February 18, 2008

FY 2009 Budget Overview Available

Following the recent presentation of the FY2009 state budget by Governor Granholm, the Senate Fiscal Agency and House Fiscal Agency have come out with overviews of the budget.Both the Senate and House Fiscal Agencies are non-partisan agencies within each chamber, giving assistance to Senators and Representatives on legislative fiscal matters.

The analyses can be found at the following links:

Senate Fiscal Agency budget overview – www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Publications/BudUpdates/OverviewGovsRecFY09.pdf

House Fiscal Agency preliminary review –www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDFs/prelim08.pdf

Downtown Development Bills See Senate Action

A Senate committee has started to take up a series of bills aimed at promoting growth in downtowns.The bills are part of a bipartisan package organized by Sen. Jason Allen.The first two bills of the package were brought before the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee.The bills are SB 970 and 972, sponsored by Sens. Allen and Tupac Hunter, respectively.Senate Bill 970 would allow a DDA (Downtown Development Authority) to create, operate, and fund retail business incubators in the downtown district.Senate Bill 972 allows a DDA to create, operate, and fund a loan program for improvements to the business district within the DDA to make the area more appealing for development.

The Northwest Michigan Regional Chamber Alliance supported both of these bills in committee.To view the bills and an analysis, go to www.mileg.org.

Individual Market Reform – Update

The Senate Health Policy Committee continued their information gathering of the individual health insurance market and the proposed legislation, HB 5282-5285.

This past week, the committee heard an overview of individual market trends, rating structures and impact, and how reserve levels are determined from Dr. Deborah Chollet, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at Mathematica Policy Research; and Jack Burke, Principal, Consulting Actuary at Milliman, Inc.

No hearing was scheduled for the week of February 18^th.The legislation can be viewed at www.mileg.org.


