This Week at the General Assembly: March 14, 2014

 

With less than one month until Sine Die, bills are moving through committees. Many will "cross over" to the other chamber this weekend. To date, MCCC has submitted testimony on close to seventy pieces of legislation focused on Economic Development, Taxes, Labor and Employment, Education and various issues that promote a positive business climate and improve Maryland's competitive position. 

Maryland Estate Tax - Unified Credit (HB 739) 

We applaud the important affirmative vote of many House members of the Montgomery County Delegation to recouple the Maryland Estate Tax with the Federal exemption (HB 739) thereby eliminating the disadvantageous position Maryland currently faces vis a vis 45 other states in the country. See text from letters sent by MCCC President and CEO Georgette "Gigi" Godwin to those House Delegates who voted yes including Sam Arora, Kumar Barve, Bonnie Cullison, Kathleen Dumais, Bill Frick, Jim Gilchrist, Ann Kaiser, Ariana Kelly, Ben Kramer, Susan Lee, Aruna Miller, Kirill Reznik, and Craig Zucker as well as text from the letter to members who did not support the measure. 

Small Business Reserve Program - Definition of Small Business - Repeal of Sunset Provision (SB 975)

Senator Karen Montgomery (D-14)
The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce thanks Senator Karen Montgomery (D-14) for cross filing Senate Bill 975 - Small Business Reserve Program - Definition of Small Business - Repeal of Sunset Provision.
 
The bill was heard in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee this week after it successfully passed out of the House. Charlie Atwell, MCCC Board of Directors member, also submitted testimony in support of the measure.
 
If enacted, the Small Business Reserve Program will continue to be available to companies meeting criteria based on either revenue or employees rather than both.

FY 2015 Maryland State Budget

One of the major tasks of the General Assembly is to approve a balanced budget. As reported in MACo, the Maryland Association of Counties, the Senate gave preliminary approval to a budget that will be sent to the House this week.

Private Sector Economic Development Commission

Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Mike Busch announced the members of the Private Sector Economic Development Commission earlier this week. See the press release here

 

For more information about the General Assembly and the session underway,

visit the Maryland General Assembly website

 

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MCCC Member Meeting: 2014 General Assembly Legislative Session Updates
John Stierhoff, Partner, Venable LLP

Monday, March 31, 8:00-9:30am - The Legislative Affairs Member Meeting will feature guest speakers John Stierhoff, Marta Harting and Brian Quinn of Venable LLP. The Venable team 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.

 
MCCC Members can RSVP to Ilaya Hopkins, VP of Public Affairs, MCCC at [email protected].

 

What's Happening in Montgomery County

FY 2015 Montgomery County Operating Budget 

On Monday, March 17, County Executive Leggett will announce his FY 15 Operating Budget Recommendations. The County Council, which is responsible for approving a final budget, will hold a series of public hearings beginning the second week in April. 

 

For more information on the county budget process, visit the Council Budget Summary page.

Federal Update

Maryland Chamber of Commerce Annual Congressional Delegation Dinner

Alexandria Briggs-Blake, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, and Ilaya Hopkins

 

Ilaya Hopkins and Alexandria Briggs-Blake attended the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Annual Congressional Delegation Dinner on March 10 where Senator Barbara Mikulski praised the Maryland Competitiveness Coalition initiative, of which MCCC is a part.

 

See the Maryland Chamber Blog post here.

Election Update
The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is a non-political organization and does not endorse candidates. We will share information with members regarding events and activities surrounding the elections that they may be interested in attending.
The Tech Council of Maryland: April 21 - Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

 

The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM) will host a forum featuring the candidates running to become Maryland's next Governor.  What happens in Annapolis has an impact on Maryland business climate for innovative companies so make sure you attend to hear what the candidates have to say.  TCM is inviting all major contenders for Governor to this forum where candidates can share their views on important issues including technology, life sciences, economic development, taxes, transportation, higher education, workforce and STEM education.  Each candidate will appear separately and answer questions posed by our moderator, Dan Beyers, Founding Editor of Capital Business, The Washington Post's weekly local business newspaper.  

 

Click here for more information.

 

Recap: BCC Chamber County Executive Democratic Candidate Debate

 

The Bethesda Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce hosted the first debate among Democrat candidates for County Executive on Friday, March 7.

Read the extensive media coverage here

 

 

 

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 [email protected].

 

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Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce

51 Monroe Street | Suite 1800 | Rockville MD 20850
301-738-0015 | www.mcccmd.com
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Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan and independent organization that is not affiliated with any national, state or local chamber.