Cobb Chamber of Commerce

Cobb Chamber of Commerce 2010 Legislative Agenda 

KEY ISSUES 

• Transportation
  Transportation Funding
  Our region is facing an enormous shortfall in available transportation dollars. The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) estimates 2 million more people will move to this region by 2030. The state gas tax, which does not grow with inflation, is not keeping pace with the number of vehicles on the roads and Georgia has a funding shortfall in the billions of dollars. Our region is the fastest growing in the country yet we are ranked as having the second worst traffic and next to last in per capita spending. A new funding source is a high necessity. The Cobb Chamber stands with the Get Georgia Moving Coalition, The Georgia Chamber, the Regional Business Coalition and several other metro chambers in support of legislation that provides for new funding sources, including regional solutions. 
   
  
• Water
  Expansion and Construction of New Water Reservoirs
  Water storage is a critical component of mitigating the effects of future droughts. The Cobb Chamber supports construction of new reservoirs and access to loans at the local level that will increase the availability of more drinking water. Cobb County in the face of severe state-wide water shortages has emerged as a leader in the state on water conservation methods and practices. The Chamber supports these and future efforts to be good stewards of our precious resources.
  
  
• Healthcare 
  Trauma
  One key component in attracting and maintaining businesses in the greater Atlanta area is access to appropriate healthcare.   The Cobb Chamber supports creating a sustainable funding source for existing trauma centers in Georgia, as well as creating incentives to add trauma providers to the network so that all Georgians will have access to this lifesaving health service.
  
  Preserving Funding for Health Care Providers
  Healthcare providers, including hospitals and physicians, are often economic engines in a community—bringing access to health and wellness as well as serving as major employers.  Hospitals in Cobb County serve all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.  With this in mind, it is critical to ensure that healthcare providers receive appropriate reimbursement from Medicaid and PeachCare.
  The Cobb Chamber opposes reductions in healthcare reimbursement levels, which are already less than the cost of providing services.
  
  Hospital Taxation
  The Cobb Chamber supports evaluating options for generating new revenue to lessen the impact of our state’s continued economic challenges.   However, the Cobb Chamber opposes imposing taxes on hospitals to underwrite the cost of the state Medicaid program or other programs.  Taxation on healthcare is not a suitable source of revenue for the state and could increase the overall cost of healthcare.
  
  Civil Justice Reform
  With passage of SB 3 in 2005, Georgia’s liability insurance market became much more favorable for the business community as well as healthcare providers.  The Cobb Chamber supports efforts to maintain the provisions passed in SB 3 and will oppose efforts to weaken these laws.
  
  
• Technical and Higher Education
  Adequate Funding of Chattahoochee Technical College
  The Cobb Chamber supports the full formula funding of Chattahoochee Technical College, which grew by 29% this Fall and which is critical to a trained workforce for Cobb business and industry. This additional one-year growth of 2,000 students—to a total of 11,000—means that CTC also has an urgent need to secure state funding for the proposed Transportation, Logistics, and Manufacturing Center, which will house programs that are critical to the future of those industries.
  
  Adequate Funding of Southern Polytechnic State University
  The Cobb Chamber supports the full formula funding of the University System of Georgia (USG) which includes both Southern Polytechnic State University and Kennesaw State University.  Southern Polytechnic has experienced 36% enrollment growth over the past four years, increasing their student enrollment to over 5200.   The Cobb Chamber supports capital outlay of $1.1 million in equipment money for SPSU’s new Engineer Technology Center which will house core engineering and engineering technology departments at SPSU.  
   
  Expanded funding formula for Kennesaw State University
  The Cobb Chamber supports expanded formula funding for Kennesaw State University, which continues its rapid enrollment growth and physical plant expansion. KSU has the third-largest enrollment (22,389 students for fall 2009) among all public universities in Georgia, and is one of the fastest-growing institutions in the state’s University System. Cobb County citizens comprise more than a third of KSU’s student body. However, the University receives the lowest funding per full-time-equivalent student (FTE) of any university in the USG ($4,424 per FTE).  In fact, KSU’s funding level is lower than many of the state’s two-year and four-year colleges – with seven significantly smaller colleges receiving more funding than KSU.  This funding disparity is historical because Kennesaw State began as a two-year college.  However, KSU has long outgrown that status and is now a dynamic comprehensive, residential institution.  The university is on an upward trajectory with regard to reputation and enrollment, and currently offers more than 70 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including new doctorates in education, business and nursing.  
  
  Board of Regents Capital Projects Funding
  The Chamber also supports the $1.3 million funding request for Kennesaw State University in the Board of Regents Capital Projects priority list for fiscal year 2011.  These funds are for the design of a $20.7 million, 61,800 square-foot addition to the Bagwell College of Education building at KSU.  The much-needed addition will include 24 standard classrooms, three state-of-the-art model classrooms as well as faculty and staff offices.  The expansion will allow KSU to increase the number of teachers it produces.  Presently, Kennesaw State is second among USG institutions in the number of teachers it graduates each year, only 10 behind the University of Georgia.  This new facility will help the university meet the critical need for high-quality teachers in Cobb County and the state.
   
  
• K-12 Education Priorities
  Reinstate Full Funding Technical College Dual Enrollment Program
  The Cobb Chamber supports reinstating full funding for the school district’s dual enrollment program with local technical colleges. This program supports efforts to reduce dropout rates and provide a better-prepared work force.
  
  
• Taxes
  Local Sales Tax Collection
  The Cobb Chamber supports legislation to allow local governments to choose their preferred method of sales tax collection. Collecting local tax income in a more efficient manner could have an enormous impact on local and state-wide revenue. Propose legislation that would give city and county governments the option of conducting their sales tax collection themselves, outsourcing the collection duties to a private service, or continue to utilize the Department of Revenue (DOR) as their collection agency.
  
  
• Standing Issues
  Inventory Tax Exemption
  The Cobb Chamber of Commerce supports giving local Governments discretion on whether to lift the ad valorem tax on business inventory of goods remaining at the end of the year. Georgia’s neighboring states do not charge this tax.
  
  Tourism Development
  The Cobb Chamber of Commerce supports legislation providing for sales tax rebates for the construction of tourism developments that retain and grow tourism in Georgia.
  
  Small Business Health Care Insurance Incentives
  The General Assembly often considers legislation that will provide incentives for small business to offer healthcare insurance to its employees. The Cobb Chamber supports efforts to bring such incentives to the marketplace.
  
  Employee Free Choice Act Harmful to Business
  The Cobb Chamber of Commerce stands with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations in strong opposition to the misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act” soon to be considered in Congress. This legislation would be catastrophic to businesses large and small. The proposed law would take away the secret ballot, which would allow union organizers to intimidate, coerce, and retaliate against employees. Union bosses want to abolish elections in favor of a “card check” process that deprives workers of a fundamental democracy right. The union organizers would only have to obtain 50% plus one in signatures and the employer is then forced to unionize. The employer then has a matter of days to start negotiating and a few weeks to decide terms. During this time the employer cannot approach the employee. If the two sides cannot agree, the government appoints an arbitrator to decide wages, benefits, work rules, hours, etc. Under this legislation employee terms could be decided for employers by a government arbitrator. Economic development and business expansion in the 22 states that are right-to-work states, including Georgia, will be extremely harmed.
  
  
  Click here to view the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Legislative Agenda.