May 4, 2006
New York Day in Washington—ROOM CHANGE
There has been a room change for Thursday morning’s Congressional Breakfast and Briefing—the new location is RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, ROOM B-339. Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Pataki’s Director of Federal Affairs, Jim Mazzarella will headline the breakfast, beginning promptly at 8:00 AM. Please arrive by 7:45 AM.
Special thanks to the New York Day in Washington planning committee: Garry Douglas (Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber), Deb Warner (Greater Syracuse Chamber), Peter Aust, (The Chamber of Southern Saratoga Co.), Nancy Ploeger (Manhattan Chamber), and Wally Hart (Fulton Co. Regional Chamber). The team at the Greater Syracuse Chamber—Deb Warner and Stephanie Roehm—have outdone themselves again with handling the top-notch Legislative Reception on Wednesday evening. CANYS is grateful!
Floor vote expected within days on Small Business Health Plans
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote this week on S.1955, The Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act, sponsored by Senators Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.). It would authorize creation of Small Business Health Plans (previously known as Association Health Plans, or AHPs). SBHPs would allow small businesses to band together across state lines to purchase group health insurance.
Recent media articles on SBHPs include the following:
Opposition to Health Care Bill Gains Momentum - Fox News
AARP joint press release against S.1955
American Hotel and Lodging Association article
Tampa Bay Business Journal article
Real property transfer taxes
A note from The Business Council: A coalition of environmental groups have included authorization of town-level real property transfer taxes as one of their four post-budget "super bills" for 2006. The so-called "Community Preservation Act," S.3153 (Marcellino)/A.6450-A (DiNapoli), would authorize townships to impose (through referendum) new real property transfer taxes for purpose of raising funds for open-space preservation.
Many businesses and local business groups have opposed this bill, as it would add to our overall tax burden, and drive up housing prices that – in many parts of the state – are already having an adverse impact on the local economy.
New York State already devotes nearly $70 million a year to open space preservation through the EPF. We believe that if local jurisdictions wish to make additional funds available for purchase of open space, they should do so by re-prioritizing spending, not imposing additional taxes.
This bill has already passed the Assembly, and is in the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.
Click on these links to the Business Council's memo in opposition, and the bill text. For more information, please feel free to contact Ken Pokalsky at The Business Council: 518-465-7511.
Tell us about it
Nancy Conley at the Orchard Park Chamber needs your help: "The IRS is auditing our 2003 financial records and is scrutinizing the income from our health insurance programs. In filing our tax returns, we treat this income as unrelated business expense and reduce it to a loss by applying staff time and other expenses that we incur with the program. (We do not have a separate foundation.) Our CPA asked me to check with other chambers, since a number have been audited, to see if they also file this as unrelated income on the 990T, or if anyone has successfully considered it related income, since it is a major reason that a large percentage of members join chambers." E-mail Nancy at: nconley@orchardparkchamber.com
Congratulations to Nancy Amy of the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce on her promotion from Executive Assistant to Vice President of Operations.
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.
