OntarioAdvocacy.biz | Ontario Chamber of Commerce

The Ontario Chamber approved its 2008 legislative priorities setting a course for a very active year. The Chamber board of directors approved the priorities at their October meeting. Each year, the Chamber develops its pro-business legislative priorities. The priorities serve as guiding principles when tracking local, state and federal legislation and issues that might impact the Ontario business community.

“We are focused on a productive 2008 representing the interests of Ontario businesses with government,” stated Bob Cruz, Chair of the Ontario Chamber Government Affairs Committee. “Our policy platform clearly defines our top issues and focus areas and we will ensure our elected officials know that we will hold them accountable to supporting those business related issues,” continued Cruz.

“The economic vitality of the Ontario business climate is the chamber’s number one priority,” stated Mark Smiley, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “Our priorities are set for 2008 and we look forward to making a difference on behalf of our business community,” Smiley continued.

Ontario Chamber of Commerce - 2008 Legislative Priorities

Economic Development and Housing

1. Monitor development projects within the Ontario region.
2. Monitor land use, planning, housing and zoning proposals that impact the regional Ontario business community.
3. Review and consider policies that protect Ontario’s reputation as an attractive prosperous location for business, balancing employment and housing needs with natural resource preservation and community infrastructure necessary to support current and future business needs.
4. Monitor and consider polices that protect private sector property rights as it relates to eminent domain and the overall impact to the Ontario business community.
5. Review and consider policies that ensure local housing and associated financing is attainable for employees and consumers in Ontario.
6. Review and consider polices that upgrade blighted or abandoned properties making way for workforce housing and business opportunities.
7. Monitor polices that impact the expansion and retention of businesses in Ontario.

Aviation

1. Monitor and review policy that preserves, promotes and progresses the economic vitality of Ontario’s regional aviation industry.
2. Monitor and promote, when appropriate, aviation industry expansion including the preparation of cost/benefit analysis to ensure economic impacts are weighed before the imposition of legislative and/or regulatory statutes.

Education

1. Monitor and consider policies that impacts education systems in our region that prepares people for 21st century jobs and careers.
2. Support the development of on-going programs within the business community that integrates with the local educational sectors in our area that offer vocational and technical career education and training paths.

Infrastructure Improvements

1. Review and consider reliable, stable, and competitively priced energy sources for the Ontario region and California’s businesses and consumers.
2. Encourage an adequate supply of appropriate housing to meet the needs of the Ontario region and monitor its impact on the Ontario business community.
3. Review and consider polices that maintain water supply and water quality.
4. Review and consider policies that impacts air quality standards which might place Ontario’s regional business community at a competitive disadvantage.

Transportation

1. Review and consider transportation improvement plans that relieve congestion on freeways, streets and roads, and ensure mobility within the Ontario region.
2. Review and consider legislative proposals that place mandates upon the automobile industry.
3. Review and consider tax proposals that impact the automobile, trucking and rail industries.
4. Review and consider legislation impacting the flow and storage of materials from the point of origin to the point of consumption that might place Ontario’s inbound and outbound logistics industry at a competitive disadvantage

Government Finance

1. Ensure that regulations on businesses are kept to a minimum and do not put Ontario businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
2. Review and consider reform measures that solve the state budget’s continuing structural deficit that promotes real economic growth and job creation and its impact on the Ontario business community.
3. Encourage cooperation among local and state government agencies, and work to streamline and reduce unnecessary requirements by regulatory agencies.
4. Review and consider ways to privatize government services and public contracts while maintaining or improving standards.
5. Review and consider state and local tax changes and new tax categories affecting the Ontario business community.
6. Support and promote, when appropriate, the preparation of cost/benefit analysis ensuring economic impacts are weighed before the imposition of regulatory statutes.
7. Support local and state programs, when appropriate, that secure tax credits for targeted programs.

Pro-Business Leadership

1. Continue and maintain a working relationship with local, state and federal representatives.
2. Review and consider legislative proposals that promote standards of corporate governance that guide boards of directors and corporate officers in managing their corporations in a competent, ethical manner.
3. Review and consider measures that reform the state’s redistricting process.

Employee Relations

1. Review and consider measures that reform the extraordinary costs of the state’s public pension system.
2. Seek and monitor alternatives to any proposed state minimum wage increases and any local or state living wage ordinances.
3. Monitor and provide recommendations to any workers’ compensation reform proposals that might place Ontario businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
4. Review and consider responsible healthcare reform proposals that protect Ontario businesses and result in increased availability of affordable healthcare coverage for employers, employees and their dependants.
5. Review legislative proposals that might cause unwarranted and frivolous lawsuits on Ontario businesses, consumers and taxpayers.

Trade Expansion and Investment

1. Review and consider the application of innovative technologies to improve the movement of goods and people in Ontario and throughout the Inland Empire.
2. Review and consider environmental policies that impact the trade industry and the overall Ontario business community.
3. Review and consider policy proposals that promote trade and commerce opportunities for Ontario with international countries.
4. Review and consider polices that aggressively improves opportunities to expand regional, national and international trade.

Healthcare

1. Review and consider legislative and regulatory policies that preserve the current voluntary employer-provided healthcare coverage system.
2. Review and consider efforts to contain the costs of premiums.
3. Review and consider legislation to allow employers to offer more affordable benefit plans that allow choices in coverage.
4. Review and consider policies that prevent cost shifting from government-provided programs to the private sector.
5. Review and consider policies that curb the expansion of litigation in the health care system.