	Home \| Business News \| Community Calendar \| Chamber This Week \| Find A Member \| Request Information \| Contact Us
	Chamber Information Welcome Office Locations Chamber Mission Statement Chamber Services Chamber Staff Chamber Board Of Directors 2007 Chamber Year in Review Chamber Announces 2008 Program of Work Chamber Board of Directors Meeting Schedule & Location Chamber Committees Chamber Committee Meetings Chamber Corporate By-Laws Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance President's Club President's Club Members Membership Application Member To Member Discounts Update Your Membership Profile Get Your Own Web Page Meet Our New Members Web Site Banner Advertising LEADERSHIP OTSEGO COUNTY Leadership Training Program LEADERSHIP OTSEGO COUNTY Program Description LEADERSHIP OTSEGO COUNTY Program Application LEADERSHIP OTSEGO COUNTY Alumni Letter from the Class of 2006 Government Affairs Updates 2008 Legislative Agenda Legislative Update May 12, 2008 Legislative Update May 5, 2008 Legislative Update April 28, 2008 Legislative Update April 21, 2008 Legislative Update April 14, 2008 Legislative Update April 7, 2008 Legislative Update March 31, 2008 Legislative Update March 24, 2008 Legislative Update March 17, 2008 Legislative Update March 10, 2008 Legislative Update February 29, 2008 Legislative Update February 25, 2008 Legislative Update February 18, 2008 Legislative Update February 11, 2008 Legislative Update February 4, 2008 Legislative Update January 30, 2008 Legislative Update January 28, 2008 Legislative Update January 22, 2008 The Water Works Coalition of Proposed Water Withdrawal Legislation Legislative Update December 17, 2007 Legislative Update December 10, 2007 Legislative Update December 3, 2007 Legislative Update November 23, 2007 Legislative Update November 16, 2007 Legislative Update November 9, 2007 Legislative Update November 2, 2007 Legislative Update October 26, 2007 Legislative Update October 19, 2007 ALPENFEST NEWS FLASH - ANHEUSER-BUSCH CLYDESDALES COMING TO ALPENFEST GRAND PARADE 2008 Alpenfest Theme Announced 2008 Alpenfest Schedule of Events 2008 Alpenfest Sponsors 2008 Alpenfest Queen's Candidate Eligibility Information 2008 Alpenfest Queen's Pageant Application 2008 Alpenfest Grand Parade Information 2008 Alpenfest Grand Parade Rules 2008 Alpenfest Grand Parade Application 2008 Alpenfest Entertainment Lineup 2008 Alpenfest Pin 2008 Honored Industry 2008 Alpenfest Parade Marshal Future Alpenfest Dates 2008 Sponsorship Opportunities 2008 Alpenstrasse Information 2008 Alpenstrasse Crafter Application Otsego County Fair 2008 Otsego County Fair Dates Otsego County Fair Schedule Downtown Gaylord Downtown News Downtown Restaurants Downtown Shops Other Downtown Businesses Government, Information, Museums & Arts The Pavilion on Court Shannon Park Chamber News Room Alpenfest Parade Applications Now Being Accepted Your Michigan Business Tax (MBT) Experiences Survey 2008 Culinary Arts Scholarship Application Procedure Applications Available for the Next Leadership Otsego County Class Chamber This Week Ribbon Cuttings 2008 Annual Awards Receipents Chamber Board Selects Officers for 2008 WARNING - MAP SCAM Chamber Partnership Expands, Hires New Staff Member Gaylord 30 Undergoing Major Repairs Board Election Results Web Site Advertising Business To Business Journal Advertising BCBSM Update 2007 Culinary Arts Scholarship Awarded Chamber Advertising Opportunities Chamber Web Site Advertising Publication Advertising Economic Development Otsego County Economic Alliance Relocation Information Relocation Information Request Banks & Mortgage Builders Real Estate Real Estate Developments Churches Utilities Media Community Information Vital Statistics History Education Health Care Recreation The Arts & Culture Economic Advancements Business Profile Chamber of Commerce Government Support Tourism Tourism Healthcare Chiropractic Care Dental Care Health & Fitness Center Hospitals Home Health/Medical Supplies Optical/Optometrists/Opticians Pharmacy Physical/Rehabilitation Therapy Physicians Other Medical Providers Urgent Care Facilities Podiatrists Sleep Center Adult Foster Care Hospice Provider Government Otsego County Government City of Gaylord Village of Vanderbilt Townships Schools Gaylord Community Schools Vanderbilt Area Schools Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools St. Mary Cathedral School Otsego Christian School University Center of Gaylord M-TEC at Kirtland-Gaylord Gift Certificates Gift Certificates Local Weather Local Weather Local Links Otsego County Fair Otsego County Community Information Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan Gaylord Herald Times Weekly Choice Gaylord Golf Mecca Otsego County Library Otsego Memorial Hospital Michigan Employment Services Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Ambassadors Maps City Map (pdf) County Map (pdf) Michigan Chamber of Commerce Michigan Chamber of Commerce Web Site Gaylord 30 Automobile Restoration Update September 26, 2007 Major Repairs Ahead for Gaylord 30 Gaylord 30 Automobile Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan MyBlue MyBlue - A Suite of Affordable Individual Health Care Plans Gaylord/Otsego Chamber 101 West Main P.O. Box 513 Gaylord, MI 49734 Phone: (989) 732-6333 Phone: (800) 345-8621 Fax: (989) 732-7990 Contact us via email:	Government Affairs Updates > Government Relations Update February 18, 2008 FY 2009 Budget Overview Available Following the recent presentation of the FY2009 state budget by Governor Granholm, the Senate Fiscal Agency and House Fiscal Agency have come out with overviews of the budget.Both the Senate and House Fiscal Agencies are non-partisan agencies within each chamber, giving assistance to Senators and Representatives on legislative fiscal matters. The analyses can be found at the following links: Senate Fiscal Agency budget overview – www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Publications/BudUpdates/OverviewGovsRecFY09.pdf House Fiscal Agency preliminary review –www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDFs/prelim08.pdf Downtown Development Bills See Senate Action A Senate committee has started to take up a series of bills aimed at promoting growth in downtowns.The bills are part of a bipartisan package organized by Sen. Jason Allen.The first two bills of the package were brought before the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee.The bills are SB 970 and 972, sponsored by Sens. Allen and Tupac Hunter, respectively.Senate Bill 970 would allow a DDA (Downtown Development Authority) to create, operate, and fund retail business incubators in the downtown district.Senate Bill 972 allows a DDA to create, operate, and fund a loan program for improvements to the business district within the DDA to make the area more appealing for development. The Northwest Michigan Regional Chamber Alliance supported both of these bills in committee.To view the bills and an analysis, go to www.mileg.org. Individual Market Reform – Update The Senate Health Policy Committee continued their information gathering of the individual health insurance market and the proposed legislation, HB 5282-5285. This past week, the committee heard an overview of individual market trends, rating structures and impact, and how reserve levels are determined from Dr. Deborah Chollet, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at Mathematica Policy Research; and Jack Burke, Principal, Consulting Actuary at Milliman, Inc. No hearing was scheduled for the week of February 18^th.The legislation can be viewed at www.mileg.org.