Gaylord/Otsego County Chamber of Commerce

Government Relations Update from Jamie Callahan

June 23, 2008

Last Week of Session???

Optimism remains that this week will be the last session days before the legislature adjourns for a summer recess.The top issues remain the same as last week’s report, though some updates are included below.

Budgets:Coming to agreement on the twenty-plus budgets remains the top priority in the legislature.Conference committees have been noticed this week for most budgets.To view the status on the budgets, go to the Senate Fiscal appropriations page here.

Water use:Negotiations have been ongoing since last week’s update on the package.As of the writing of this report, a tentative agreement has been reached, with House and Senate committees meeting to vote the bills to their respective chambers this week.A more detailed report on this topic will be in the next report.

The major points of importance to chambers of commerce:allowing new business to locate and grow in northern Michigan; grandfathering of current water use; allowing seasonal use of withdrawals; keeping the personal property rights standard for water use; and basing water use permits off of scientific data.

Individual Market Reform:Word is that a new compromise proposal has been crafted for the individual market reform bills, but it remains unclear whether this version has the consensus of the House-Senate workgroup.

Electrical Choice:Negotiations continue in the Senate on these bills and what the final product should look like.There is still hope by stakeholders that the issue can still be voted on by the end of the week.

Your Chamber Resource in Lansing

If your company has to travel to Lansing to work with department or elected officials on problems or an upcoming project related to your business, remember that as a chamber member you have an advocate in Lansing to support you.

The Government Relations division maintains a presence with experienced staff at the State Capital during days the legislature is in session.We are more than willing to assist you with directions, logistics, join you for meetings, give advice and background on the legislative process, introduce you to members of the legislature, or to compare notes over lunch.

If you are coming down and would like to utilize this chamber benefit, contact Jamie Callahan at Jamie@tcchamber.org.