U.S. Chamber of Commerce Communications Resources for State and Local Chambers

Refining Your MessagingIdentifying the right messaging to reach your audience is paramount. The U.S. Chamber regularly conducts message testing and research to ensure that Chamber policy is communicated effectively and consistently. From our Quarterly Key Messages documents, to voter opinion polls, we have resources that can help inform your advocacy efforts.

Spreading the WordFrom print advertising to radio, TV, and Web, the U.S. Chamber regularly executes paid media buys to communicate our message to target audiences. Looking for an ad to run in your local paper on an issue? We can repurpose advertising for your use.

Contact: Katie Wilson, director, communications & strategy, at kwwilson@uschamber.com or 202-463-5375.

Communicating to Your MembersWhether it’s an article from our flagship print publication, Free Enterprise, an excerpt from a speech, or a newspaper editorial, we are constantly producing content that can be repurposed to inform your members on the issues that matter most to them.

Reaching Out to the MediaEarned media is an essential component of communicating to the public. From press releases, to editorial board meetings, op-eds, and letters to the editor, the U.S. Chamber’s communications team can help provide you with information to get your issues covered in local, state, and national press.

TUESDAYMARCH 30, 2010

What’s Next for Health Care

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Comment at www.chamberpost.com.

By Thomas J. Donohue

President and CEO

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Health care legislation was signed into

law only days ago, but the president and

congressional leaders are already launching

an all-out public relations campaign to

convince Americans that we should like what

they did. It’s going to be a hard sell. This

$950 billion, 2,800-page bill fails to fix what’s

broken and risks breaking what works.

Requiring insurance companies and

employers that provide health coverage for their

employees to add a host of new benefits may

sound good. But it will also drive up premiums.

Requiring small businesses to provide

insurance that they cannot afford—or else pay

steep fines—will eliminate jobs.

Requiring states—which are already

running huge deficits—to add millions of

new enrollees to Medicaid will lead to tax

increases and program cuts.

Raising taxes by $569 billion

as the nation grapples with nearly

10% unemployment and struggles

to emerge from a deep recession

is an affront to economic

common sense.

Much has been made of the

Congressional Budget Office’s

estimate that this legislation

will reduce the federal

deficit. But supporters

of the bill engineered

this response by submitting unrealistic

assumptions regarding future Medicare

savings and by ignoring an expected increase

in Medicare physician reimbursements. Future

Congresses are unlikely to make good on the

cuts and even some of the taxes anticipated

in this bill. Thus, its true cost will be closer

to $2 trillion at a time when the nation is

already drowning in red ink. Bankrupting our

children’s future is just not right!

Glitches in the new bill are already

popping up. The sweetheart deals that were

cut to secure the last votes in the House are

coming to light. At least a dozen states are

developing legal challenges. The Senate

already spent a week debating changes to a

bill that was signed just days ago. This is what

happens when you rush and ram through

such a sweeping piece of legislation.

So what happens next? While some discuss

repeal, the U.S. Chamber believes a more

effective approach is to work through all

available and appropriate avenues—regulatory,

legislative, legal, and political—to fix the bill’s

flaws and minimize its harmful impacts.

We will strongly encourage citizens

to hold their elected officials accountable

when they vote this November. And we will

continue to promote real health care reform

that curbs costs, reins in frivolous lawsuits,

expands consumer choice, and removes the

heavy hand of government from decisions

that should be made by doctors and patients.

Like it or not, the health care debate is not

over. Stay tuned!

As seen in the Examiner: San Francisco and Washington, D.C., editions

Building an Educated and Skilled Workforce

by Steve Lutes

The other day, I called to congratulate Sandra Westlund-Deenihan, President of the 95-year old family

business Quality Float Works, Inc., and her entire team for having been selected as the Great Lakes Regional

Finalist for the Chamber’s DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award. Our conversation soon turned to an

issue that Sandra is passionate about – building an educated, skilled workforce to ensure our nation remains

competitive in the global marketplace.

Sandra credits the success of her manufacturing company to the caliber of her extended family of workers.

