This is the last week to hear bills, and we are nearing the 100-day statutory deadline. The last few sessions have bypassed this deadline and continued to work into early May.
This week is the last week to hear bills in committees, except for Appropriations which has one extra week. Budget discussions will be fully underway in hopes of agreeing with the Legislature and the Governor's Office. Sine Die, or the last day of the session, will occur shortly after that as the Legislature moves its last few bills through each chamber and up to the Governor's desk for a signature or veto.
Several large issues are still outstanding this session including distracted driving, peer-to-peer car rentals, and various tax items including conformity, digital goods and services, and data centers.
The West Valley Chamber of Alliance (WVCA), includes five other chambers and has supported over 18 high priority bills and have another 16 bills on our watch list. The Chamber CEO's meet with our lobbyist weekly during the legislative session to discuss strategy and appropriate actions that may need to be taken to help support certain bills.
Last year legislation passed allowing for Association Health Plans. This legislation would have allowed organizations like the Chamber, to help small businesses and working owners to band together and purchase coverage through "association health plans," or "AHPs," these companies would then be able to enjoy health coverage in the large-group market, which offers a variety of quality options at more affordable prices. This Chamber as well as others around the state,have been moving forward in setting up plans for its members.
Last week the federal courts invalidated a the Rule On Association Health Plans. For now, the final rule's major provisions have been set aside, and the rule has been remanded back to the Department of Labor.
Raoul Sada, President and CEO of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce said "This case raises an issue of significant importance to our members and to all small businesses. We all know about the rising cost of health insurance premiums. Giving small businesses the opportunity to band together and purchase insurance in bulk, will drive down costs and get millions of Americans better and more affordable coverage. This is a win-win for businesses and hardworking employees! Giving more affordable health insurance options for Arizonan's, is good for the economy and our quality of life."
The West Valley Caucus (WVC) had a meeting in March to learn about Free Trade Zones and the significant impact they can have in the future growth of the west valley.
The WVC is a bipartisan group of legislators, mayors, and chambers of commerce CEO's that was recently created to understand the issues impacting our area and bring solutions and support for our economic growth and vitality of the region.
A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be landed, stored, handled, manufactured or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to customs duty. The FTZ allows Federal Taxes and Fees to be lowered, eliminated, or exempt from payment. In Arizona, state taxes are also lowered. FTZ will have a significant impact on the future growth of the West Valley.
For more information about FTZ attend the Chamber's Convener Event for community leaders and stakeholders this October. Go to the Chamber's Calendar of events to register today! www.SurpriseRegionalChamber.com.
The Chamber's new Chair of the Board for 2019 is Chance Mikos, owner of Mikos Insurance Group LLC, who succeeds Scott Phillips of Carefree Partners. The change was effective on January 1, 2019.
Raoul Sada, President, and CEO of the Chamber,said "We are so pleased to have Mr. Mikos in this key position. He has a formidable dedication to our mission which is to champion economic prosperity, foster a pro-business climate, and to improve the quality of life in our region".
Mr. Mikos was critical in re-branding the Chamber in 2018, and is champion for the Chamber's emerging role as the "voice of the business community." said Mr. Sada.
Mr. Mikos is an exceptional and principled leader, and will set a clear 'tone from the top' about the chamber's role as a Catalyst for business growth, a Convener for leaders and influencers, and the Champion for stronger communities, said Sada. We are privileged to have the experience and insights of this extraordinary leader, and we look forward to Chances stewardship of our mission".
The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Fennimore Craig and several other chambers to represent the collective interests of businesses in the West Valley on public policy issues.
"This is a big step forward when it comes to promoting pro-business legislation," said Raoul Sada, President, and CEO of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce."
"Many business owners don't have time to attend our events and participate in our programs, so they appreciated and take comfort in knowing the Chamber is working diligently on their behalf to protect businesses and entrepreneurs from undue government interference and that we are supporting pro-business policies"said Mr. Sada.
The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted the last joint appearance Debbie Lesko and Hiral Tipirneni! The fireside chat format afforded some very healthy insights into both candidates and outlined their sharply different views on health care, gun violence, and the recently enacted federal tax cuts. Republican Debbie Lesko went on to the seat for the 8th Congressional District in the special elections that took place on April 24, replacing former Rep. Trent Franks. Lesko and Tiperinie will face off again in the Fall, so be sure to attend the next Chamber forum!
