Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce

2009 Legislative Policies

MISSION STATEMENT:

The mission of the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee is to develop legislative positions and proposed legislative changes that will benefit Chamber membership. The committee will work closely with Local, State and Federal elected officials to see that as many proposals as possible are implemented.

KEY PRINCIPLES:

BACC Government Affairs Committee works as a unified voice on issues that affect the business community. The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce:

Believes that any state or Federal mandates to localities should be fully funded.
Is for full funding for business-oriented programs such as the Enterprise Zone Program, Governor's Opportunity Fund, etc...
Supports continued tax restructuring as a primary means of finding permanent, long term solutions to meet our region's and the Commonwealth's growing transportation and education needs.
Supports Tort Reform.

TRANSPORTATION:

Virginia is facing a transportation crisis. Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce supports:

Maintenance of Virginia's current funding formula
A constitutional amendment to protect Virginia's Transportation Trust Fund

Appropriate investment increases in all modes of transportation, including proper maintenance and new construction of highways and bridges, air, transit, passenger and freight rail, roads, and intelligent transportation systems, with an emphasis on:

Highways/Bridges:

1. Fast-tracking U.S. 501 improvements

Route 612 to 0.5 mile north of Route 672
0.05 mile south of Route 672 to Route 652

2. Improvements to Route 122 between Bedford City and Hales Ford Bridge, including shoulder improvements and bridge improvements for safety.

3. Completion of the Route 29 by-pass around Charlottesville

4. Widening/improvements for I-81

5. Additional improvements on 460 Bypass, east of Lynchburg

Rail:

Initial implementation of the TransDominion Express (TDX) passenger rail Demonstration Service (east-west leg) from Southwest Virginia to Richmond through Roanoke, Bedford, and Lynchburg; to be rapidly followed by completion of the northern leg to Washington, D.C. from Lynchburg, through Charlottesville; and support for high speed rail in Virginia

Intermodal systems as they support freight and passenger rail.

Air:

Support state leadership initiatives on air service to maintain and enhance current levels of service at regional airports in Lynchburg and Roanoke

Safety:

Explore other alternatives to personal transportation.

Support other alternatives including broadband, park & ride, TDX, etc. (Enable people to telecommunicate without travel) in order to decrease the amount of traffic on the roads, relieve roadway maintenance and reduce emissions.

Support new initiatives for the purpose of reducing the number of automobile accidents in Bedford County.

Support transportation initiatives and organizations that provide needed transportation services to the community including Bedford Ride.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WORKFORCE, & REGIONAL COOPERATION:

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce is strongly committed to regional cooperation and economic development, and advocates the critical role that a skilled, globally competitive, workforce plays in these efforts. Programs which encourage investments in technology infrastructure, support regional economic development planning, promote regional workforce training, or otherwise promote cooperative city and county efforts to maintain or attract businesses are considered essential for the continued future economic development of the greater Bedford Area.

Enterprise Zone Programs:

Programmatic restructuring to provide sufficient funding to meet at least 90% of Enterprise Zone qualified and approved awards. (Funding for approved projects in 2005 was 61%, funding for 2006 was 59%.)

Clean-Green Manufacturing:

Encourage location of "Clean-Green" manufacturing plants and support the expansion of existing manufacturing business.

Workforce:

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes the vital importance of maintaining and developing new and innovative workforce development concepts to prepare local unemployed/underemployed citizens for job opportunities associated with the knowledge economy. The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce advocates:

Support for adequate funding for adult education.

Continued adequate funding of Workforce Services, currently through the Department of Business Assistance, and flexibility to use funds for training of new workers and re-training of existing workers.

Sustained funding for: Bedford Science and Technology Center, Roanoke Higher Education Authority, Central Virginia Community College, Roanoke County/Bedford Regional Alternative Education Center, Virginia Western Community College and all community college satellite facilities.

Support for flexibility in the use and leveraging of the federal Workforce Investment Act funds, and in implementing the federal WIA regulations, to ensure services are focused on skills development that is responsive to the current needs of business.

