August 4, 2005
CANYS 2005 membership programming survey . . .
What do you look for in CANYS conferences? Seen a great speaker lately? Would you rather drive an hour for a membership retention seminar or a workshop on life/work balance? The CANYS Board and its committees need your valuable answers to these questions.
Your survey responses will help provide constructive programming for upcoming meetings and events. We appreciate your feedback.
The Shirtsleeves Session – back by popular demand . . .
Spend an afternoon with CANYS at the Sagamore before the Business Council’s Annual Meeting. Don’t miss the CANYS Shirtsleeves Session on Wednesday, September 21 from 3–5 p.m. One of the most highly-rated sessions of the January Conference is back ... with warmer weather and all new challenges!
The program kicks off with a brainstorming session on promoting "Made in New York State" goods and educating our members on opportunities to expand their businesses state-wide. Where the conversation goes from there is up to you! Whether you’re change-managing at your chamber, trying to find some non-dues revenue to close your budget, or simply need some confidential advice from somebody who’s "been there," the Shirtsleeves Session will help you tackle your most pressing problems in chamber management.
CANYS has some of the most diverse, experienced and creative chamber folks in the country – tap into that knowledge and power to benefit your chamber.
Not attending the full Annual Meeting? Come join CANYS for the afternoon! Contact maggie.moree@bcnys.org for seminar-only registration.
New York Day in Washington is May 10-11, 2006 . . .
Block your calendar for Wednesday and Thursday, May 10-11, as CANYS takes its members and their agenda to Capitol Hill for this annual advocacy event. The Hamilton Crowne Plaza in Washington, DC, has been selected as this year’s hotel, with rooms blocked at a special CANYS rate of $199.
Descriptions of the hotel can be found here: www.hamiltoncrowneplazawashingtondc.com/. More information, including registration and booking details, will be available in the coming months. Plan ahead for New York Day in Washington 2006.
SAFETEA-LU passes Congress, AHPs pass House . . .
Twenty-two months after the expiration of TEA-21, both the House and Senate have approved H.R. 3, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
The bill provides $226.2 billion for highways and $52.2 billion for public transportation. The legislation also includes almost $20 billion in high priority and discretionary program projects. SAFETEA-LU increases funding for constructing and improving the nation's highways by 30 percent over TEA-21. A full version of the bill is located on the House Rules Committee Web site: www.house.gov/rules.
The House passed its Association Health Plan legislation, H.R. 525, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, on July 26th. Its companion bill, S. 406, is still in Senate committee.
AHPs are being re-branded as Small Business Health Plans (SBHPs) as the chairman of the relevant Senate committee is drafting compromise language to be added to S. 406. Published reports indicate that Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) wants AHPs/SBHPs to be regulated by state insurance departments, among other things. Legislative analysts expect to see the draft language sometime in September.
AHP/SBHP legislation has passed the House several times, but remains stalled in the Senate. For differing views on the passage of AHP/SBHP legislation, see the statements by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and the National Association of Realtors.
May the flock be with you . . .
Peter Aust of The Chamber of Southern Saratoga County was this year's CANYS Institute Scholarship winner. Here, he reports back from his third-year session in mid-July.
"May the Flock be with You." That's the motto of our class at this year's Central Mountain Institute of Organization Management in Colorado Springs. Please accept my sincere appreciation to CANYS and the Scholarship Committee for the financial support that allowed me to continue on the path to receiving my IOM designation in 2007. In this second year with my fellow "flockers," I walked away with experiential knowledge, cutting-edge ideas and employable skills that I've been able to inculcate into our organization to various degrees almost immediately. This ability to "bring home the bacon" from Institute is one of the many reasons why we should all consider investing ourselves or our key staff in this trade-specific professional development program. Not only that, the lifelong friendships one develops and the "improved dancing skills" one gains at the local party hangout is truly added value! "Flock On!"
U.S. Chamber’s Eastern Region GAC conference . . .
The U.S. Chamber’s Eastern Region Governmental Affairs conference is scheduled for Wednesday to Friday, October 5-7, in Boston, MA. The three-day conference includes a session on message development and the 2006 elections by researcher Frank Luntz; a session on the "new politics of business" by George Washington University Professor Jarol Manheim; issue updates and more.
The conference will be held at the Boston Park Plaza hotel. Registration information (including online registration) is available on the U.S. Chamber Web site at: www.uschamber.com/events/ViewEvent.htm?eventID=347. Please contact Megan Tucker at 401-831-8885 or mtucker@uschamber.com with any questions.
Tell us About it . . .
Congratulations to David Cordeau of the Greater Syracuse Chamber, who has accepted a Destiny Team Executive position with DestiNY USA. His last day at the chamber will be August 12th. More details are available in this news article.
Multiple congratulations for the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber: Anthony Gentile has recently been hired as a Membership Development Associate; and Prudence Mollica has been hired as a Job Mentor.
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 Margaret Moree at margaret.moree@bcnys.org.
