LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce Federal Legislative Agenda PUBLIC POLICY COUNCIL GOAL:

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1 North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce Federal Legislative Agenda LEGISLATIVE AGENDA PUBLIC POLICY COUNCIL GOAL: Our commitment is to be recognized as the business voice in the legislative process, taking action on issues which are pertinent to our members and community and serving as an advocate for a business-friendly environment.

2 PUBLIC POLICY COUNCIL GOAL: Our commitment is to be recognized as the business voice in the legislative process, taking action on issues which are pertinent to our members and community and serving as an advocate for a business-friendly environment LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY Statement of Principles Free Enterprise We support America s free enterprise system as the best way to grow the economy, stimulate innovation and create sustainable jobs. Ingredients for Success We believe low taxes, effective regulations, good infrastructure, a talented diverse workforce, and well managed and limited government create the environment for economic success. Thriving Community We champion North Myrtle Beach s enviable quality of life and commitment to the greater good, including support for the arts and charitable organizations. Strategic Partnerships We create and sustain model partnerships with the US Chamber of Commerce, SC Chamber of Commerce, Carolinas Association of Chambers, SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation, our area s local chambers of commerce, as well as our city and county governments, and other like-minded entities. Vision Statement The vision of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce is to transform the organization into one of the preeminent chambers of commerce in America, advancing the welfare and prosperity of North Myrtle Beach as we achieve a thriving, diverse, sustainable economy. Mission Statement The mission of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce is to be recognized as the premier business organization serving the North Myrtle Beach area and its business members by providing quality products, programs, and services while influencing issues that enhance the economic prosperity and the sustainable development of our community.

3 Public Policy in the twentieth century was about protecting and expanding the social compact, based on recognition that effective government at the federal level provides rules and services and safety measures that contribute to a better society. - Carl Bernstein Public Policy and Organizational Priorities The Public Policy and Organizational Priorities of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, CVB, support and advocate two distinct strategies: 1. Grow our North Myrtle Beach Visitor and Destination Market 2. Diversify the North Myrtle Beach Economy The following position statements have been adopted by the Board of Directors of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureau, as priority issues of importance to the business members of this organization. These issues were determined important through the results of a member survey, briefings from statewide and national business associations, and research by staff and the Legislative Committee of the Public Policy Council of the chamber. This now becomes the 2014 Federal Legislative Agenda and will be presented to our congressional delegation for support and assistance. Tourism / Hospitality Tourism / hospitality is the number one industry in North Myrtle Beach, the Grand Strand, and the coast of South Carolina. The chamber s top priority is the effective promotion and marketing of our area as a premier family destination providing quality services to our hundreds of thousands of annual visitors. To ensure this, we are committed to the support of legislation which will help provide a labor force to serve this industry. In the aftermath of the Great Recession, the travel industry has stepped forward as one of the key drives of the American economy, a leading employer in communities across the U.S., and a highly efficient, proven revenue generator for state and local governments. States and cities that treat travel promotion budgets like strategic investments will be rewarded with more visitors, more jobs and higher tax revenues. - U.S. Travel Association, The Power of Travel Promotion

4 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY Efforts of the state s H2B Coalition and National H2B Workforce Coalition in urging congress to extend the H2B Visa program to ensure employers can hire temporary, seasonal workers to adequately staff the region s hospitality industry. Legislation that creates an immigration system that functions efficiently for employers, workers, and Government agencies. Continue pursuing immigration reform that includes: - Reform of our legal immigration system, including both green card reform and implementation of workable temporary worker programs for high-skilled and lesser-skilled workers as well as for the agriculture industry. - A federal employment verification system that is workable for employers. - A legal status for the estimated 11 million undocumented people here, allowing them to emerge from the shadows, thus creating a stable workforce. - Improved enforcement to protect our borders while facilitating the flow of trade and travel. The U.S. Chamber supports legislation that takes meaningful steps toward addressing all four critical immigration priorities. A fast and dependable way to match willing employers with willing employees, and visa limitations that fluctuate according to market needs. Support Travel Regional Investment Partnership (TRIP) Act, which provides federal matching funds for tourism promotion through public-private partnerships. Urge Congress and the administration to expand the Visa Waiver Program and address delays, backlogs, and disruptions in our immigration and border management systems that impede the movement of legitimate businesses and tourists traveling across U.S. borders. Transportation and Infrastructure Our chamber continues to support federal legislation calling for a comprehensive national Transportation and Infrastructure Plan to address the needs of the nation. Such a plan would ensure the effective and efficient movement of people and commerce connecting all modes of Transportation including air, rail, roads, and water and to plan for future capacity as well as address the replacement of aging infrastructure. Funding of I-73 and I-74, a dedicated interstate under various stages of planning and construction, which will connect our coastal region with the nation. Funding to support the dredging of the Georgetown Port as an economic driver for North Myrtle Beach, Horry County, and South Carolina. Fully funded highway reauthorization bill in Congress to include critical transportation corridors along with incentives for states to use alternative revenue sources, such as tolling and non-public funding. Federal funding participation for beach renourishment. Federal funding participation for channel dredging. Federal funding for public transportation and mass transportation at the local level.