She firmly believes workforce development is one of the keys to the future of U.S. manufacturing and has

set her sights on improving U.S. manufacturing competitiveness by working to solve the growing skills gap

impacting the industry. She said that regardless of the size of the operation, manufacturers share a widespread

and common need for skilled workers, especially for those persons who want to build long-term careers in

manufacturing. Sandra said the days of using a hammer are long gone for the average manufacturing worker

as employers are adopting advanced technologies that require a workforce with skills at a higher level. She

sees the problem as two-fold with fewer existing workers available with the expertise required to be productive

in advanced manufacturing while at the same time necessary skill levels for workers are continually rising with

a strong emphasis on technology.

Quality Float Works has been outspoken in the need for skilled employees, especially in advanced

manufacturing positions, which means we need a renewed emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics. Sandra is a member of the Business Coalition for Student Achievement (BCSA), and is glad to

work with a coalition of business leaders who believe that improving the K-12 system in the U.S. is necessary

to provide a strong foundation for both U.S. competitiveness and for individuals to succeed in our rapidly

changing world. She cited a variety of statistics which conclude that the United States has fallen significantly

behind when it comes to preparing our youth to enter the workforce and excel.

In the BCSA, Sandra sees a group of business leaders committed to a race to the top through the

reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). She agrees that it should be a top

priority for Congress and stands by the principles for reauthorization which reflect the business community’s

sense of urgency. Sandra said that to tackle this complex issue our system needs to be results-oriented when

it comes to student achievement.

Over the past few years, Sandra has convened numerous symposiums with stakeholders including employers,

educational institutions, elected officials and community leaders to formulate solutions to this crisis. Beyond her

work on the BCSA, she said she will continue to bring employers and community colleges together to create a

curriculum that makes sense for incoming employees seeking post-secondary education. It is her goal to build

a pipeline of employees for the future who have the advanced training that is needed so manufacturing can

remain competitive. She believes employers must be willing to roll up their sleeves and invest their resources

into building a workforce for the future if they’re to remain globally competitive and able to create jobs and

grow the business. No question that Sandra and the Quality Float Works team have rolled up their sleeves and

are wrestling with this challenge. What remains to be seen is whether and how Congress heeds the call from

Sandra and the BCSA.

April 01, 2010 at 10:36 AM in Business, Education, Small Business, Small Business Summit, Steve Lutes, Workforce |

Permalink | Comments (0)

A Blog for Business

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –April 5, 2010 Contact: Eric Wohlschlegel 202-463-5682

Small Businesses, Local Chambers, and Citizens Send 200,000 Letters to Congress Opposing CFPA

Americans Call for Financial Reform Without Stifling Job Growth

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced today that its grassroots

efforts have mobilized small business owners, local chambers, and citizens to send more than

200,000 letters to their congressional members to voice strong opposition to the proposed

Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). “There’s a right way to go about financial reform and a wrong way. The proposed CFPA is the

wrong way to protect consumers and reform regulation,” said David Hirschmann, president and

chief executive officer of the Chamber’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness (CCMC).

“Another large layer of government bureaucracy with unprecedented reach and powers will

needlessly impact businesses that had nothing to do with the financial crisis.”

The letters, generated from the Chamber’s vast grassroots network and written by citizens from

all 50 states, oppose the CFPA approach and call for a better way to strengthen consumer

protection. States generating the greatest number of letters include Ohio, Florida, California,

Pennsylvania, and Colorado. In addition, small businesses are reaching out to members of

Congress to express disapproval of specific provisions that hurt them. Specifically, the bill would

result in reduced access to credit for small businesses, and would enable the new consumer

financial regulator to regulate merchants, retailers, doctors, and public utilities. The language in

the bill is vague and could also impose new regulations on any business that permits customers

to pay in more than four installments or on a business that applies interest charges for late

payments. “We need bipartisan regulatory reform that provides strong oversight of our financial system and

enables continued economic recovery,” said Hirschmann. “We must make sure that existing

regulators are well coordinated, customers have clear information, and there is effective

enforcement against fraudulent and predatory practices. We don’t need to create a new layer of

bureaucracy on top of a broken system. We need a better government, not bigger government.”

Since its inception three years ago, the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness has led a

bipartisan effort to modernize and strengthen the outmoded regulatory systems that have

governed our capital markets. The CCMC is committed to working aggressively with the

administration, Congress, and global leaders to implement reforms to strengthen the economy,

restore investor confidence, and ensure well-functioning capital markets.

www.uschamber.com