Legislative Advocacy Committee

Tricia Baldwin, Reliable Contracting, Chairman 

Follows legislative issues affecting member businesses, develops and communicates Chamber positions to our State delegation, and plans events to promote business community interaction with local representatives.

Meets 1st Tuesday of every month at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber office

To contact, call Tricia Baldwin at (410) 987 0313, or email pbaldwin@reliablecontracting.com. For general information regarding committee involvement, you can reach the West County office by calling (410) 672 3422 or via email at info@westcountychamber.org

Key Accomplishments:

· Created comprehensive brochure outlining West County Chamber’s position on key issues, primarily in the areas of BRAC, Odenton Town Center development, and small business regulation and taxation.

· Through participation on the Maryland Chamber’ Legislative Committee, reviewed and took positions on over 200 bills affecting Maryland businesses while identifying those of special interest to the West County community.

· Developed and presented position statements before legislative committees on bills affecting BRAC revitalization zones, transit-oriented development, and transit financing.

· Testified in the House Health & Government Operations Committee against a bill that would have imposed a 2% payroll tax on all Maryland employers, regardless of whether they currently offer health insurance, to fund a massive healthcare bureaucracy.

· Represented business interests at the Patients for Physicians Rally in Annapolis, speaking out for the impact on small businesses of rising health insurance costs, lack of access, and increasing co-pays and deductibles.

· Hosted a successful Multi-Chamber Legislative Mixer pre-session, allowing Chamber members to visit in small groups with local legislators and councilmembers. Feedback from elected officials was that they were very appreciative of the format and would like to repeat the event in future years.

· For the first time in several years, a number of Board members attended the Maryland Chamber’s Business Day in Annapolis, as well as the Congressional Dinner. We hope this will become part of our annual plan.

Goals for 2009:

· Streamline the Legislative Committee’s process for reviewing bills during the session so that Claire has feedback prior to Maryland Chamber Legislative Committee meetings, with weekly committee meetings following to review bills identified as West County priorities and develop follow-up plans.

· Host another Multi-Chamber Legislative Mixer with small-group gatherings to encourage substantive conversation between members and their elected officials.

· Increase involvement by the Board at Maryland Chamber advocacy events, such as Business Day in Annapolis and the Congressional Dinner.