5 T North East Strategic Alliance recommendation for federal support of a duty-free inland port as a regional distribution hub in Northeast, South Carolina. Inclusion of Coastal South Carolina in studies / plans for national high-speed rail system. Support sensible improvements in TSA screening / analysis procedures to ease flow without inhibiting necessary security. Working with the state congressional delegation to improve South Carolina s donor state status, so South Carolina receives more of its fair share of motor fuel tax revenues back from the federal government. Secure resources to support long-term federal funding authorizations for highways, public transportation, and highway safety in any appropriate legislative vehicle, including budget agreements and tax reform measures. Advocate for the swift, multiyear reauthorization of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 st Century (MAP-21) with needed policy and programmatic reforms and at least current services (baseline plus inflation) funding levels. Ensure that the needs of marine transportation, including inland waterways, are addressed as part of the National Freight Strategic Plan. Urge Congress to expand its efforts to open up markets for public-private partnerships in infrastructure. Education and Workforce Development The Chamber is committed to support initiatives and programs, and the funding necessary for implementation, which will result in a highly skilled, 21 st Century workforce. This begins with early childhood education and continues through adulthood. Our nation continues to slip in the rankings compared to other countries worldwide. Changing this course, is the only answer to returning our country to the highest producing, most innovative, and entrepreneurial nation in the world. We encourage government to partner with the private-sector in reaching this goal. Efforts to improve and expand access to quality Early Childhood Education programs through choice, innovation, and quality assurance systems. Efforts to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which include accountability; transparency; longitudinal data systems to guide instruction, improvement, and interventions; teacher evaluations, including student data; school choice; and clear and high academic standards. Encourage better alignment between high school graduation requirements, state academic achievement standards, and postsecondary entrance requirements. Efforts to generate more U.S. graduates with a credential in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field. Policies that encourage innovation in higher education as well as in key nontraditional sectors of higher education, including institutions serving historically underrepresented groups, community colleges, and private sector colleges and universities.

6 Employment and training systems driven by the needs of employers based on accurate and timely local labor market data. Environment and Energy A national comprehensive energy policy is strongly supported by the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, to strengthen and assure that our local, state, and national economies are sustainable, competitive, business environments. We also understand the need to protect and enhance our environment as a positive factor in our sustainable development and the growing of our green economy, through reasonable and balanced measures, while promoting wind energy as a viable source of alternative energy. Regional sustainable development is a way to compete and prosper amid the vast global economic changes of the 21 st century. Regional sustainable development is a positive, long-term growth agenda. - What is Sustainable Economic Development in the 21 st Century? The exploration and development of renewable energy resources in particular wind, solar, and tidal energy as long as the risk is negligible for our tourism and real estate industries. Federal guidelines and regulations to support and provide incentives for the North Myrtle Beach community based wind energy program and sustainable energy plan including offshore wind farms. The exploration of environmentally friendly off shore drilling for natural gas and oil as long as the risk is negligible for our tourism and real estate industries. The encouragement of nuclear power funding and development. A congressional amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, giving immediate relief to our commercial and recreational fishermen. Sound environmental measures which protect our most valuable national resources, but we are OPPOSED to recent plans by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) to ignore the input gathered during 26 port meetings seeking stakeholder input into the long term plan known as the Vision Project. This input showed overwhelming opposition to catch shares, expensive vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and more no-fishing Marine Protected Areas (MPA s). Ensure that EPA evaluates the economic impact and job loss in its regulations, as is required by all major environmental laws. Ensure that regulation of air emissions is based on sound science and focuses on performance and market-based programs where economically feasible, rather than on command-and-control mandates. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere through a comprehensive legislative solution that does not harm the economy, recognizes that the problem is

