February 27, 2008

Fresno Chamber Fights for Business

Announces its 2008 Legislative Priorities for Fresno Businesses

 

Each year, the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Council develops its legislative priorities. Each of the legislative priorities serve as the foundation for the Fresno Chamber's continuing effort to improve the regional business climate.

 

ADA Lawsuit Abuse
 

Support reforms that help businesses comply with the access requirements in the American Disabilities Act (ADA).

Support measures that reduce frivolous ADA lawsuits on businesses.

Air Quality

Support measures that promote a voluntary market-based air quality programs (i.e. grants, emissions trading, tax incentives and vehicle scrappage).

Provide recommendations that offset the cost of imposing more expensive measures on both mobile and stationary sources

Support alternative energy measures that give businesses reasonable choices.

Support development of infrastructure for distribution and use of alternative fuels,

City and County Budget

Participate in the City and County budget process as it pertains to business, resource issues, and finding alternatives to increasing fines, penalties and fees for business.
 

Review, evaluate and make recommendations to City and County budgets to ensure that spending levels do not increase revenues, promote use of five year plans with revenue and spending projections.
 

Oppose tax increases, especially in the areas of sales tax and business utility taxes until there is a satisfactory display of efficiencies.

Monitor City and County efforts to consolidate services.

Monitor the continuing implementation of the General Plans.

Review, evaluate and make recommendations regarding employee compensation salary and benefit packages.

Class Action Fairness

Provide recommendations and monitor reforms of the state class action system to ensure timely compensation for plaintiffs when real harm is demonstrated and offer protection against the frivolous lawsuits.

Economic Development

Support private enterprise and development projects that enhance economic development

Support small and/or disadvantaged business assistance programs

Monitor general plan updates to ensure they comply with the image of the greater Fresno area.

Support policies that support tourism and enhance the city’s image

Monitor and support efforts to revitalize the downtown Fresno triangle

Monitor any amendments to the general plan and make recommendations

Tourism

Support a stronger relationship between the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation serving (EDC) and the City and County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) to advertise and enhance the image of the Fresno region.

Support the creation of an enhanced program to market local businesses to convention attendees.

Support efforts to increase funding for the Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote tourism and to recruit conventions to our community.

Education

Support an educational system that prepares people for jobs and careers including supporting career path development beginning in middle school.

Support programs encouraging or enabling internships for young adults.

Support and promote programs that provide incentives for local companies to hire vocational students.

Support and promote vocational programs at the high school and post-secondary levels.

Eminent Domain

Advocate that redevelopment agencies strictly follow the requirements of law in analyzing and utilizing eminent domain.

Support private property rights and the use of eminent domain as a last resort.

Monitor the use of eminent domain on a case-by-case basis.

Energy

Support policies that include coordinating grid management with other Western States.

Support market reform with policies that enable and encourage investments in new generation by utility and non-utility participants in order to assure adequate supply and capacity.

Support measures that initiate the full cost recovery for utilities to ensure utilities are fiscally sound and not at risk of bankruptcy.

Support measures that invest in new transmission and transmission upgrades.

Support policies that are dedicated to load reduction.

Support measures that lower the price of energy paid by customers.

Support exploration of energy alternatives and the use of renewable energy.

Government-Mandated Wages

Support free market determination of wages for all employees.

Support unbundling exempt salaries from minimum wage increases and any automatic escalation of wages tied to the cost of living indexes.

Support elimination of daily overtime and promote return to a weekly overtime standard.

Support considering tips in calculating minimum wages.

Support flexibility for employers and employees to mutually set meal and break periods and a flexible workweek.

Oppose local living wage ordinances.

Health Care

Oppose measures that create a mandatory, tax-funded, government-operated health insurance programs.

Oppose employer-mandated health coverage and work to preserve the current voluntary employer-provided health care coverage system.

Support legislation that allows employers to offer a minimum benefit plan, enabling small employers and their employees to buy health care coverage at a more affordable price.

Support measures that implement a moratorium on benefit mandates.

Support measures that streamline government regulations to increase efficiency and reduce overall administrative burdens.

