Policy Clearinghouse

Stop Hugging Elected Officials. Start Holding Them Accountable

Publishing a vote record on your elected officials is one of the most important tools a chamber government affairs program can provide the business community. Your chamber's vote record is the only public link between your position on proposed laws and how your elected officials voted on those potential laws.

If you do not keep a vote record, you are not holding your elected officials accountable for their votes and how those votes impact the businesses you represent.

Most people think raising money and playing politics is an elected official's job. Not true. Elected officials have one primary responsibility: to vote. Your chamber, therefore, has a responsibility to hold elected officials accountable to your business community by comparing their votes with your positions.

Many other organizations hold the same elected officials accountable to the people they represent, maybe that is why they get more of what they want and you get less of what you want.

- Shaun Lumachi, President, Chamber Advocacy

For more information about Chamber Advocacy, click HERE.

Chamber Government Affairs Programs that Work

Each year, at every level of government, policy is enacted that affects the business community. As the representative of the business community, chambers of commerce are responsible for having an active voice in the creation and implementation of such policy. Ask yourself this question: was our chamber at the table? You must answer affirmatively.

It is incumbent upon a chamber of commerce to have an active and effective government affairs program to add value to membership.  Moreover, it is imperative that a chamber of commerce drive policy, not simply watch as policy is created. 

There are four fundamentals to creating a program that will bring the necessary level of advocacy to your chamber.  They are:

1. Local, regional, statewide, and national public policy development.  Having a well developed policy platform from which to advocate is crucial to effectively driving public policy.
2. Actively track issues that impact you membership. Creating a system to follow every development regarding pertinent policy issues is paramount.
3. Expand your reputation as a respected advocate.  By establishing a policy platform and actively monitoring the issues affecting your membership  your presence in the community will be heightened.  Become the “expert” on issues.
4. Creating a membership that is aware of how the political process impacts their business.  Communication with your membership is vital to the success of your program.

An effective government affairs program should motivate your members to engage in the political process and impact issues, legislation and elections. Creating grassroots activism is the goal for any program. To educate and mobilize your grassroots base, each of the preceding fundamentals are vital.

“Government affairs,” “policy platform,” and “grassroots advocacy” may not be the sexy buzz words that typically motivate your membership.  They are, however, the key to protecting your member’s from onerous policy that could directly impact their ability to grow their business and create jobs.

- Shaun Lumachi, President, Chamber Advocacy

For more information about Chamber Advocacy click HERE.

2007 Business Tax Estimates

ACCE recently posted an interesting comparison study on the state and local taxes businesses paid in 2007.  The study includes comparative data from all 50 states and also includes information on the amount of tax paid related to the level of service provided.

This useful study was produced by Ernst and Young in cooperation with The Council on State Taxation (COST).  It is available for download by ACCE members on PolicyClearinghouse.org.

ACCE members, click HERE to link to this valuable research.

Environmental Issue Jam Today!

The Environmental Issue Jam is today at 1pm eastern.

Our featured guest speaker is Katie Klaber from the Allegheny Conference, and we are expecting a lively discussion among the call participants.

To post comments or questions about today's Issue Jam topic, click HERE to go to the Environmental Issue Jam blog page.

The Future of Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Efforts

Nearly five centuries ago, the political philosopher Machiavelli said, "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."

Even five centuries later it is still a difficult and uncertain task to introduce a new thing.   For some chambers of commerce, adopting an effective advocacy program is a new thing, fraught with difficulty and uncertainty.

However, I believe that the future calls for chambers to be the very best at representing their member’s interests with government. That demands an unprecedented investment of time and effort by chambers in implementing a government affairs program or taking their current program to an even higher level.

As President of Chamber Advocacy, a professional firm that builds government affairs programs, I am fortunate to be part of award-winning advocacy programs that serve as a model in our industry. That model is based upon a belief that chambers of commerce must build advocacy programs that empower their membership and increase their relevance in public policy discussions and decision-making.

To that end, I believe that an effective government affairs program is founded on four basic principles:

1. Tracking pertinent local and state legislation and issuing vote records on local elected officials as it relates to business.

2. Fostering grassroots involvement, from the board to the government affairs council, to develop and advocate the chamber's priorities.

3. Staff must serve as an advocacy resource for the chamber's membership always willing to represent the business point of view from city hall all the way to the halls of the statehouse.

