This Week at the General Assembly: February 28, 2014 |
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Maryland State Capital in Annapolis. |
MCCC monitors legislation that impacts the overall business climate as well as particular issues such as combined reporting. Much of our advocacy efforts support small business, which make up over 90% of all businesses in the state and Montgomery County.
While Maryland has a strong reputation for incubating new businesses, attracting and retaining existing businesses continues to be a challenge. This may be, in part, because small business owners are subject to higher personal income tax rates than surrounding jurisdictions.
We continue to advocate for broader discussions and recommendations through efforts such as the Commission on Tax Policy, Reform and Fairness (SB 625/HB 554). In the meantime, this week we also provided testimony on specific pieces of tax legislation such as Income Tax on Pass Through Entities (SB 590 and SB 858) which include S Corporations, partnerships, and LLCs as well as legislation that would recouple the estate tax thresholds with those of the federal government (watch for these hearings in the coming week!).
See our 2014 Legislative Session Page for our priorities and specific bills for which we have submitted testimony.
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Maryland, DC and Virginia Commit to Funding for Metro 2025
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley together with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced on February 26, 2014 their commitment to fund Momentum, Metro's 2025 strategic plan. Click here to read the WMATA press release.
Earlier this year, MCCC joined forces with numerous organizations to support the strategic vision of the transit backbone of our region. Learn more about the plan and see the list of supporters here.
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MCCC Member Meeting: 2014 General Assembly Legislative Session Updates
 | | John Stierhoff, Partner, Venable LLP |
Monday, March 3, 8:00-9:30am - The Legislative Affairs Member Meeting will feature guest speakers John Stierhoff, Marta Harting and Brian Quinn of Venable LLP. Venable will provide MCCC members with updates on bills MCCC is tracking throughout the 2014 General Assembly Legislative Session and will answer questions about issues and bills that are of interest to members.
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MCCC advocates for policies that promote a vibrant economy and support the business community. The MCCC advocacy team tracks bills, submits written testimony and testifies in person in Annapolis on pieces of legislation throughout the General Assembly Legislative Session.
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What's Happening in Montgomery County |
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Bill 14-14 Contracts and Procurement - Wage Requirements - Health Insurance - Amendments
The Montgomery County Council held a Public Hearing on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 25 on Bill 14-14 which amends the Living Wage law (Bill 5-02) to include health insurance. MCCC believes the amendment is being proposed at an inopportune time and has significant implementation implications that will be detrimental to the goal of creating more jobs in Montgomery County. See our written testimony here.
As stated in the Chamber's testimony, "it is important to note that at the present time, there are a number of bills being considered at the state level that may also have an impact on small businesses. The cumulative impact of these various initiatives and multiple pieces of new legislation, should they all pass, would suffocate businesses, stifle economic activity, and ultimately harm the people they are intended to help."
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The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is a non-political organization and does not endorse candidates. We will be sharing information with members regarding events and activities surrounding the elections that they may be interested in attending.
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2014 Primary Election Candidates
The filing deadline for the 2014 Primary Election was 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 25. See who has filed here: http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2014/primary_candidates/index.html
Click here for the election calendar. Primary Day is June 24, 2014.
Click here to read the Gazette article, "Montgomery County Races to Feature Familiar Names".
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BCC Chamber Montgomery County Executive Democratic Candidate Debate
The Bethesda Chevy-Chase Chamber of Commerce is hosting a debate for the Democratic candidates in the Montgomery County Executive race on March 7, 2014 from 7:30-10:00am, at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda. Registration required. Click here for more information.
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The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) supports local, state and federal legislation that protects, enhances, and leverages our assets and promotes economic prosperity for Maryland. This message highlights MCCC advocacy activity in Annapolis and Montgomery County. To learn more about our advocacy work, visit our Advocacy Page.
See MCCC Advocacy Highlights from previous weeks.
For more information, contact Ilaya Hopkins, VP, Public Policy, MCCC at (301)738-0015 or ihopkins@mcccmd.com.
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