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Attend an Upcoming Legislative Briefing

May 8, 2013 By

The Maryland Chamber began a series of legislative briefings this week. Join us at an upcoming briefing to learn more about the issues that impact Maryland businesses and network with business leaders from throughout the region. The events are free. Invite your clients and key members of your staff to join us.

Learn more about what happened last session and how the Maryland Competitiveness Coalition is working in advance of the 2014 election to unite the business community behind a shared vision and policy agenda to ensure Maryland remains a vibrant leader in private sector job growth and business investment. There will also be plenty of time for questions and feedback.

Six briefings are currently scheduled. The events are free, but registration is required. We hope to see you or key members of your staff at one of the following events:

May 9 – Upper Marlboro – Register
Buck Distributing Company, Inc.
15827 Commerce Ct.
Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

May 14 – Salisbury – Register
Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Business Center
144 East Main St.
Salisbury, MD 21803
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

May 15 – Annapolis - Register
Maryland Chamber of Commerce
60 West St., Ste. 100
Annapolis, MD 21401
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

May 17 – Rockville – Register
Washington REIT
6110 Executive Blvd., Ste. 800
Rockville, MD 20852
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

May 22 – Columbia - Register
The Columbia Bank
7168 Columbia Gateway Dr.
Columbia, MD 21046
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With:

Maryland Competitiveness Coalition Growing

April 18, 2013 By

compFifty business organizations across the State are actively participating in the Maryland Chamber’s initiative to help our State become more competitive nationally and globally. Co-Chaired by former DBED Secretary Aris Melissaratos and past Maryland Chamber Chairmen Bill Couper (Bank of America, retired) and Bill Roberts (Verizon MD/DC, retired), the Maryland Competitiveness Coalition will meet again later this month to continue developing statewide consensus on short- and long-term actions the State should take in order to create more high paying private sector jobs and increase business investment, despite federal budget cuts.

The consensus building process has been invigorating. Seldom has such a diverse group of employer organizations been united. All of us believe we have great assets in Maryland. The opportunity is to build on them and quickly advance our economic future for the benefit of all.

We’ve reviewed studies on the state’s financial health and on a competitive review of its tax structure. Later this month, K-12 education and economic sustainability will be discussed. More meetings are scheduled through the summer, leading to an invitation-only Economic Summit in September. The summit will generate statewide consensus on key action items for the next few years to share with the current and next Governors as well as legislative leadership.

Numerous local chambers of commerce have joined the coalition, from Ocean City to Garrett County, Southern Maryland to Baltimore and throughout the Suburban and Central Maryland areas. In addition, many and regional groups are also engaged including the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Maryland Bankers, Maryland Association of CPAs, Tech Council of Maryland and Maryland Hospital Association. For further information, contact Kathy Snyder, President/CEO, at ksnyder@mdchamber.org or 410-269-0642 or 301-261-2858.

Filed Under: Competitiveness

2013 Session in Review

April 9, 2013 By

At midnight, the General Assembly adjourned Sine Die. Maryland’s business community fared well during the 2013 session. The Maryland Chamber’s public policy team worked to ensure lawmakers understood the economic challenges Maryland businesses face, and the need to make Maryland more competitive. A well-coordinated effort between the Maryland Chamber and many business and local chamber allies helped keep lawmakers focused on economic growth and job creation. The Maryland Chamber took positions on 163 of the 2,610 pieces of legislation introduced. Read the Maryland Chamber’s complete session in review here.

Filed Under: Budget & Taxation, Civil Liability, Competitiveness, Environment & Energy, Health Care, Labor & Employment, Transportation

Urge Your Delegates to Protect Transportation Funds

April 5, 2013 By

The Maryland Chamber has consistently urged lawmakers to restore trust in the state’s Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), and once achieved, increase funding for desperately needed transportation projects across the state. We believe that we must do more to ensure that transportation dollars aren’t diverted to be used for other purposes.

The General Assembly passed a transportation funding bill, but with just days remaining in the legislative session, legislation to protect the TTF has stalled in the House of Delegates.

Urge your delegates to support SB 829 today!

The Maryland Senate passed SB 829 last week by a vote 45-2. The bill would amend Maryland’s constitution to require a declaration of a fiscal emergency from the Governor and a three-fifths vote of both houses of the Maryland General Assembly to transfer funds out of the TTF.

Investing in our transportation infrastructure will create jobs and help keep Maryland competitive. We think Maryland should do more to invest in the maintenance and improvement of roads, bridges, highways, ports and rails. That starts by protecting the TTF to ensure that transportation dollars aren’t used for unrelated purposes.

Take action today. Contact your delegates and urge them to support SB 829. For more information and a sample letter, click below to use the Chamber’s legislative action center to contact your legislators.

For more information, contact Deriece Pate Bennett at dpatebennett@mdchamber.org.

Filed Under: Transportation

Bill Would Protect Transportation Funds

March 28, 2013 By

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee approved the transportation funding bill (HB 1515) today. Maryland Chamber President/CEO Kathy Snyder, CCE urged committee members to strengthen the language protecting transportation funds from being diverted for other uses. While the bill passed with no amendments, the committee also unanimously approved legislation that would enact the stronger protections the Maryland Chamber has been advocating.

The bill, SB 829, would amend Maryland’s constitution to require a declaration of a fiscal emergency from the Governor and a three-fifths vote of both houses of the Maryland General Assembly to transfer funds out of the Transportation Trust Fund.

