Policy Platform   

Federal Issues

Immigration
The Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce will support legislative action that:

Creates a guest worker program that is comprehensive, addressing both future economic needs for workers and the status of undocumented workers already in the United States and includes a proper process in which to keep track.

Strengthens national security by providing for thorough screening of foreign workers and creating strong disincentives for illegal immigration.

Creates an employment verification system that is fast and reliable for employers and those seeking employment.  

Ensures that all workers enjoy the same labor law protections. Only by bringing undocumented workers out of the shadows can we protect them from unscrupulous employers who might exploit them.

Ensure all documented workers, those trying to become permanent residents/citizen, can demonstrate knowledge of the English language and American civic requirements.

State Issues

ADA Lawsuit Abuse
Support reforms that help businesses comply with the access requirements in the American Disabilities Act (ADA).

Support measures that reduce frivolous ADA lawsuits on businesses.

Air Quality
Support measures that promote a voluntary market-based air quality programs (i.e. grants, emissions trading, tax incentives and vehicle scrappage).

Provide recommendations that offset the cost of imposing more expensive measures on both mobile and stationary sources

Support alternative energy measures that give businesses reasonable choices.

Airport
Monitor the economic impact of fee increases at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport .

Support policies that maintain the necessary expansion and maintenance of a inspection facility at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport .

City and County Budget
Oppose tax increases, especially in the areas of sales tax and business utility taxes.

Monitor future implementation of the public works project from the City of Fresno , "No Neighborhood Left Behind" program.

Monitor City and County efforts to consolidate services.

Monitor the continuing implementation of the General Plans.

Class Action Fairness
Provide recommendations and monitor reforms of the state class action system to ensure timely compensation for plaintiffs when real harm is demonstrated and offer protection against the frivolous lawsuits.

Development Fees
Monitor policies that impact the greater Fresno area development fees to ensure economic vitality.

Education
Support an educational system that prepares people for jobs and careers.

Support programs encouraging or enabling internships for youths.

Support and promote programs that provide incentives for local companies to hire vocational students.

Eminent Domain
Support private property rights and the use of eminent domain as a last resort.  

Energy
Support policies that include coordinating grid management with other Western States.

Support market reform with policies that enable and encourage investments in new generation by utility and non-utility participants in order to assure adequate supply and capacity.

Support measures that initiate the full cost recovery for utilities to ensure utilities are fiscally sound and not at risk of bankruptcy.

Support measures that invest in new transmission and transmission upgrades.

Support policies that are dedicated to both load reduction and the use of renewable energy.

Support measures that lower the price of energy paid by customers.

Government-Mandated Wages
Support free market determination of wages for all employees.

Support unbundling exempt salaries from minimum wage increases.

Support the elimination of daily overtime.

Support considering tips in calculating minimum wages.

Support flexibility for employers and employees to mutually set meal and break periods and a flexible workweek.

Health Care
Oppose measures that create a mandatory, tax-funded, government-operated health insurance programs.

Oppose employer-mandated health coverage and work to preserve the current voluntary employer-provided health care coverage system.

Support legislation that allows employers to offer a minimum benefit plan, enabling small employers and their employees to buy health care coverage at a more affordable price.

Support measures that implement a moratorium on benefit mandates.

Support measures that streamline government regulations to increase efficiency and reduce overall administrative burdens.

Monitor state funding for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to providers of health care and fight future attempts to further cut current reimbursement rates.

Support measures that promote wellness and disease management education programs.

Oppose measures that place unfunded mandates on hospitals.

High Speed Rail
Support a High-Speed Rail Train System concept for intercity travel in California only when funding does not increase taxes or bond expenditures. Monitor any funding mechanisms as they relate to High Speed Rail.

Highway 99
Support efforts to achieve interstate designation for Highway 99

Housing
Monitor recommendations that increase the supply of housing to meet the state’s housing needs and support policies that reduce the cost of building housing.

Land Use
Monitor policies that promote future land development to ensure Fresno ’s business attraction and retention.

Monitor policies that ensure a regional balance to employment and housing needs with natural resource and agricultural land preservation.

Monitor measures that protect “traditional tribal cultural sites” and provide a fair and balanced approach to decision-making that impacts property and livelihood.

Monitor land use, planning, housing and zoning issues that impact the Fresno business community.

Paid Family Leave
Support measures that reduce the confusion and conflicts between current state and federal leave laws and the new paid family leave program to the maximum extent possible.

Review proposals to suspend the state’s new paid family leave law and to have an auditor review the plans for funding the program to ensure the actual costs of the program are covered.

Support policies that enact a small employer exemption from the Family Temporary Disability Insurance (FTDI) program.

Political Action/Campaign Financing
Support Chamber programs to identify, recruit and educate candidates for local offices, without regard to political affiliation.

Support efforts to make California elections more competitive by reforming the highly politicized process of drawing legislative and congressional districts.

Oppose policies that spend taxpayer dollars on political campaigns.

Oppose policies that assess a tax or other fees on businesses to fund political campaigns.

Redevelopment
Support responsible and quality redevelopment of areas that are convincingly proven and documented as blighted and suffering from environmental decay that severely lags in economic vitality compared to the surrounding community.

The burdens of blight upon a community should not be a physical and economic liability for a city, with no prospect of improvement since private enterprise acting alone cannot reverse a City’s patterns of decay.

The health, safety and general welfare of an entire blighted community should be supported by a comprehensive redevelopment plan.

Since the existence of blight is the cornerstone for the entire redevelopment concept, we all can agree that the elimination of blight is in the public interest. A precise accounting and documentation of the blight encountered must be of the highest standard and care.  
Those redevelopment agencies meeting the requirements of law and properly meeting the state’s goal of eliminating blight should not be penalized by having needed redevelopment tools removed.

State Budget
Monitor and provide state budget recommendations ensuring a healthy economy, government efficiency, require fiscal responsibility, and make California competitive.  

Telecommunications
Continue monitoring recommendations to policymakers and telecommunications providers and regulators to continue examination of telecommunications regulations, structure, and developments in California ’s marketplace.

Tourism
Support efforts to promote tourism relative to promoting conventions for Fresno .

Support a stronger relationship between the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County (EDC) and the City and County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) to advertise and enhance the image of the Fresno region.

Support the creation of a greater program to market local businesses to convention attendees.

Support efforts to encourage the Convention and Visitors Bureau to establish a strategic plan for promoting tourism.

Support the increase of community awareness as to the value of tourism to our economy.

Support efforts to increase funding for the Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote tourism and to recruit conventions to our community.

Transportation
Support measures that provide solutions that repair the state and regional transportation infrastructure.

Support the development of transportation infrastructure to accommodate future economic and population growth.

Unemployment Insurance
Monitor recommendations that address the UI Trust Fund’s solvency crises and stimulates the economy.

Support measures implementing structural reforms to the UI system to help offset higher employer UI taxes caused by the recent enactment of multi-year UI benefit increases.  

Unfair Competition Law
Support reform measures that rein in predatory legal practices. Support policies that protect businesses and consumers from unfair business practices.

Water
Monitor reforms and provide recommendations to develop more water storage and an improved conveyance system to move water throughout the state more efficiently.

Monitor policies that improve water quality in a cost effective manner.

Monitor policies that promote safe, clean, high quality, adequate and reliable water supplies supporting the needs of economic growth and quality of life in the Central Valley .

Workers Compensation
Monitor reforms and provide recommendations on future workers’ compensation reform measures to reduce financial impact to businesses.