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Healthcare Debate Takes Center Stage in Washington
With members of Congress back to work after a month-long August recess, the single issue dominating headlines is the healthcare reform debate. Two weeks ago, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, unveiled his long awaited healthcare plan.
The Baucus plan does not include a “public option,” which many Senate Democrats say must be included in any healthcare legislation. Leading business organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers, have opposed the public option. Interestingly, not one Senate Republican backed the Baucus proposal. With the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy, Senate Democrats must convince at least one Republican to join them if they have any hopes of passing healthcare reform in the U.S. Senate and gaining the necessary 60 votes to end a likely filibuster.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Bruce Josten said, “We applaud the provisions in this bill that will lower healthcare costs, increase coverage and improve the quality of care. These range from fairly regulating the insurance market to enacting tax parity for small businesses and the self employed. We strongly support allowing plans to be sold nationally and allowing individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines. This bill does not contain a government-run ‘public option,’ and the Congressional Budget Office has certified it as the first comprehensive health reform bill that will actually bend the cost curve and get healthcare costs under control.”
Josten continued, “However, we have grave concerns over the vast array of new taxes contained in the bill. This bill creates a new tax on benefits that may well spiral out of control to become the next Alternative Minimum Tax. It taxes prescriptions, insurance policies, medical devices, clinics and labs… and all of these taxes will increase costs for employers and workers. The bill does not contain health courts or any other meaningful medical liability reform. Not to mention, the bill creates a massive new entitlement in the form of insurance credits that will burden taxpayers now and in the future. Overall, the bill still needs tremendous improvement.”
Otis Rawl, president and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, was able to speak with many members of the South Carolina congressional delegation during the August recess. Rawl spoke with congressional representatives about healthcare reform, cap-and-trade legislation and the Employee Free Choice Act. See what your congressman had to say about the issues facing business.
NAM Urges Senate to support EPA "Time Out" from Regulating Greenhouse Gases
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) sent a Key Vote letter to U.S. senators last week urging them to support an amendment by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing an “endangerment finding” for carbon dioxide in an attempt to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG) under the Clean Air Act.
Specifically, Sen. Murkowski’s amendment would prohibit the EPA from regulating emissions from stationary sources, such as power plants and industrial facilities, for one year. “The EPA is trying to use the Clean Air Act as a blunt instrument," said NAM Executive Vice President Jay Timmons. "An endangerment finding with no guidance from Congress would only impose overly burdensome compliance costs on the manufacturing sector and limit its ability to deploy advanced technologies, which will be necessary to deal effectively with the challenges posed by GHG emissions. This would undermine the objectives for any rational federal climate policy.”
The NAM supports a comprehensive, federal climate policy change within a framework that will cause no economic harm while granting sufficient time to deploy low-carbon technologies, such as carbon capture and sequestration, renewable energy and large-scale deployment of nuclear power plants. The NAM believes this is an issue that must be debated by Congress without pre-emption from a federal agency. Click here to read more.
Rawl, Rex Encourage Businesses to Increase Student Learning Opportunities
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce President Otis Rawl and South Carolina Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex are teaming up to encourage businesses statewide to increase the number of extended learning opportunities available for students, namely internships and apprenticeships. Students need extended learning activities related to their chosen career clusters and majors. Read a letter from Chamber President Otis Rawl and Dr. Jim Rex.
Forbes Publisher, Ports Authority President to Speak at Annual Summit
The 30th Annual Summit is November 12 at the Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms. The Summit theme, South Carolina Business: Leading the Economic Evolution, captures the essence of what all businesses are thinking about today – jobs and the economy. The agenda features many speakers discussing these issues and what we as a state can do moving forward.
In addition, the 30th annual edition of South Carolina Business magazine will be unveiled. The November edition features the 2010 Business Directory. For as little as $82 to $280 a month, you can market your business to more than 36,000 potential customers. Advertising is still available, but space must be secured by this Friday. Contact Deidre Macklen for more information.
Jay Timmons of the National Association of Manufacturers will kick off the symposium with a federal issues update. Healthcare, energy and the Employee Free Choice Act will be discussed at length. Following Timmons, Jim Newsome of the South Carolina State Ports Authority will present his vision for the port and what his plan is for South Carolina's future.
The publisher of Forbes magazine, Rich Karlgaard, will deliver the keynote address during the Annual Summit dinner. There are still many sponsorship opportunities available, as well as individual rates to attend one or all functions. Click here for more information regarding the 30th Annual Summit.
State’s Top Manufacturers Honored with Silver Crescent Awards
Last week, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the Silver Crescent Foundation honored South Carolina's manufacturing community at the Salute to Manufacturing. Held at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (SIMT) in Florence, hundreds of attendees gathered to honor the successes of South Carolina's manufacturers. The following manufacturers were honored as 2009 South Carolina Silver Crescent Manufacturer of the Year Award winners:
Small Employer - Packaging Corporation of America
Medium Employer - Sandvik Valenite
Large Employer - Alcoa Mt. Holly
Click here to watch videos about each award winner.
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