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Georgette "Gigi" Godwin
President & CEO
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"With work ongoing in Annapolis and Montgomery County, we at the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce are also thinking ahead. The Washington Post editorial on the Montgomery County Executive Primary Race (3/19/14) posits "it's critical that the three candidates present voters with a compelling vision for the future." We couldn't agree more. There are just over 90 days to go until Primary Day. In the coming weeks, the community expects to hear from both Gubernatorial and County Executive candidates on how each will advance a vision of the future that will attract the next generation of talent and job opportunities to our state and region. We look forward to having candidates come to the Chamber to meet with members to engage in those discussions." -Gigi Godwin
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This Week at the General Assembly: March 21, 2014 |
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Taxes, Business Climate, and a Vibrant Economy
Estate Tax
Yesterday, the Senate voted 36-10 to approve the House version of the Maryland Estate Tax - Unified Credit. In the amended legislation, the Maryland estate tax will gradually be recoupled with the federal rate over a five year period. This has been a top priority for MCCC despite concerns that it could not pass in an election year. Passage indicates the growing awareness of the need to keep Maryland competitive as a place to start, grow and sustain a business. The bill now goes to the Governor for his signature.
Minimum Wage
Deliberations on raising the minimum wage in the State of Maryland continue to dominate the schedule and much news is being generated. See MarylandReporter.com for the day's roundup.
MCCC has been on record since October 2013 that minimum wage is an issue best addressed at the federal or state level. We oppose a patch work of rates throughout the state and region that create chaos and inefficiencies in the marketplace and are potentially unenforceable.
Helping Small Business do Business
We are hopeful that other efforts designed to support small business and create a more efficient business climate are also progressing including the State Government - Administrative Procedure Act - Effective Date of Adopted Regulations (HB 166/SB 449) to create regulatory predictability and the Small Business Reserve Program (HB 487/SB 975) which eliminates the sunset provision for inclusive definition of a small business.
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Supplemental Public School Construction Matching Fun Program (SB927/HB1323)
MCCC joined the County Executive, County Council and other community leaders to urge passage of SB927/HB1323 - Supplemental Public School Construction Matching Fund Program. Read MCCC's letter to President Miller and Speaker Busch.
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Is the right person in your organization receiving the Advocacy Highlights? Be sure to forward this email to your Communications and Government Affairs team. Chamber members can sign up as many people in your company as you would like. To receive copies of the Advocacy Highlights directly, join our mailing list and select "Advocacy".
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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.
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What's Happening in Montgomery County |
40th Annual Public Safety Awards Luncheon
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An impressive array of county leaders assembled for the 40th Annual PSA Luncheon
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Thank you to all those who attended the 40th Annual Public Safety Awards on Friday, March 14. The Chamber is honored to be a part of this unique and largest-of-its-kind event in the area. We appreciate the participation of Lt. Governor Brown, Attorney General Doug Gansler, County Executive Ike Leggett and Council President Craig Rice. In addition, Comptroller Peter Franchott, State's Attorney John McCarthy and all members of the County Council were present. Click here for a full event recap.
Click here to watch the 40th Annual Public Safety Awards Video.
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FY 15 Operating Budget
On Monday, March 17, County Executive Leggett announced his recommended FY 15 Operating Budget. Public hearings at the County Council will begin the week of April 7.
Montgomery County Council Legislation
In addition to the budget, the Montgomery County Council continues to introduce a wide variety of legislation. Click here to view the full list of bills.
Of note, Bill 13-14 Contracts and Procurement - Formal Solicitation - Local Preference introduced by Nancy Navarro has passed out of the Government Operations committee and is scheduled to be voted on by the full County Council on April 1. If passed, it will essentially codify an existing preference in the procurement process.
Bill 2-14 Environmental Sustainability - Buildings - Benchmarking has been amended to reflect input from MCCC and others. The Transportation and Environment Committee will hold a worksession on this bill on Monday, March 24.
County Executive Leggett Launches "MOVE"
In acknowledging the need to address the high vacancy rate of commercial property and to attract more businesses to locate to Montgomery County, County Executive Ike Leggett announced the "MOVE" program which is a first step in addressing both these issues. Click here to read the full press release.
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MCCC is a non-political organization and does not endorse candidates.
We will share pertinent information with members regarding events and activities surrounding the elections that they may be interested in attending. Please note these are not MCCC events.
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MCCC 2014 Candidate Questionnaire and Meetings
In the coming weeks, MCCC will send to all candidates for Governor, State Assembly, County Executive and County Council offices the MCCC 2014 Candidate Questionnaire. Answers will be posted to the MCCC website.
In addition, MCCC Board of Directors will invite Democratic Candidates for Governor and County Executive to meet individually with Chamber members in advance of the Primary Election.
Watch this space for more details.
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Universitites at Shady Grove to Host Student Sponsored Maryland Gubernatorial Candidates SPEAK UP! FORUM
On Monday, March 24, 2014 The Universities at Shady Grove is hosting a student sponsored Maryland Gubernatorial Candidates SPEAK UP! FORUM at 12:00 noon at The Universities at Shady Grove, Auditorium - Building I.
The panel-style event will allow USG students and other local constituents to interact with the candidates and hear more about each candidate's campaign platform.
The Maryland Gubernatorial Race Candidates slated to attend are:
-Doug Gansler, Attorney General for the State of Maryland
-State Delegate, Heather Mizeur
-David Craig, Harford County Executive
-Charles Lollar, Charles County businessman
To register and for more information, contact: speakupforum2014@gmail.com
This event is organized by UMBC's Political Science Student Organization (PSSO) and USG's Law and Law Related Career Association
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Election Information
The Primary Election will be held on June 24, 2014. Early voting will also be available at designated locations around the county. Are you registered to vote? Visit the Board of Elections website for full details, including voter registration deadlines.
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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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