Broadband:

BROADBAND Access and Implementation: The Government Affairs Committee will work with business, local government, state government and federal government to build a way to provide last-mile broadband access to every business, every organization and every individual of the Bedford area. The BACC Government Affairs Committee will work closely with Governor Timothy Kaine's Broadband Roundtable and support recommendations and initiatives from the Roundtable. BACC'S objective is to provide high-speed Broadband to the last-mile of over the ~750 square miles of Bedford area. BACC will work closely with Bedford City and Bedford County to develop and implement a comprehensive broadband/infrastructure/technology plan with meaningful prioritized goals. We understand the term High-Speed Broadband will change and grow faster over time. Part of the goal is to bring low-cost broadband speeds of at least 10 Mbits in 3 years with in ground cable speeds approaching 45 Mbits during the same time period to Bedford Area's last-mile. It is BACC'S desire to see all aspects of communication regulation legislation (Federal, State and Local) modernized. Our overall goal is to develop Bedford's telecommuting and cutting edge Broadband applications. More specifically, Broadband should be affordable, reliable (including redundant systems), have competitive choices (multiple providers and multiple delivery mediums) while providing opportunity for economic development (entrepreneur and corporate) throughout the Bedford Area. All in all we visualize telecommunications as the new industry era driving Bedford's quality of living, lifestyle, jobs and economy.

Immigration

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce recommends that the Federal Government:

Significantly increase border control.

Provide tools to make it easy for businesses to identify legally documented workers.

Place no additional, undue enforcement burdens on businesses.

TOURISM

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes that tourism represents combined revenue of 64.65 million dollars for Bedford City and Bedford County and provides many jobs in this area. Arts, Culture, and Tourism are drivers of economic vitality. Museums and attractions throughout the Bedford Area provide unique cultural and educational opportunities. These opportunities provide an added incentive for economic development and help attract business professionals. The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce:

Supports equitable funding for quality of life entities, including state and non-state agencies, museums, and cultural and historical attractions, such as the Bedford Museum, Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, Smith Mountain Lake State Park and Smith Mountain Lake Area Attractions, Peaks of Otter, National D-Day Memorial, The Bedford Welcome Center and other local attractions.
Believes that non-state entities represent a bargain for the state by fulfilling the role of state museums while not requiring the state to pay full fare.
Supports funding for the Virginia Tourism Corporation's Cooperative Marketing Program, which benefits the broader region's tourism efforts.

EDUCATION: FOUNDATION FOR THE COMMONWEALTH'S FUTURE

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce clearly recognizes the importance of sustained funding for educational programs (K-12) and higher education programs as the foundation of the Commonwealth's future knowledge workforce. The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce encourages innovative ways to create and sustain education programs. The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce supports:

Maintained funding of state colleges/universities and community colleges for K-12 programs, including construction.
Allowing localities to determine how to spend state allocations for education with provision that no local reductions in expenditures can occur so that state funds are a net gain to the funding pool.
Support continued full funding of the Standards of Quality, support for and review of Standards of Learning, and verified credit for nationally credited programs.
Maintained support for teacher professional development and training in workplace technology applications and character principles instruction for K-12.
Sustained support of the Literary Fund & Virginia Public School Authority.
Support of and consideration by the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV) of expanded higher education opportunities.

SOUND FISCAL PRACTICE:

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce members are concerned with the uneven generation of tax revenue for the Commonwealth versus localities. While more and more services are being designated for local funding, revenues have remained flat. The Commonwealth's tax code remains outdated and needs reform. The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce Supports:

Comprehensive tax reform, including business and professional occupancy tax that is equitable and broad-based, fosters a favorable business climate, encourages economic development, and promotes prosperity for all Virginians.
Repeal of de-conformity from the IRS tax code.

HEALTHCARE:

Healthcare costs are crippling small businesses. Creative measures must be found to make healthcare coverage more affordable. The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce:

Supports efforts to reduce healthcare costs, including pooling, medical savings accounts and other affordable means.
Opposes additional healthcare mandates from the General Assembly, such as requiring insurance coverage for hearing aids or other specialized items or procedures.
Supports caps on medical malpractice liability awards.
Opposes any mandated percentage of health care costs to be paid by businesses for their employees.

WESTERN, SOUTHWESTERN, PIEDMONT, AND SOUTHSIDE VIRGINIA CAUCUS:

The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce advocates a bi-partisan legislative caucus to represent the Western and more rural portions of the state. This cooperative effort can be effective in dealing with common issues such as transportation, workforce, education, and economic development.