4. Constant maintenance of communication strategies such as a Web site solely dedicated to advocacy efforts and the commitment of the entire front page of the chamber's newsletter to advocacy in every edition, all year long.

To learn more about the four principles of effective government affairs programs and get ideas and advice for how to energize your advocacy, look for my posts on the ACCE Policy Clearinghouse Blog.  Also, feel free to log in and post questions about your government affairs program.

- Shaun Lumachi

For more information about Chamber Advocacy click HERE.

Maryland Repeals Tech Tax

In a big win for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and the Technology Council of Maryland, the Maryland General Assembly repealed the "Tech Tax" passed during a special legislative session last November.

Regular Clearinghouse Blog readers may remember that the Computer Service Sales Tax (Tech Tax) was a 6% sales tax on IT services such as custom programing, data processing, and system design.  Had the tax stood, many highly mobile IT companies may have left Maryland for neighboring states to escape the tax and keep their services competitive with others in the market.

Go to PolicyClearinghouse.org for background information on Maryland's Computer Services Sales Tax, or visit www.fightthetechtax.com.

Land use decision appeals in Maryland

A state law in Maryland may force counties to amend their land use decision appeals process.  At issue is who has "standing" to challenge a local zoning decision in municipal court.

Maryland HB 246 would force counties to offer "standing" to an aggrieved party and to any taxpayer.  In most counties the appeals process for land use decisions mandates that an appeal can only come from an aggrieved party.  An aggrieved party typically must be able to prove that the decision in question caused them particular harm above the general public impact.

By offering "standing" to any taxpayer, the state is undermining the defined land use decision making process which already includes opportunities for public input.  Some business leaders in Maryland fear that new development projects may be held up in courts for months by individuals who oppose all new development.

Click HERE to read the Maryland Chamber's position on HB 246.

Thanks to Pamela Klahr, CCE at the Howard County (MD) Chamber for alerting us about this important piece of legislation.

Environmental Regulation Issue Jam - April, 22

Registration is open for the Environmental Regulation Issue Jam on April, 22.  Registration is only $25 for ACCE members, so if you haven't signed up, click HERE to get on the call.

Issue Jams are a new format of ACCE DIALogue teleseminar.  During an Issue Jam a guest presenter provides an overview of the latest state and local trends in a particular policy area.  Following the brief presentation, we open lines for everyone to join the discussion and share their own experience.

Kathryn Klaber, Executive Vice President of Competitiveness at the Allegheny Partnership will lead the Environmental Regulation Issue Jam.  Kathryn has an extensive background in helping companies work through issues like air quality compliance, Brownfields redevelopment, accidental release preparedness, and myriad of other environmental projects.

Issue Jams are a forum for shared learning, so come prepared to share your perspective and local experience.  Click HERE to register today and take advantage of our special ACCE member rate of $25.

Alabama Getting In on the Immigration Crackdown

Today the Montgomery Advertiser reported:

"An Alabama House commit­tee approved eight bills Thurs­day aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants in Alabama, including one to revoke the li­cense of any business that know­ingly hires illegal immigrants.

Other bills approved by the House Judiciary Committee would make it a crime to trans­port illegal immigrants into the state and impound the vehicle if a driver can't prove he or she is a legal citizen.

The committee turned down two immigration bills, includ­ing one that would have re­quired all workers in the state to have an identification card."

Click HERE for the full article.

If the bills pass, Alabama will join the growing ranks of states, including Arizona and Oklahoma, to pass stringent immigration laws that impact businesses.

A quick scan of headlines from the past few days reveals how prominent the immigration issue continues to be in states all across the country.  Arrests of undocumented immigrants by local and federal officials are making headlines in the:

• Cleveland Plain Dealer (March 29, 2008)
• Lincoln, Nebraska Journal-Star (March 29, 2008)
• Dallas Morning News (March 30, 2008)

For more information about state and local immigration policy developments, visit PolicyClearinghouse.org.

Part-Time Legislature Proposals in Michigan

Three separate ballot initiative proposals currently collecting signatures in Michigan seek to drastically alter the way the state legislature operates.  Two would make the state legislature a part-time body and one calls for proportional representation in Senate.

Michigan is one of only 11 states with a full time legislature, and, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, ranks with California, New York, and Pennsylvania for the most active state legislatures in terms of on-the-job time, salary, and staff.

To read more about the proposals in Michigan, check out this post from the National Conference of State Legislatures' blog, The Thicket.