Dear Chamber Friends~
As Members of Congress head home for their
Memorial Day District Work Period from May 31 to June 4, we�d like
to
share with the latest on important issues so that you can
communicate
with them while they are home. There has been a lot of activity
since the
last recess on Capitol Hill involving health care, the Consumer
Financial
Protection Agency Act, energy, the immigration and other issues.
We�ve
included a brief update containing online resources and tool kits
for you
to access for more information.
Please contact your Members of Congress
during
this recess period � perhaps attend a town hall meeting, schedule
an in-district meeting,
invite them to speak at an upcoming event or just drop by their
district
office.
Health Care:
Businesses, large and small, have many
questions
regarding the new, 2400-page heath care overhaul law. This complex
legislation has made sweeping changes to our country�s health care
system
and will impose many new requirements and mandates for
employer-sponsored
health care coverage. The U.S. Chamber has compiled a handbook for
the
business community on how to navigate and comply with the new law.
Employers need to be aware of several taxes and penalties that can
be
levied against them if they are unable to provide minimum health
care
coverage levels that have yet to be determined. It should be noted
that
the white book is not intended to be a substitute for the legal
counsel,
benefits consultants, or in-depth analysis that individual
businesses
will need to ensure compliance. See the Chamber's Employer Guide for more
information.
Paperwork Burdens in Health Care Bill:
The U.S Chamber is working to make improvements
for the business community by supporting H.R. 5141,
the �Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act�. With the
�Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act� (PPACA) signed into law, the
requirement for businesses to file 1099 MISC information returns
is
greatly expanded. In 2012, companies of all sizes will have to
file a
Form 1099-MISC with the IRS for all payments made to businesses in
the
2011 calendar year aggregating $600 or more for purchase of both
property
(goods) and services. The new law lifts the exemption for
purchases from
corporations and expanded the requirement to include property
(goods).
Unless
this section is repealed, virtually all businesses especially
small
business will be subjected to massive amounts of new data
collection and
information filings with the IRS on all business-to-business
transactions
aggregating $600 or more in a calendar year. The U.S. Chamber
strongly
supports H.R. 5141, the �Small Business Paperwork Mandate
Elimination
Act�, which if passed into law would repeal the onerous paperwork
burdens
imposed on business by the ill-conceived expanded information
reporting
mandate contained in Section 9006 of the PPACA.
Below
is the current list of co-sponsors on Rep. Dan Lungren's bill
HR5141, the
Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act that repeals the
paperwork burdens imposed in PPACA. This is a great issue for you
to reach
out to your Member of Congress to thank them for their support of
the
business community. If they aren�t co-sponsors yet, encourage them
to
sign on.
Todd Akin
[R-MO2], Michele Bachmann [R-MN6], Roscoe Bartlett [R-MD6], Brian
Bilbray [R-CA50], Rob Bishop [R-UT1], John Boozman
[R-AR3],
Michael Burgess [R-TX26], Dan Burton [R-IN5], John Campbell
[R-CA48],
John Carter [R-TX31], Jason Chaffetz [R-UT3], Mike Coffman
[R-CO6], Charles Dent [R-PA15], Mary Fallin [R-OK5], John Fleming
[R-LA4], Trent Franks [R-AZ2], Rodney Frelinghuysen
[R-NJ11], Jim
Gerlach [R-PA6], John Gingrey [R-GA11], Louis Gohmert [R-TX1],
Robert
Goodlatte [R-VA6], Kay Granger [R-TX12], Samuel Graves [R-MO6],
Parker
Griffith [D-AL5], Jeb Hensarling [R-TX5], Darrell Issa [R-CA49],
Samuel Johnson [R-TX3], Doug Lamborn [R-CO5], Robert Latta
[R-OH5], Frank
LoBiondo [R-NJ2], Blaine Luetkemeyer [R-MO9], Cynthia Lummis
[R-WY],
Donald Manzullo [R-IL16], Kenny Marchant [R-TX24], Kevin
McCarthy
[R-CA22], Michael McCaul [R-TX10], Tom McClintock [R-CA4],
Cathy McMorris Rodgers [R-WA5], Gary Miller [R-CA42], Jerry Moran
[R-KS1], Randy Neugebauer [R-TX19], Pete Olson [R-TX22], Ronald
Paul
