November 4, 2004
More on the FCC faxing rules . . .
As reported in the last edition of Chamber Connection, the Federal Communications Commission has granted a new extension on the start date for proposed fax regulations. As the regulation currently stands, faxers must have written permission to fax commercial material to any recipient as of July 1, 2005.
Groups such as the American Society of Association Executives and the Fax Ban Coalition are continuing to push for passage of S.2603, federal legislation to restore the “established business relationship” provision. The EBR clause would allow legitimate, business-to-business and association-to-member fax communications without the need to gather signed consent. The coalition hopes that the Senate will consider the legislation during a lame duck session scheduled to begin on November 16.
If you are interested in weighing in on this issue, ASAE’s action alert can be reached here: http://capwiz.com/asae/issues/alert/?alertid=6096556
Vote for Jobs New York update . . .
To date, 31 chambers have signed on as Vote for Jobs Partners. Along with promoting the Vote for Jobs Index among their members, Partner Chambers have access to supplemental materials and support in the form of brochures, meeting visits and more. All Partner benefits are free of charge—and so is signing up! If your chamber would like to become a Vote for Jobs Partner, fill out and fax back this form. To view the index, visit: www.voteforjobsnewyork.com.
International connections . . .
The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce has offered to include
CANYS members in its outreach regarding international business opportunities.
Often, the chamber receives requests from foreign companies and delegations
to establish relationships with agricultural companies or manufacturers
that are not Manhattan-oriented, nor in the greater NYC area. If such
requests occur, MCC would like to send out an e-mail with the opportunities
to other chambers who might have members who would benefit from the connection.
If you would be interested in being on the outreach list, please send
your e-mail address to np@manhattancc.org
and you will be added. Please note that you will not be barraged with
e-mails but contacted only when a request pertains to businesses not on
the NYC radar screen.
In addition, MCC would encourage your companies to visit its marketplace
to look for buyers and sellers worldwide. Please see this
info sheet for more information on the MIDC and a sampling of successes.
Procurement news from ESD . . .
Empire State Development’s Procurement Assistance Program wants to let chambers know about the New York State Contract Reporter. The publication identifies state agencies and authorities that purchase products and services. It contains a seven-year archive of historical bid solicitations, and is searchable by keyword, agency and category. Subscriptions are $175 annually, and a free 30-day trial is available online at www.nyscr.org. ESD also offers to partner with chambers to put on procurement workshops for chamber businesses. For more information, call ESD at 518-292-5100.
Tell us about it . . .
Congratulations to Al Samuels of the Rockland Business Association! He is being honored with the Community Leadership Award from the Rockland County Association for the Learning Disabled at its Annual Awards dinner November 5th.
Debbie Auspelmyer of the Montgomery County Chamber recently asked if other chambers have examples of emergency plans and staff performance review forms she could use in formulating such documents for her chamber. This example from the Tompkins County Chamber was commended by the U.S. Chamber during the chamber’s accreditation process.
Got a question you’d like to ask other CANYS members? Job opening in your chamber? Great idea you’d like to share? Send it to maggie.moree@bcnys.org.