7 international in scope, and aggressively promotes new technologies and efficiency. A comprehensive international agreement on climate change that has the widest possible participation. Support safety measures for offshore energy production. Oppose efforts to create a regulatory environment so unfit for business that oil and gas companies take their business elsewhere. Advocate for the construction and operation of alternative and renewable energy projects such as wind energy facilities, nuclear power, hydropower, clean coal, solar energy, and geothermal energy. Urge Congress to pass legislation to streamline the permitting and appeals process for new energy projects in the United States. Advocate for full funding and implementation (primarily the innovative energy technologies provisions) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 while preventing its repeal, rollback, or defunding. Ensure that the tax incentives and technology-enabling provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 are implemented timely, economically, and appropriately. Urge Congress and the executive branch to use the full $80 billion available to the Energy Savings Performance Contracts program, an energy efficient retrofit program for federal buildings that requires virtually no up-front taxpayer cost but suffers from drastic underutilization. Ensure that any national ocean policy is limited in scope and not a backdoor federal effort to regulate climate change, air and water emissions, and energy production. Elections and Grassroots Advocacy Many of the problems faced at the local, state, and federal levels, stem from a lack of qualified, experienced, and/or committed candidates willing to seek public office. We believe, as a premier chamber of commerce, that we have a responsibility to help change this by providing non-partisan educational and training opportunities to identify and support qualified candidates at all levels. We also believe in our right and duty to advocate responsibly on behalf of our business members and the community we serve. Aggressive role in candidate recruitment to attract pro-business candidates with general election appeal. Opposition which attempts to limit business community engagement in the electoral and policymaking arenas at the federal and state levels.

8 Healthcare The costs of healthcare to businesses, families, and individuals at the state and national levels has become prohibitive and a detriment to our economy and quality of life. Health Care Reform is critical to the business community and the chamber encourages comprehensive planning and legislation to ease this burden and provide relief to our businesses and our citizens. The fully funded expansion of Medicaid in South Carolina; funds from the federal government would provide 100% funding of Medicaid for SC residents with incomes up to 138% of federal poverty level (about $31,000 for a family of 4) Reform to the delivery and costs associated with healthcare, but opposed to a National Healthcare Program which would disallow consumer choice. Continue regulatory work to protect businesses as the administration moves forward with implementation of the current administration s health care initiatives. Pragmatically, through meetings and comment letters, strive to improve implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to advance regulatory changes that permit flexibility and best serve business needs. Work to highlight, delay, improve, and repeal problematic provisions in the PPACA, including the employer mandate, and in particular, repeal of the new definition for fulltime employees from 40 hours per week to 30 hours per week; taxes such as the health insurance tax, medical device tax, and the Cadillac tax; as well as other burdens created under the law as implementation accelerates. Advocating for Medicare reform, which is integral to preserving the system s long-term viability. Comprehensively reform Medicare s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula that sets Medicare s physician payments. Support a new reimbursement model that rewards quality and efficiency. The opposition of reimbursement cuts to the Medicare Advantage program. Market competition by opposing government-imposed price controls on prescription drugs through the repeal or evisceration of the Part D non-interference clause. Reforming the medical tort system to make costs more affordable and predictable. Raising awareness of the positive effects of workplace wellness and give tax-favored status to programs aimed at keeping employees healthy. Stand-alone legislation offering targeted tax credits for employer-sponsored workplace wellness programs for employees. Opposition to state and local efforts to circumvent ERISA preemption and interfere with self-insured plans. Urging Congress not to dismantle the ERISA framework to ensure that employers can offer plans nationwide, providing fairness to all employees regardless of where they live, work, or receive medical care. Repeal of the new PPACA prohibition on the use of Flexible Spending Account (FSA) funds to purchase over-the-counter items and the new limitation on FSA contributions to $2,500 per year. Changes to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to make them more flexible and appealing to consumers and plan sponsors.

9 Transparency efforts that aim to give employees more information about the quality and cost of health care so that they can be smart shoppers. Work to oppose the unsafe importation of drugs that could be adulterated or counterfeit. Work to ensure that cafeteria plans are accessible and beneficial to both employers and employees. Legislation allowing SIMPLE cafeteria plans. Urging Congress to change the law to allow self-employed individuals to participate in cafeteria plans. Tax Policy The most critical need for our country during these challenging economic times is the creation of jobs. Creating government jobs is not the answer. Real job growth is created by the private sector and is our best means of an economic stimulus. Federal tax policy which provides tax relief to small emerging businesses and we oppose business taxes which impose excessive burdens on specific industries and the creation of jobs. Labor Relations The North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce believes in the basic tenets of our American democracy and the free enterprise system and the rights of employees and employers and advocates legislation which will equally protect these rights. Legislation to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act, known as card check which would deprive the employee of their basic rights to a secret ballot during the process of union organization. Prohibiting the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from ordering any employer to close, relocate, or transfer employment under any circumstances. Aggressively oppose initiatives that would upset the balance of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), including union-backed proposals to rewrite National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and Labor Department regulations making it easier for unions to organize employees and restricting employer free speech rights.