[R-TX14], Erik Paulsen [R-MN3], Joseph Pitts [R-PA16], Ted Poe
[R-TX2],
Bill Posey [R-FL15], Tom Price [R-GA6], George Radanovich
[R-CA19],Edward Royce [R-CA40], Jean Schmidt [R-OH2], Aaron Schock
[R-IL18], John Shadegg [R-AZ3], Michael Simpson [R-ID2],
Christopher Smith [R-NJ4], Lee Terry [R-NE2], William Thornberry
[R-TX13], Todd Tiahrt [R-KS4], Greg Walden [R-OR2], Edward
Whitfield
[R-KY1], Addison Wilson [R-SC2], Rob Wittman [R-VA1], Bill Young
[R-FL10]
Labor:
The AFL-CIO conceded the obvious when it hauled
down the huge pro-card check banner from the front of their
Washington,
DC headquarters: The bill isn�t going to pass this year. Still,
they�ve
gotten quite a lot, from the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair
Pay Act to project labor agreements to enhanced OSHA enforcement
efforts.
And with labor activist Craig Becker now seated at the National
Labor
Relations Board, labor has a 3-1 (soon to be 3-0) majority there,
so
they�re poised for big gains ahead on a range of issues.
Legislatively,
they are mounting a behind-the-scenes push in the Senate for the
Paycheck
Fairness Act. It would expand the Equal Pay Act and outlaw most
pay differentials
as discriminatory, even clearly legitimate ones, unless the
employer can
prove they are due to a �business necessity.� Employers found out
of
compliance would be open to unlimited compensatory and punitive
damages.
The bill passed the House early last year. Here�s a press release
on that bill.
Financial Regulatory Reform and the Bureau for
Consumer Financial Protection:
In late May, the Senate passed S. 3217, the
�Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010.� While we
agree that
financial reforms are appropriate and necessary, this measure
fails to
achieve meaningful reform and simply limits access to capital,
makes it
difficult for businesses to manage risk, and ultimately hurts job
retention and creation. In the name of consumer protection, this
measure
creates an unaccountable new regulator with unprecedented powers
and
authority over thousands of non-financial companies that aren�t in
the
business of consumer finance and who had nothing to do with the
financial
crisis. According to U.S. Chamber CEO Tom Donohue, �In a global
economy,
capital goes where it is welcome. Today, we have taken a
significant step
in the wrong direction and it will put American companies and our
financial system at a competitive disadvantage to the detriment of
our
long-term economic growth.� The measure is now moving to the
conference
process between the Senate and House. As you meet with members of
Congress during the Memorial Day recess, please remind them that
we need
to bring the right reforms to the system and restore certainty to
our
financial markets. For more information on S. 3217 and a better
approach
to financial reforms see www.stoptheCFPA.com
and be sure to click on the link to �A better approach to
financial
reform.�
Energy and Climate Change:
The U.S.
Chamber continues to support efforts to
address energy security and climate change, believing that any
legislation must be comprehensive and take into account the wide
spectrum
of issues facing American jobs and our economy. Senators John
Kerry
(D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) recently introduced the �American
Power
Act,� after months of collaborative meetings and research. We
applaud
them for their efforts to address concerns of the business
community and
look forward to working with them and others as this
work-in-progress
moves forward. We remain steadfast in our commitment to 1)
preserving
American jobs and the competitiveness of U.S. industries, 2)
providing an
international solution that includes developing nations, 3)
promoting
accelerated development and deployment of greenhouse gas reduction
technologies, 4) reducing barriers to the development of
climate-friendly
energy sources, and 5) promoting energy conservation and
efficiencies.
For more information on real energy and climate change solutions
that
address today�s needs as well as those of the future, visit the www.energyxxi.org and
take a
look at �Solutions for securing America�s energy future.� Also,
check out
the U.S. Chamber�s Institute for 21st
Century
Energy unveiled its first-of-its-kind Index
of Energy Security Risk.
