA-LU expires on March 31, 2012.