Chambers once a year unite to ensure that lawmakers know us, hear us, and respond to us. And that takes a strong showing of the chamber community. On March 1, over one hundred Chamber Executives and board members, from across the state stand united and create an open dialogue between legislators and business leaders to continue to build a better Arizona business community.
The day includes a full schedule of legislative meetings, updates for key elected officials with networking luncheon with state representatives. Sada said. "On Thursday, we heard a presentation from the Senate president, Steve Yarbrough and then Gov. (Doug) Ducey spoke for 15-20 minutes about things that he's carried out over the past year and things that he is looking at for the coming year, all business related. Senator Rick Gray joined the Surprise Regional delegation for lunch and facilitated introductions with other key legislators.
Mr. Sada stated "one of the most valuable, and often overlooked functions of a chamber is an advocate for the business community. The Chamber works to represent the collective voice of the business community. Whether it's setting legislative goals, sending out Action Alerts or keeping voters informed through our forums, the goal is ensuring an environment where business can prosper".
The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce took home some great honors at this year's international conference for Chamber executives and CEO's!
The Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) is the premier organization for education and professional development for chamber executives and represents over 800 chamber professionals in Western states and Canada. This year the Surprise Regional Chamber received acclaim for its Shop Surprise digital text marketing program.
In addition to being innovative, all finalist had to demonstrate they were what is called a "3 C" Chamber (Catalyst for business growth, Convener for leaders and influencers, Champion for stronger communities). To win, all programs were judged on ease of implementation, creativity, return on investment, economic impact and needed to have measurable outcomes.
Scott Phillip, Chair of the Board for the Chamber said, "At its core the Shop Surprise is a digital buy local campaign designed to educate consumers about the economic and social advantages that local businesses bring to a community". The unique characteristic of the program was its digital text marketing outreach efforts. The program involved 150 business, delivered 283,583 digital messages to over 2,000 smart phones.
"Shop local campaigns are an effective tool used to help retain and expand existing businesses in Surprise" said Raoul Sada, President and CEO of the Chamber. Mr. sada further stated that shop local campaigns are typically less costly and time intensive than recruiting new businesses. Secondly, most of all job growth in a community comes from existing businesses vs. new business relocates, making this type of programs very cost effective.
The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce has a new partnership with all the all the DECA Clubs of the Dysart Unified School District. This arrangement is a natural extension of the partnership that was forged with Career and Technical Education Internship program with Dysart Unified School District.
Raoul Sada, President and CEO of the Chamber said "This new partnership is a strategic investment in our youth and serves to connect education to workforce development. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools throughout our region. This is a natural fit for chambers."
DECA's Comprehensive Learning Program integrates into classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition. DECA prepares the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, experienced leaders.
Each DECA club receives a complimentary membership to the Chamber; students are encouraged to participate in Chamber activities and programs.
The Chamber will help promote the resources that are available to the business community by DECA and the CTE program.
Students will receive a free Jr. Chamber membership.
We will continue our practice of giving DECA and CTE students/faculty ten complimentary seats at every breakfast.
DECA and CTE students/staff are encouraged to engage with the business community in creating mutually beneficial relationships. The DECA students are always looking for projects from designing logos to creating marketing plans.
over 100 DECA students will assist the Chamber with special projects. All four DECA clubs will help the Chamber canvas all the retail businesses this fall when we launch the Shop Surprise, business retention program.
How This Ties Back to Our Mission: The mission of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce is to champion economic prosperity, foster a pro-business climate, and to improve the quality of life in our region. When employers can find workers with the right skills and qualifications, our community can attract investment, drive growth, and spur innovation.
The Chamber is in a unique position to connect the business community with the educational assets in our community that form the foundation of economic development.
Surprise, Arizona – January 24, 2017 – The Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting today. The organization highlighted its accomplishments for the year, introduced new board members, and debuted a new video outlining its broader purpose and vision.
The video, entitled Who We Are, What We Do, can be viewed on the Chamber's website, Facebook page and YouTube Channel and is available for all member businesses and local organizations to be shared on websites and other social media outlets.
The video can be seen at https://youtu.be/RNr-KsYv2lE .
Working with local photographer and filmmaker Allen "Izzy" Butler Schnebly Hill Media, the Chamber set out to showcase and educate its members, and the public about what the Chamber does from a mission/vision perspective.
