| October 10, 2003 TEA-21 Re-authorization . . .In anticipation of the September 30, 2003 expiration of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the successor to previous Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Acts (ISTEA), Congress authorized a five (5) month extension of the current legislation. The extension contains only a small increase in funding and does not address the long term planning needs of states and localities. TEA-21 is the largest public works bill in history, making available
to the states nearly $218 billion in Federal funding for highway,
highway safety and other programs over six years. New York's Congressional
delegation and its elected and appointed leaders are continuing
their efforts to insure the reauthorization of TEA-21 that reflects
New York's needs. During the next five months, New York State Commissioner
of Transportation Joseph Boardman and the "TEA-21 Reauthorization
Team", headed in Washington by former Assembly Minority Leader
John Faso, will work with Congress in reauthorizing the act. New
York's Senators and Representatives as well as Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee members Boehlert and Nadler will be working
to secure TEA-21 legislation that reflects the needs of New York
State. In conjunction with these efforts the "ISTEA Works
in New York Coalition", on which The Business Council serves,
will continue its education efforts to secure favorable TEA-21
legislation prior to its expiration in February 2004. For more
information on TEA-21 access: ISTEA Works in New York State Coalition: http://www.dot.state.ny.us/istea/index.html Association Health Plans: no Senate movement yet . . .In CANYS’s continuing effort to keep you informed about the Small Business Health Fairness Act, below are some articles you might find useful. If you have trouble with any of these links, please visit www.canys.org. If your chamber has strong feelings on either side of the debate, please be sure to share your views: maggie.moree@bcnys.org.
CANYS Legislative & Leadership Conference, January 20-21 . . .Make plans to attend the 2004 CANYS Legislative and Leadership Conference in Albany. The conference will kick off with The Business Council’s annual Legislators’ Reception on Tuesday, January 20th. CANYS programming will continue through the day on Wednesday, the 21st. The conference committee is currently discussing agenda items such as a chamber development workshop, a presentation on the Centers for Excellence, and a totally confidential "shirtsleeves" session on the difficult issues chambers face today. The committee is receiving new ideas for programming every day. To add your suggestions, e-mail maggie.moree@bcnys.org Tell us about it . . .Bill Guglielmo at the Rome Chamber needs your help: We provide staff services to four not-for-profit organizations ... and it's gotten to the point where we need to start charging for more than just supplies, postage, etc. We're reimbursed for those things ... but not for our "professional expertise!" Seriously, do you have any particular rule of thumb at your chamber for charging for your services? Is it by the hour? Flat fee? I would appreciate any help you might lend. Please send responses to wkg@romechamber.com Over the past year, many chamber executives have asked for feedback
on the interpretation of certain charter provisions, particularly
those dealing with political participation and advocacy. In order
to provide the best information for chambers needing perspective
when trying something new, we need your advice! Does your certificate
of incorporation make mention of political activism? If so, how
is the section worded? How do you interpret it? And have you ever
re-defined your powers to allow for growth or reduction in chamber
activities? Please e-mail responses to maggie.moree@bcnys.org |
