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435 1st Ave W • PO Box 548 Albany, OR 97321 • (541) 926-1517 • info@albanychamber.com |
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Current IssuesMeasure 49: A legislative referral relating to compensation for loss of value of private property resulting from land use regulation and creates new provisions amending Measure 37 passed by Oregon voters in 2004.The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee voted unanimously to Oppose Measure 49. Measure 49 is a flawed ballot measure that came about through a flawed process in the state legislature. Once the bill was drafted, no public hearings or opportunity to improve the content was allowed and the legislature failed to come up with a bi-partisan solution to Measure 37 issues. Placing a poorly crafted ballot measure in front of the voters and telling them that the problems with Measure 49 can be corrected later is a huge disservice to the citizens of Oregon and is not the answer to important issues. The Chamber urges its membership to oppose Measure 49 and send a message to the legislature that they should readdress this issue and create a bi-partisan solution to Measure 37 issues. Governmental Affairs Committee Has Many Concerns This Legislative SessionHB 2673 | HB 2994 | Corporate Minimum Tax | Health Insurance CostsWith the Legislative session over halfway done, members of your Chamber's Governmental Affairs Committee are continuing their efforts to be heard in Salem. There are many critical bills that have been presented this session that have an impact on business. While the GAC has been representing the interests of business with government for many years, this ession is proving particularly challenging. While there are many bills the GAC is tracking, they have prioritized the following issues: HB 2673 BOLI Overtime Bill: Oppose This bill would severely limit the flexibility that employers and employees enjoy in employee scheduling. In the bill's current form, an employee who works over 8 hours in one day would be paid overtime for the additional time/hours they worked that day, regardless of how many hours they worked in the course of the week. For employers or employees who like the flexibility of longer or shorter days, based on their staffing or personal life needs, this bill would limit any choice that they now enjoy. HB 2994 - Public/Private Projects Subject to Prevailing Wage: Oppose This bill grants too much authority to the Labor Commissioner by giving him the authority to determine whether projects are public works for which the payment of prevailing wages are required. The bill has a $750,000 threshold and would raise the cost of construction projects enormously for community projects that are created with public/private partnerships. This bill could have huge financial implications for the City of Albany/YMCA project and other businesses that receive enterprise zone or grant money from local and state governments. Corporate Minimum Tax: Monitoring Currently there are at least 5 pieces of legislation being tossed around in Salem relating to the corporate minimum tax with all of them having a substantial adverse effect on Oregon businesses. The tax on gross sales has received the most attention as it is the most dangerous, since gross sales has nothing to do with how much net income a business makes. The GAC will continue to monitor any proposals for increases in the corporate minimum tax. Health Insurance Costs: Monitoring Comprehensive health care reform may finally have reached the level where legislators will work together to flush out a system of health care delivery for Oregonians that is quantifiable. Former Gov. Kitzhaber, a Senate Committee on Health Care Reform and many others are working together to see if an affordable comprehensive health care plan is really possible. Albany Community Leadership Roundtable Speaks to Congressional Leadership
Was the trip a success? By all accounts YES! With each visit the delegation learned they had the full support of the Oregon Congressional leadership and each will be advocating and working on behalf of Albany for the appropriations. Does it take time? Yes! Each requested appropriation will be debated by various committees as they finalize their budgets with final decisions made in July or August. The Secure Rural Schools one-year authorization bill has been placed in the Emergency Supplemental budget with congressional and presidential approval pending. Will the Roundtable delegation go to D.C. again? Yes! There is enormous strength in working together and having everyone speak with one voice for our community's strategic priorities both locally and in D.C. building relationships. 
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