Titled the Index of U.S. Energy
Security Risk: Assessing
America�s Vulnerabilities in a Global Energy Market, the Index provides the first quantifiable
measurement
of energy security based on 37 individual metrics in four primary
areas�geopolitical, economic, reliability and environment. The
Index
tracks energy security risk beginning in 1970 and projects future
risk
until 2030.
As we wait for Congress to act
on this important
issue, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward
with
plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions � specifically carbon
dioxide
� as an endangerment to public health under the rules established
by the
Clean Air Act. This effort will add millions of new entities to
EPA
review including office buildings, churches and family farms and
could
carry permit fees of more than $125,000. Sen. Lisa Murkowski
(R-AK) and
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) are offering a resolution to halt this
effort
by the EPA and put this issue back into the hands of Congress
where it
belongs. Please encourage your Senators to support the bipartisan
Murkowski-Lincoln resolution when it comes to the Senate floor on
June 10.
Trade:
A key component of the goal of creating 20
million jobs over the next 10 years is our call to double U.S.
exports
over the next five years. We were pleased that President Obama
echoed
this call during his State of the Union speech, calling for the
doubling
of U.S. exports within 5 years. This growth in exports can be
achieved
through a combination of finishing Doha, fighting trade
isolationism at
home and abroad, including reforming export control rules, and
enacting
pending trade agreements with Columbia, Panama and South Korea.
While
imminent movement on Capitol Hill is not expected, our TradeRoots program continues to actively
make
the case for trade in districts all around the country. To learn
more
about opportunities to promote trade and exports in your community
visit:www.traderoots.org.
Immigration:
Immigration has morphed from a
potential
legislative issue into a purely political one, at least for this
year.
House Speaker Pelosi has said all along that the Senate must go
first on
this and Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
were
drafting a comprehensive bill. But then Senate Majority Leader
Reid
(D-NV) upended the legislative schedule, convincing Sen. Graham to
pull
out of talks. A group of Democratic senators led by Schumer have
outlined
a draft bill, but with no Republican support and a crowded
legislative
agenda it will become little more than campaign talking points.
Meanwhile, the temperature on the issue was dialed up dramatically
by enactment
of SB 1070 in Arizona. Immigration should receive early attention
in the
next Congress, though whether any common ground can be found is an
open
question. For more information visit:http://www.ewic.org/
Other U.S. Chamber Programs:
Campaign for Free Enterprise:
the
American Free Enterprise. Dream Big. Campaign has a goal of
creating 20
million jobs over the next decade to replace jobs lost in the
current
recession and meet the needs of America�s growing workforce.
Government
efforts to stimulate the economy are considered useful in the
short term,
it�s the free enterprise system that will grow our economy and
create
jobs over the long term. Visit our Campaign for Free Enterprise
website for
more information about how you can get involved.
VoteForBusiness:
This
year the U.S. Chamber has helped deliver nearly one million
letters to
Congress demanding attention for business interests. Each of those
letters was written by people like you � people that care enough
to make
a difference. Now is your chance to get involved! Visit VoteForBusiness
for more
information.
Upcoming Events:
Regional
Government Affairs Conference, Dallas,
TX, October 6-8, 2010:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Regional
Government Affairs Conference � Beyond 2010: Policy and
Messaging
Trends for a New Decade � is coming to Dallas on October
6-8, and
we invite you to join us! We�re trying something new this year
with a
single, national meeting rather than several conferences at sites
around
the country. The conference will be held at the beautiful Fairmont
Dallas
Hotel: www.fairmont.com/Dallas. Please use these links for more information on
the agenda and speaker, registration, and scholarship. We hope this information will assist with your
travel plans to join us in Dallas.
Small Business Summit, Washington, DC May 23-25 2011: Save
the Date to join us in Washington, DC in 2011 for our
annual Small Business Summit featuring nationally known speakers,
small
business success stories, innovative thinkers and so much more.
