Two in One Day

Today the Chamber provided opportunities for businesses to speak with two United States Senators in one day—a historic event that highlights an important Chamber service: representing business interests with the government.

“We are honored to host both U.S. Senators here in Pierce County - meeting with businesses and looking at how we can work together to create jobs,” said Tom Pierson, Chamber President & CEO.

The Chamber hosted an advocacy breakfast held at the Pacific Grill Events Center with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and then an afternoon session for a small group of business leaders with U.S. Senator Patty Murray at the Chamber office.

At the advocacy breakfast attended by about one hundred people, Senator Cantwell spoke on priorities such as access to capital under the Small Business Jobs Acts and expanding infrastructure improvement lending for roads and freight while highlighting accomplishments like the Asarco cleanup and airborne tanker jobs. Sen. Cantwell also took questions from the audience.

During the Q & A portion of the breakfast, Linda Remsberg, CEO of NoteWorld, asked about the regulatory burdens of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act bill. Sen. Cantwell responded that she felt Congress needed to focus on solving the actual problem rather than creating hundreds of pages of new, complex regulations. She looked forward to discussing the detailed impacts to Remsberg’s company later.

At the Chamber’s afternoon advocacy session, Senator Murray largely listened to comments from a group of business representatives. Sen. Murray asked about the business climate. Points raised included not losing sight of the multiple deficits in education and a skilled workforce while working on options for people who have lost jobs but are starting new businesses.

As President of Go Local, a local business advocacy group, Patricia Lecy-Davis pointed out that there are over 5,000 locally owned businesses in Tacoma. “Many new local startups are people who recently lost their jobs. As new business owners, many don’t know what tools are available to them.”

Senator Murray, a recent appointee to chair the U.S. Congress’ Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, looked forward to having a comprehensive discussion with other legislators on how best to put people to work and support businesses of all sizes.

View photos from today’s advocacy events at the Chamber’s facebook page.

Chamber Testifies on Billboards

The Chamber testified at last night’s Tacoma City Council public hearing on the new billboard Substitute Ordinance No. 28009.

Jeff Brown, the Chamber’s Chair-Elect Select, conveyed the Chamber’s support of the section of ordinance that deals with the maintenance of billboards. Brown encouraged the City Council to continue discussion in good faith with Clear Channel on the mutually agreed settlement of the lawsuit on the existing billboard ordinance. Although the City Council voted to approve the new billboard code, it will be up to Clear Channel to determine if they wish to resume their court case.

While the Chamber did not take a position on digital billboards at the hearing, it was noted by the Chamber that five council members expressed that digital technology in advertising must be addressed.

The Chamber is willing to participate with other stakeholders in formulating guidelines for digital technology in billboards and signs. For more information contact Gary Brackett.

Debunking Myths about KORUS

A recent blog post by Tami Overby, VP of Asia, U.S. Chamber of Commerce addressees claims by opponents about the KORUS FTA and the North Korea's Kaesong Industrial Complex.

It's desperation time for the protectionists who oppose these job-creating Free Trade Agreements. In a last-ditch effort to undermine support for the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), opponents are circulating the bogus accusation that the agreement will allow North Korean goods into the United States. Specifically, they charge that KORUS will allow goods made in the special industrial zone in Kaesong, North Korea, to enter the U.S. market and even allow such goods to benefit from tariff cuts under KORUS.

Here are the facts:

• It is illegal to import anything from North Korea, and KORUS will not change that. By the way, it is not true, as opponents claim, that Hyundai Motors has leased land that is "located in North Korea." In fact, an entirely separate company known as Hyundai Asan has an investment deal in North Korea - and with KORUS, no company, including Hyundai Asan, will be allowed to export anything from North Korea to the United States.

• Opponents also claim that KORUS FTA rules of origin would surreptitiously allow North Korean goods from Kaesong to be imported into the United States. U.S. sanctions against North Korea always trump the KORUS FTA. As long as U.S. sanctions against North Korea remain in place, the allowable percentage of Kaesong content in South Korean goods is zero.

• One chief goal of KORUS is to strengthen our already robust alliance with democratic South Korea in the face of North Korean threats. The U.S. alliance with South Korea is the linchpin of not only security for the Republic of Korea and the United States but also for the Pacific as a whole. The democratic South Korean government has repeatedly said the same.

Senator Cantwell at Chamber Breakfast August 15

Billboards & Business

The Chamber is urging the City Council to show that “Tacoma is open for business.”

On August 9th the City of Tacoma will have an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to businesses in Tacoma and Pierce County by allowing the replacement of older static billboards with more innovative digital billboard.

One year ago, the City Council unanimously agreed to a compromise removing a large number of traditional static billboards while allowing their replacement with fewer, newer digital billboards as compensation.

As the voice for business in Tacoma, the Chamber believes the City Council’s compromise agreement is a workable solution that considers all sides of this issue in a responsible and responsive manner. Rather than a potentially lengthy court battle with the outcome unknown, the Chamber urges City council members to reach a real solution that allows for better advertising for local businesses with their Tacoma customers and a substantial reduction of the number of billboards in Tacoma.

Billboards benefit local businesses and non-profits by providing cost effective ways to advertise. In addition, they provide additional outlets for time sensitive information – like Amber alerts. The City of Tacoma itself recognizes the value of digital billboards with its installation of digital billboards at the Tacoma Dome and Cheney Stadium.

The City must uphold its commitments to the business community.

Please email your City Council and tell them businesses are an important part of the community and to uphold the billboard settlement. To do so, click here for the direct mail link. Also consider coming to the public hearing on Tuesday, August 9, 5 p.m. at Council Chambers, Tacoma Municipal Bldg, 747 Market St., 98402.

KorUS: Path Ahead Clears

The U.S.-Korea FTA Business Coalition welcomed statements yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell that they had agreed on a pathway forward for consideration of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, along with the Colombia and Panama trade agreements and Trade Adjustment Assistance, and urged Congress to move expeditiously to approve the agreements following the August congressional recess.

"We are encouraged that the leadership of both parties have reached agreement on the road forward for these agreements," said Lisa Barry, vice president and general manager, government affairs, Chevron, and a corporate co-chair of the U.S.-Korea FTA Business Coalition. "The opportunities KORUS offers to support hundreds of thousands of high-quality American jobs are too important for us to delay action any longer. It is important that Congress move as quickly as possible, following the August recess, to approve these agreements."

The U.S. International Trade Commission has estimated that the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers to U.S. manufactured and agricultural goods under the U.S.-Korea trade agreement would increase U.S. exports to Korea by $10 billion to $11 billion. The agreement has the potential to create as many as 280,000 jobs, according to an updated assessment of the agreement prepared by U.S. International Trade Commission economic staff at the request of the Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Trade.

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