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Business Advocacy & Government Affairs Staff
Sherry Menor-McNamara
Vice President
(808) 545-4300, x394
smenor-mcnamara@cochawaii.org
Ian Robertson
Policy Analyst
(808) 545-4310
irobertson@cochawaii.org
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June 04, 2008
Volume I, Issue 12
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 Unfinished Business, "Healthy Workforce" Survey, Chamber Committees...
This issue provides detailed descriptions on ongoing legislation, such as the workers' compensation bills and the California Container Tax bill, an upcoming "Healthy Workforce" forum, as well as how to get involved in a Chamber committee to effect change. Please refer to the subsequent sections for detailed information.
Your participation this session was instrumental in the outcomes of some of the bills the Chamber tracked. Although the Legislative Session ended, work is still ongoing. Your Chamber has been actively advocating against legislation, such as the workers' compensation bills, which are currently under the Governor's consideration, and the California Container Tax bill.
Equally important, however, is your voice in the legislative process. You have the POWER to make a difference. We encourage you to continue to participate in the process.
If you are familiar with the issues, below is a shortcut to take action on some active issues. It will take less than a couple of minutes for you to complete the information.
For the bills, click 'Take Action'. It's a simple 3 step process: 1) Fill out your contact information 2) A pre-written message has been provided. However, please do not forget to complete the requested information in brackets in the 'Compose Your Message' section 3) Click send!
WORKERS' COMPENSATION BILLS
Take Action
CALIFORNIA CONTAINER TAX BILL
Take Action (letter to Governor Lingle and congressional leaders)
Take Action (letter to the Governor of California)
Or, go to the Chamber's Legislative Action Center to see all active issues (click here).
"HEALTHY WORKFORCE" SURVEY
Take the Survey
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail smenor-mcnamara@cochawaii.org. Thank you for your valuable time and support! PARTICIPATE: ENHANCE YOUR STANCE!
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TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
Time is running out to take action on the California Container Tax Bill (SB 974). The latest is that the legislation might soon be sent to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature - and while he vetoed this bill once before, a signature this time around is rumored to be more likely.
IT WILL TAKE LESS THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES FOR YOU TO TAKE ACTION AND FIGHT THE $68 MILLION BILL.
Click 'Take Action' next to each name below. It's a simple 3 step process: 1) Fill out your contact information 2) A pre-written message has been provided, which asks for a veto of the bill or at least for the measure to exempt Hawaii trade. Please don't forget to complete the requested information in brackets in the 'message box' 3) Click send!
1) Governor Lingle and Hawaii's congressional leaders (***TAKE ACTION***)
2) Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (***TAKE ACTION***)
If you have any questions about the measure or how to use the system, please contact Sherry at smenor-mcnamara@cochawaii.org. Let's show a united front against this harmful bill.
BACKGROUND
Last year, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii advocated against a bill that was going through the California State Legislature. SB 974, also known as the California Container Tax bill, imposed a $30 tax on each 20 ft. container. This came out to approximately $68 million on consumers in Hawaii.
At the request of Gov. Schwarzenegger, the author of the bill, Senator Lowenthal held the bill until this session. Despite hundreds of opponents from Hawaii, California and around the nation, the bill has gone through the senate, and is waiting on the Assembly floor to be sent to the governor.
Unfortunately, the estimated $68 million imposed by SB 974 is also in addition to other local taxes and fees that have already been approved on containers moving to and from California's ports to Hawaii which will begin to take effect this October and onward. Altogether, we could face over $100 million in additional taxes to ship goods to and from our state imposed by the State and local port authorities in California.
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An "Action Alert" was sent last week on three workers' compensation bills that are under consideration by the Governor. Thank you to those who have responded to the alerts and sent letters to the Governor. However, we need more voices from the business community. It will take less than a couple of minutes to TAKE ACTION.
These bills, if passed, could potentially increase the cost of workers' compensation premiums, unfairly remove employers' rights, and delay the recovery or delivery of services.
These three bills are (to view the bill, status, and committee report, click the bill no.):
HB 2386 - Uninterrupted Total Temporary Disability Payments
HB 2388 - Uninterrupted Medical Treatment
HB 2929 - Independent Medical Examination
She has until June 23 to submit to the Legislature a list of bills that she intends to veto. If these bills are not on the list, she will be unable to veto the bill by the July 8 deadline.
If you have any questions or need details as to how these bill will impact you, please e-mail smenor-mcnamara@cochawaii.org. Thank you for your time and support.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION!
http://www.votervoice.net/Groups/CCHI/Advocacy/?IssueID=14528&SiteID=-1
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 Are your health care premiums increasing? Worksite wellness programs are gaining popularity across the nation. From small businesses to big businesses, these programs are being implemented to alleviate the high costs of health care.
Find out how to start a worksite wellness program, what other companies are doing with their programs, and how these programs are helping with the bottom line as well as improving the overall health of their workforce.
On October 1, 2008, the Health Issues Committee of The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii will be sponsoring a symposium on "A Healthy Workforce" which will focus on how to start a worksite wellness program. In preparation for this symposium, we would like your feedback to ensure that what we offer will best address your needs. To help us, please take a moment to answer a few questions.
Click here to take the survey. |
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JOIN A CHAMBER COMMITTEE
As a member of The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, YOU can effect positive change for the business community of Hawaii.
Join one of the Chamber's committees today. Here is your opportunity to help set the organization's agenda and work with other business leaders to address critical issues, represent members' interests, and improve the state's overall business climate.
Listed below are some of the Chamber's committees.
- Armed Services
- Education
- Environmental Affairs
- Health Issues
- Human Resources
- Land Use and Land Transportation
- Maritime Affairs
- Military Affairs
- Small Business
- Tax
- Tourism and Air Transportation
Committees generally meet once a month for about an hour and a half.
For a complete listing of committee descriptions, click here. If you are interested in joining a committee(s) and would like additional information, please contact Sherry at (808) 545-4300, x394.
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