NCGA: Public Policy Update

What a crazy week it has been, both at the North Carolina General Assembly and around the country. The Chamber does want to send our thoughts and prayers out to all those affected in Massachusetts and Texas. You can see from the picture outside the NCGA that flags flew at half mast this week.

The NCGA reconvened on Monday, April 15 with the House passing the Asheville water legislation on a 72-39 vote. The legislation has now cleared the House and will head to the Senate. Legislation affecting Asheville continued into Tuesday with the Senate passing the Asheville ETJ bill (H224). This bill will take away the City of Asheville’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction area in Buncombe County. H224 had already passed the House and was later ratified and became law on Wednesday.

The other hot topic of the week was H589 or VIVA (Voter Information Verification Act). This bill will require photo identification for North Carolina voters and has been the source of great debate among the parties. The bill cruised through committee with Republican support and can be expected to appear on the House floor as early as next week.

The Chamber is also closely watching several education bills. The House’s version of education reform (H719), which would change teacher tenure cruised through with massive bipartisan support (113-1). The Chamber has also strongly advocated for local school board control of spending and has been closely watching S373, which would allow for more local control of budgets. This bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee with a favorable report and is heading to Appropriations.

Finally, the Chamber was thrilled at the Governor’s transportation announcement on Thursday. It appears that there is support both from legislative leadership and the executive office to change how road money is distributed in the state. This has the possibility of allowing for the I-26 Corridor Project to be completed at a faster pace. The Chamber believes that the I-26 Corridor is critical for the success of WNC business, and to prove the point the Chamber will be hosting a forum on the issue.

The I-26 Corridor Summit will take place on Thursday, May 9 from 8:15 AM until noon at the NC Arboretum. You can learn more about the event and register here.

Please feel free to contact the Chamber’s Public Policy department at anytime with questions or concerns at jjoyce@ashevillechamber.org.

Healthcare Forum Recap

The Chamber hosted a forum with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina to discuss and tackle the rising cost of health care in the United States, North Carolina, and specifically the Asheville Area.

The Chamber is committed to finding solutions to this problem and brought together King Prather, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina; Lou Bissette, President, McGuire,  Wood & Bissette; Tracy Buchanan, President & CEO, Care Partners  Health Services; Dr. Marc Westle, Sr. Vice President/Chief Innovation Officer, Mission Health System; and Vicki Banks, Director Benefits and Compensation, The Biltmore Company to discuss how business should address the rising cost of healthcare.

Blue Cross Blue Shield was quick to point out the fact that 75 percent of healthcare spending is on chronic disease that is preventable by losing weight, eating right, getting more exercise, and not using tobacco. Employers have the opportunity to educate and encourage their workforce to live healthy lifestyles and combat preventable chronic disease. This is a great way to begin driving down the cost of healthcare.

Other methods identified to help keep insurance costs down were ensuring employees have chosen a physician and make regular appointments. A personal physician is much more cost effective than using an emergency room.  Employers can also help keep cost down by providing time off for employees to make medical visits, as cutting down on cancelled appointments help keep cost down.

The Chamber desires to serve as a leader and convener on health care issues. Join us for our next forum related to healthcare solutions:  Weight of the Nation:  A Community Conversation about Obesity Solutions, Thursday, January 10^th from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Wilma M. Sherrill Center at UNC Asheville. 

And begin now to encourage employee wellness by aiming for a team in the Chamber Challenge 5K, scheduled for Friday, June 7^th at 4:30 p.m. 

Health and Wellness Forum

Date: Thursday, January 12th 2012
Time: 4:00pm to 5:30pm

Sponsored By: Crescent Health Solutions

Description:
Learn how your business can be the solution to Western North Carolina’s health care challenges. With the start of 2012 there is no greater time to learn how your workforce can improve overall health, increase productivity and cut cost. Make plans to join us on Thursday, January 12 from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. to hear from health experts and business leaders leading the way in wellness.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Meridith Elliott Powell of Motion First.

Panel Discussion:

Dr. Ron Paulus, President & CEO, Mission Hospital and Health System
Paul Vest, President & CEO, YMCA of Western North Carolina
Stephanie Emerson, Director of Firm Administration, Johnson, Price & Sprinkle
Katie Craig, Van Winkle Law Firm
Anne Thornhill, NC Prevention Partners

Space is limited. Register today.

For more information contact jjoyce@ashevillechamber.org

Public Policy Update: Congressman Shuler Meets with Chamber Members

The Asheville Chamber works hard to provide its members with opportunities to hear from, speak to, and network with elected officials.

Congressman Heath Shuler spent the morning of Monday, July 26, 2010 with 50 business leaders at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber hosted Congressman Shuler for a public policy forum allowing him to give his outlook on the political climate in Washington as well as hear concerns and ideas from the audience.

Congressmen Shuler is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, which is a group of conservative leaning Democrats. Shuler spoke of the group’s 15 step plan to balance the Federal budget, cut government spending and secure America’s future. To see the group’s plan click here.

Throughout the meeting, Congressman Shuler emphasized the idea that Washington politics are broken and operating with a system where the Federal Government is spending more money than they are bringing in. Congressman Shuler told the audience that debt and deficit spending were the key reason for this recession.

Congressman Shuler also used the time to hear ideas and concerns from his constituents. He expressed the importance of citizens contacting their representatives the minute they identify a potential problem. The Congressman made this statement as he referenced the United State’s mortgage crisis. Several audience members made policy suggestions, such as, Federal legislation to prohibit states from being able to offer outlandish incentives for economic development.

If you wish to contact Congressman Shuler you can do so through his website at
http://shuler.house.gov/.