Both bills could be considered by the full Senate as early as tomorrow. For more information, contact Deriece Pate Bennett at dpatebennett@mdchamber.org.

Filed Under: Transportation

Senate Hears Transportation Bill

March 27, 2013 By

The transportation bill passed by the House of Delegates last Friday (HB 1515) was heard by the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee yesterday. More details on the bill here

Maryland Chamber President and CEO Kathy Snyder, CCE testified before the committee. She continued to stress that the Chamber believes more should be done to protect transportation funds from being diverted for other uses.

She also stressed the importance of identifying funding sources for mass transit. The would establish a workgroup to study regional transit financing authorities. Snyder asked the committee to broaden the scope of the study to also examine the feasibility of establishing additional funding mechanisms for transit and the possibility of phasing out the Maryland Transit Administration from the Transportation Trust Fund to the General Fund.

View the Chamber’s complete position statement here. For more information, contact Deriece Pate Bennett at dpatebennett@mdchamber.org.

Filed Under: Transportation

False Claims Bill Withdrawn

March 25, 2013 By

Legislation that would have authorized a person to file suit on behalf of the state for an alleged false claim and recover up to 25 percent of the proceeds was withdrawn by its sponsor.

The Maryland Chamber opposed the bill. We support vigorous enforcement of state laws against persons attempting to defraud state programs, but we do not support the creation of a new private cause of action for individuals to pursue these claims. The Chamber believes this would increase legal costs for business, as the state would have no incentive to curtail cases of marginal merit.

Similar legislation addressing health care false claims passed in 2010, with proponents claiming that the state would recover $300 million per year in fraudulent Medicaid claims. According to the fiscal note of this year’s bill, the state recovered $3.7 million in 2011, $1.2 million in 2012 and $12 million so far in 2013, and the Attorney General’s office admits that, of those settlements, only $112,000 would have been unrecoverable if Maryland’s false claims laws weren’t in place.

For more information, contact Mathew Palmer at mpalmer@mdchamber.org.

Filed Under: Civil Liability

Paid Sick Leave Mandate Defeated

March 25, 2013 By

Legislation to require employers of any size to provide paid sick leave for employees was withdrawn by the sponsor.

The Maryland Chamber opposed the bill. Despite the bill’s good intentions, the Chamber urged lawmakers to recognize the impact mandated benefit laws have on Maryland employers. Requiring employers to provide sick or other types of leave creates economic and practical difficulties for businesses, particularly smaller companies.

Thank you to the many business owners who voiced their opposition and told their lawmakers how this mandate would impact their business.

For more information, contact Deriece Pate Bennett at dpatebennett@mdchamber.org

Filed Under: Labor & Employment

Senate Committee Votes Down Combined Reporting

March 25, 2013 By

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee narrowly defeated legislation (SB 469) to impose a system of mandatory unitary combined reporting for corporate income taxes in Maryland. The vote was 7-6.

“The Maryland Chamber thanks the lawmakers who rejected this legislation, which would have harmed Maryland’s business climate,” Maryland Chamber President/CEO Kathy Snyder, CCE said. “None of our competitor states have enacted combined reporting, and in this time of economic uncertainly, Maryland should focus on policies that promote economic growth and job creation.”

The Maryland Chamber has opposed combined reporting as a priority issue for a number of years. This corporate tax policy change would result in massive shifts in tax liability, complicate tax compliance and make Maryland less competitive. Proponents touted combined reporting as a “loophole closer.” Maryland lawmakers have addressed tax avoidance during prior sessions. The fact that many corporations would pay less taxes under combined reporting demonstrates that this is not a “loophole closer.” In tax year 2010 1,517 businesses would have paid less taxes and 1,062 would have paid more. Results vary within industry groups, with some industries paying more and others paying less.

For more information, contact Mathew Palmer at mpalmer@mdchamber.org.

Filed Under: Budget & Taxation

House Passes Transportation Bill

March 22, 2013 By

The House of Delegates passed the Governor’s transportation funding bill this afternoon.

The Maryland Chamber has made protecting and enhancing transportation funding a priority for many years. We thank the Administration and legislative leadership for focusing on this critical issue.

Among other provisions, the bill would:

  • Phase in a 3 percent sales tax on the price of gasoline over three years.
  • Dedicate part of the revenue raised by the federal Marketplace Equity Act (online sales tax) to the Transportation Trust Fund. If the Act fails, the state would phase in an additional 2 percent sales tax on gasoline.
  • Adjust Maryland Transit Administration fares every three years based on the Consumer Price Index and establish a workgroup to study regional transit financing authorities.

The Maryland Chamber is pleased to see that the House of Delegates addressed two of our concerns. Lawmakers kept relative parity between the excise taxes of gasoline and diesel fuel by eliminating the adjustment in the excise tax. They also added a cap to the annual indexing they applied to the gas tax.

The Maryland Chamber continues to advocate for stronger protections for the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) to ensure transportation dollars are not diverted for other purposes. “We have strongly and consistently argued that a constitutional amendment which would require a two-thirds vote of both Houses of the General Assembly for funds to be transferred out of the TTF is critical to ensure the public’s trust,” Maryland Chamber Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Mathew Palmer said.

Palmer outline the Chamber’s position in a letter to the Governor and presiding officers. View it here.

Filed Under: Transportation
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