The President and CEO of the Chamber, Raoul Sada, referenced the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) when he said "Misconceptions abound regarding many brands, products and organizations. When it comes to the term "chamber of commerce," confusion and erroneous assumptions are even more likely, even though almost everyone has heard of the term. The lack of understanding is in large part self-inflicted because chambers in various towns, cities, regions, states and even nations focus on different things and actually operate in different ways."
According to Mr. Sada, the new video focuses on several primary goals, that all Chamber have in common. It is important for the Chamber to educate the public and our members, about who we are, and what our purpose is.
Mr. Sada stated, that too often Chambers only discuss their events and programs at the expense of their mission and purpose. This video is the first step in communicating the vision and purpose of the Chamber, in a short 2-minute video.
The video states a chamber of commerce is an organization of businesses seeking to further their collective interests, while advancing their community. Business owners voluntarily form these local societies/networks to advocate on behalf of the community at large, economic prosperity and business interests. Mr. Sada stated that while Chamber missions vary, they all tend to focus to some degree on five primary goals: Building communities to which residents, visitors and investors are attracted; Promoting those communities; Striving to ensure future prosperity via a pro-business climate; Representing the unified voice of the employer community; and Reducing transactional friction through well-functioning networks.
Chambers have other features in common. Most are led by private-sector employers, self-funded, organized around boards/committees of volunteers and independent. They share a common ambition for sustained prosperity of their community/region, built on thriving employers. Most are ardent proponents of the free market system, resisting attempts to overly burden private sector enterprise and investment.
The three pillars will go by the acronym M. V. P, and will help define our structure, and create organizational alignment at all levels of the organization. The MVP model also acknowledges the growing awareness of the different motivations for chamber membership. The MVP description of the Chamber's core impact areas, attempts to articulate membership value, that more accurately addresses the diverse reasons for belonging.
Research shows that companies join chambers for a variety of reasons, that go far beyond events or mixers. The MVP approach dispels the notion that all members want the same thing, and acknowledges the Chamber's greater role in the community as a business advocate and helping to sustain the economic prosperity of our region.
Radio spots will begin running in our market today, urging Members of Congress to continue their work in passing meaningful health care reform.
Local chambers, like the Surprise Regional Chamber is a member of state and national chambers of commerce. This connection is one of voluntary membership and does not extend to control or governance. It does allow all chambers to speak with a single unified voice of the business community and to rally resources and mobilize around common issues. The radio spot has been produced by the US Chamber of Commerce, of which we are a proud member.
Under Obamacare, American workers and businesses have been suffering under the weight of unaffordable costs and onerous requirements that threaten job creation and national growth. Obamacare's taxes and mandates have driven rates sky high, and employers and individuals need relief before several of the taxes increase again and drive premiums even higher.
The Chamber of Commerce has long fought for and remains committed to meaningful health care reforms that would protect the employer-sponsored health care system, ease the burden on individuals and businesses, spur economic growth, and foster more opportunity for all Americans.
The clock is ticking, and it's imperative that lawmakers quickly resume the process and work together to pass health care reform. Visit uschamber.com/healthreform to tell Congress to fix the system.
Chambers recognizes the need for smart regulations to ensure workplace safety and protect public health. But with a $2 trillion price tag in compliance costs and an increasing number of huge and complex rules, it's clear the regulatory system isn't working the way it should. Americans deserve a working regulatory system that is fair for everyone, takes into account the views of communities and businesses, evaluates the impact rules will have on jobs and small businesses, and protects our economic and personal freedoms.
Local chambers, like the Surprise Regional Chamber is a member of state and national chambers of commerce. This connection is one of voluntary membership and does not extend to control or governance. Its does allows all chambers to speak with a single unified voice of the business community and to rally resources and mobilize around common issues.
A strong education system is crucial to preparing young people for good jobs and bright futures and sustaining a 21st century workforce that can compete in the global economy.
Chambers support fixing shortcomings in our education system so that: students emerge from our public education system prepared for college or career; higher education is more accessible and affordable; employers can find workers with the right skills and qualifications; and our workforce will attract investment, drive growth, and spur innovation.
Expanding travel and tourism can and should be a bipartisan priority, and it's one that Chambers across America strongly supports. Travel and tourism already accounts for $888 billion in revenues and 7.9 million American jobs. It could do so much more for our economy if we did a better job of laying out the welcome mat for international travelers. In fact, if we restored our share of the travel market to its 2000 level we could create more than 450,000 jobs by 2020.
