2014--Our Legislative Agenda Is Based on Pro-Business Public Policy
Recently, the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce adopted a platform of state and federal legislative priorities for 2014 that it helped craft with other chambers in the state through the Arizona Chamber Executives. This legislative agenda provides common goals on pro-business public policy for chambers to advocate for together and will build upon the successes we saw last year.
The
agenda pushes for fiscal policies that will attract new investments and
bring jobs to Arizona. Last year saw many businesses relocate to
Arizona because of its conducive environment, a trend we continue to
encourage in 2014. Advancing a successful business climate will also
include advocating for policies that help make our state education
system the most attractive by producing graduates who are career-ready
and capable of competing on a global scale.
The
chambers will oppose any legislation that would reduce rural economic
development capacity and impair tourism dollars. We will also support
legislation that explores more public-private partnerships that would
increase industry productivity and reduce the dependency on state funds.
Most importantly, Arizona chambers will advocate for a balanced budget
to ensure there are no unjustified taxes imposed on our families and
businesses that would hinder economic vitality.
We
will also support legislation that will continue to highlight Arizona
as an attractive place to invest federal and corporate research dollars.
Our first-rate public universities have helped make Arizona a hub for
vital study in areas such as national research. It is our goal to
continue to attract these investments that will help grow our
universities, educate our students, and infuse our economy with the
outputs.
Building
upon our successful restoration and expansion of our state Medicaid
program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), in
2014 we will advocate for legislation and policies that maximize the
number of individuals receiving health insurance while also being
fiscally responsible. We will also oppose any efforts by the federal
government to reduce funding to AHCCCS that would cause a cost shift to
the private sector.
At
the federal level, we will continue in 2014 to push for a comprehensive
immigration reform bill to be passed by the House of Representatives
and signed by President Obama. Such legislation would provide for visa
reform, reinforce education attainment and contribute to the overall
economic vitality of the state of Arizona. It would also support
policies to properly seal our porous borders, respond to the needs of
the economy, and address the issue of illegal immigrants already in the
United States. Legislation such as this passed the U.S. Senate in 2013
through the leadership of our Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake. We
will call on our House delegation to do the same.
We
will work to ensure that in 2014 any legislation that addresses climate
change does so without transferring wealth out of our state or
artificially increasing the costs for energy producers or consumers. For
Flagstaff this means working to protect the Navajo Generating Station
(NGS) from burdensome new regulations that threaten to eliminate over
1,000 jobs and drive up our utility costs.
Finally,
with regards to the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), we will
continue to work with Senators McCain and Flake and Arizona’s entire
Congressional delegation to monitor the progress of this vitally
important project. In 2013, we saw the 4FRI contract transfer to a new
company, Good Earth Power. Our Senators also advanced legislation that
will provide more tools to the U.S. Forest Service for fighting
dangerous wildfires. It will be key in 2014 for Arizona’s forests to
remain healthy so as to protect life and the economic output our forests
provide.
These
policies will form the basis for our advocacy efforts at the state and
federal levels, but as always, we remain committed to all issues and
advocate for any legislation that will be a benefit to our businesses,
strengthen our educational system, and grow our communities.
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