Monitor state funding for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to providers of health care and fight future attempts to further cut current reimbursement rates.

Support measures that promote wellness and disease management education programs.

Oppose measures that place unfunded mandates on hospitals.

Immigration

The Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce will support legislative action that:

Creates a guest worker program that is comprehensive, addressing both future economic needs for workers and the status of undocumented workers already in the United States and includes a proper process in which to keep track.

Strengthens national security by providing for thorough screening of foreign workers and creating strong disincentives for illegal immigration.

Creates an employment verification system that is fast and reliable for employers and those seeking employment.

Ensures that all workers enjoy the same labor law protections. Only by bringing undocumented workers out of the shadows can we protect them from unscrupulous employers who might exploit them.

Ensure all individuals trying to become permanent residents/citizens can demonstrate knowledge of the English language and American civic requirements.

Land Use/Development

Monitor recommendations that increase the supply of housing to meet the state’s housing needs and support policies that minimize the cost of development.

Support building standards that minimize air pollution, energy use and water consumption.

Support subdivision standards that conform to the policies of Landscape of Choice.

Support policies that promote affordable housing.

Support policies that promote future land development to achieve the greater Fresno area’s business attraction and retention.

Support policies that ensure a regional balance of employment and housing needs with natural resource and agricultural land preservation.

Support land use, planning, housing and zoning issues that encourage and promote business development in the greater Fresno area business community.

Support provisions to preserve prime agricultural land so the County’s largest industry remains viable.
 

Monitor policies that impact the greater Fresno area development fees to ensure economic vitality.
 

Support policies that limit new unscheduled development impact fees

Paid Family Leave
 

Support measures that reduce the confusion and conflicts between current state and federal leave laws and the new paid family leave program to the maximum extent possible.

Review proposals to suspend the states new paid family leave law and to have an auditor review the plans for funding the program to ensure the actual costs of the program are covered.

Support policies that enact a small employer exemption from the Family Temporary Disability Insurance (FTDI) program.

Political Action/Campaign Financing

Support Chamber programs to identify, recruit and educate candidates for local offices, without regard to political affiliation.

Support efforts to make California elections more competitive by reforming the highly politicized process of drawing legislative and congressional districts.

Oppose policies that spend taxpayer dollars on political campaigns.

Oppose policies that assess a tax or other fees on businesses to fund political campaigns.

State Budget

Monitor and provide state budget recommendations ensuring a healthy economy, government efficiency, require fiscal responsibility, and make California competitive.

Generally oppose new programs/plans and enhancement of existing programs/plans/benefits that do not have reasonable funding sources or that will result in increased taxes.

Telecommunications

Continue monitoring recommendations to policymakers and telecommunications providers and regulators to continue examination of telecommunications regulations, structure, and developments in California’s marketplace.

Transportation

Support measures that provide solutions that repair the local, regional and state transportation infrastructure.

Support the development of transportation infrastructure to accommodate future economic and population growth.

Provide input on the prioritization of Measure C projects in an effort to address high priority projects and maximize the leveraging of funds where applicable.
 

Airport

Monitor the economic impact of fee increases at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

Support policies that maintain the necessary expansion and maintenance of an inspection facility at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

Support increase of all carriers.

High Speed Rail

Support a High-Speed Rail Train System concept for intercity travel in California.

Highway 99

Support and monitor efforts to achieve interstate designation for Highway 99

Unemployment Insurance

Monitor recommendations that address the UI Trust Fund’s solvency crises and stimulates the economy.

Support measures implementing structural reforms to the UI system to help offset higher employer UI taxes caused by the recent enactment of multi-year UI benefit increases.

Unfair Competition Law

Support reform measures that rein in predatory legal practices. Support policies that protect businesses and consumers from unfair business practices.

Water

Support measures that include the elements of the water policy as adopted by the Board of Directors in January of 2007.

Workers Compensation

Oppose changes that reverse the workers compensation act of 2004.

Support workers’ compensation reform measures to reduce financial impact to business.

Contact Amy Huerta, the Chamber's Government Affairs Manager for more information at (559) 495-4818 or ahuerta@fresnochamber.com