Throughout our history, America has had the opportunity to grow and thrive because we have attracted and welcomed the most talented and the hardest working people to our shores. But today our immigration system is broken and failing to meet the needs of our society, our economy, our businesses, and our workers. Commonsense immigration reform would boost economic growth, create jobs, and spur innovation and entrepreneurship. And it would renew America's legacy of being an open and welcoming country where anyone who works hard can achieve his or her dreams.
Our tax code is a drag on growth, wages, and global competitiveness. U.S. businesses will increasingly struggle to compete around the world and remain strong at home if we don't modernize our antiquated and complex tax code. Chambers are fighting for a smarter, streamlined tax system allowing taxpayers to make smarter decisions about how they work, save, and invest, and unleashing the power of American businesses—large and small—to create jobs.
In many ways, U.S. health care is the envy of the world—it has helped many individuals live longer than ever and enjoy a better quality of life than previously possible. However, we continue to face the challenge of making quality health care more affordable, more accessible, and more reliable for all Americans. Chambers are focused on promoting effective private sector solutions to our health care challenges that will help control costs, expand access, and improve the quality of care.
America has always been a nation on the move. But an aging and crumbling transportation system is not only slowing Americans down, it's reducing productivity, undermining our ability to move products across the country and around the world, and increasing congestion and air pollution. It's time to get America moving again!
It is the role of the government to responsibly manage our nation's finances so that: we have the resources to invest in priorities that are essential to our national security and competitiveness; we can provide a sustainable safety net for the sick, elderly, and poor without depleting all of our other financial resources; and we can ensure that future generations aren't saddled with debt they didn't incur. In order to meet those obligations, Chambers are calling for government reforms that will address the looming crisis of unsustainable entitlement programs, keep deficit spending low for the long-term, and rein in our growing debt.
Every American who has been legitimately wronged deserves his or her day in court. Chambers across America and its Institute for Legal Reform are working every day to make our legal system faster, simpler, and fairer. We are fighting those who abuse the system for their own personal gain, clog the courts with meritless lawsuits, and undermine our right to due process.
Most Americans agree that our roads, bridges, mass transit systems, air and sea ports, and water infrastructure are critical national assets that drive growth, jobs, safety, and global competitiveness. What we can't seem to agree on is how to pay for badly needed maintenance and repairs. It's time to stop thinking about infrastructure as a problem, but as an opportunity for bipartisan agreement to invest wisely and carefully in our most critical needs, while eliminating wasteful spending.
Technology is the thread that runs through a competitive economy, driving multiple and diverse industries and impacting myriad policy issues that are vital to commerce and communication. Technology-based industries and businesses create tremendous growth and opportunity in the U.S. economy and are essential to competing in an interconnected world. Outdated laws and regulations impede U.S. technological innovation and deployment. Chambers across America promotes market-based solutions, policies that foster investment in technology research and deployment, and balanced regulatory treatment of technical platforms.
The Chambers across America strongly believe that America's food supply must be abundant, affordable, and the world's safest. It must be abundant to not only feed Americans with nutritious food, but increasingly to help feed the world. One in three acres of American farmland is already planted for overseas markets, helping to substantially drive down our trade deficit. It must be affordable because food costs are American household's third highest expense. And it must be the safest in the world to ensure the public health of American families.
Capital goes where it is welcome, where it feels safe, and where it has a reasonable opportunity to earn a profit. To maintain and advance its global leadership in capital formation, the United States must have the most fair, efficient, and innovative capital markets in the world. We can't achieve this without a modern and coherent financial services regulatory system.
In many ways, the government is moving us further away from well-functioning, well-regulated capital markets by producing a maze of overlapping, contradictory, and duplicative financial regulations. The Chambers across America are fighting for the kind of financial rulemaking that protects consumers and investors, encourages reasonable risk taking, doesn't constrain innovation and growth or allow special interest groups to advance their agendas at the expense of all investors, and is coordinated with other economies and among the many domestic agencies that issue financial regulations.
There are some freedoms that define the American dream and bring vitality to a productive, innovative, and prosperous free enterprise system. Those freedoms include the right to speak, the right to due process, and the right to take a risk and be rewarded, not vilified, for your success. These rights are the building blocks of our free society and our free enterprise system. And when they come under attack, Chambers responds.