The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce monitors several areas of policy on the local, state and federal levels of government. Below are some of the priority issues that the Chamber is currently monitoring.
Fiscal responsibility at every level of government is important to our economic health. It is important to address it now as the longer we wait, the more severe the solution will be in terms of taxes.
The long-range impact of fiscal responsibility is of vital importance to business. The Chamber is currently studying the potential benefits of expenditure reform and is proud to be driving this issue.
The Chamber believes that Nevada's public employee retirement program is in dire need of restructuring. With almost 40 percent of Nevada state employees eligible for retirement in the next 10 years, the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and Public Employees' Benefits Program (PEBP) have a combined liability of more than $10 billion. As a defined benefit program and by subsidizing health care, PERS and PEBP both offer public employees generous plans generally unheard of in the private sector.
While the Chamber believes that public employees are a vital part of Nevada, we also believe taxpayers cannot afford to continue funding an overly generous system. The Chamber believes that reforming the system would greatly relieve the further liability that is sure to incur and better fund programs in critical need.
Click Here to view Chamber Government Spending Reports
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce remains committed to defeating efforts that would result in the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, or “Card Check” during the 111th Congress. This proposed piece of legislation is fiercely anti-business.
The bill would make organizing cheaper and easier than ever before, allowing unions to target even the smallest of businesses. The secret ballot election system that would essentially cease to exist under this act would most likely create an environment of employee intimidation and coercion. Because the new system would be open-ended in terms of campaign time, the odds would drastically and unfairly shift in favor of a union. This bill undermines the very principles upon which America is founded: free enterprise and individuals casting their vote in private.
The bill contains many onerous provisions including:
The anti-business, anti-employee federal legislation wrongly-named the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is a serious threat to the business community. We need you to let our elected officials in Washington, DC know how destructive the fallout of this bill would be toyour business TODAY.
The deadliest of the EFCA provisions is binding arbitration, which would allow either party in a first contract dispute to defer to federal mediation after only 90 days and locking you into a two-year labor agreement. That means the federal government could ultimately be the decision-maker for private employees on issues such as pay, pensions, health care and working conditions, taking you out of the mix.
Negotiations are taking place to remove the "card check" provision from the bill that would prevent secret ballots in union voting. While preserving employees' right to a secret ballot is a positive step, this is still a very dangerous piece of legislation that will be disastrous to businesses.
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce visited policy-makers in Washington, DC to voice our concerns and strong opposition to this detrimental piece of legislation. We have also sent out numerous Calls to Action through Advocacy in Action and you have answered our calls. While the health care debate has mostly dominated the headlines from Washington, DC lately, this devastating bill could be voted on as soon as the August Congressional recess is over. It is imperative that you contact our lawmakers in Washington, DC TODAY to let them know how harmful this legislation would be to your business.
Call the Members of our Nevada Congressional Delegation TODAY and tell them EFCA is a job and economic recovery killer.
U.S. Senator Harry Reid (EFCA Bill Co-Sponsor):
702-388-5020 or 202-224-3542
U.S. Senator John Ensign:
702-388-6605 or 202-224-6244
U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley (EFCA Bill Co-Sponsor):
702-220-9823 or 202-225-5965
U.S. Representative Dean Heller:
702-255-1651 or 202-225-6155
U.S. Representative Dina Titus (EFCA Bill Co-Sponsor):
702-387-4941 or 202-225-3252
The efforts of the Chamber in protecting your business from potentially-costly and harmful legislation on all levels of government is supported by the financial resources of the Chamber's Business Political Action Committee or BizPAC.
Here are just a few of the accomplishments made possible through your support of BizPAC:
Please help us continue to fight these proposals in the
halls of the City, County, State and U.S. Congress
by investing in BizPAC today.
While the transportation needs of Nevada are important to all residents, road improvements and highway funding are especially critical to commerce and the economy. Good roads are vital to the transportation of goods and services, getting employees to and from their jobs, helping customers access businesses, and bringing tourists into our state. The Chamber works on behalf of the business community to make sure that every effort is made to secure the valuable transportation funds needed by our community.
To that end, the Chamber SUPPORTS the reauthorization of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to fund the federal highway program. The Chamber believes that the SAFETEA-LU legislation should be authorized with guaranteed funding levels intact in order to adequately meet the growing needs for improved and expanded infrastructure in Southern Nevada.
Business has a vital interest in ensuring that our schools provide students with a quality education that will prepare them to be a productive member of our workforce. The Chamber believes that improving the performance of the state's K-12 educational system is necessary to provide a strong foundation for Nevada's competitive business climate. As one of the largest customers of the education system, Nevada's business community understands firsthand the need for a strong educational system.
A reliable energy supply is critical to strengthening, enhancing and protecting business while building a strong local economy. Increasing renewable energy development would create high-wage jobs in our community. In addition, increasing the use of energy efficiency and conservation measures in businesses could mean savings to the bottom line. Combined, they have the potential to stimulate our local economy and help ensure a stable future.
The Chamber SUPPORTS the extension of renewable energy tax incentives. Nevada leads the nation in geothermal and solar power production per capita, and we believe extending federal tax incentives will help further our local efforts to maintain that status. Moreover, the economic vitality of our community depends on reliable, cost-effective energy. Extending tax incentives for renewable energy projects has the potential to increase the level of investment in Nevada's abundant natural resources.
The Chamber encourages diversifying the sources of energy available to the community and does not rule out any specific approach, including coal-fired plants.
The Chamber knows that providing health insurance to your employees is one of the most expensive outlays for your business, yet it's also a benefit that most employers try to offer their valued employees. The increasingly high cost of health insurance makes providing coverage a struggle, particularly for the self-employed and small business. As a result, many of Nevada's workers remain uninsured. The Chamber believes that reforming the system to ensure increased access without sacrificing quality is a health care priority for Nevada.
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce:
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce understands the need to improve health care in the United States. Health care concerns are centered on two primary issues – the high and rapidly-rising cost of health care, and the millions of uninsured Americans, including those temporarily uninsured due to changes in employment. The following are the Las Vegas Chamber’s principles for health care reform:
COST: Lowering the cost of health care must remain a top priority of any reform package including:
Transparency: Full transparency relating to the cost and quality of care is necessary to improve cost consciousness. Connecting health care consumers to the actual cost of care is an integral component to cost control.
Tort Reform: Medical malpractice reform would reduce health care costs by helping to eliminate unnecessary testing and treatment that is done defensively to avoid risk of litigation.
Efficiency: Ineffective or redundant care accounts for a large portion of health care costs. Changes that incent quality care and cost reduction rather than quantity of care would help reduce costs.
Mandates: Elimination of insurance mandates would allow less expensive and, therefore, greater access to, coverage. A minimum standard essential benefit package, pegged to a Health Savings Account-compatible high deductible health plan, should be established to allow individuals and businesses to select coverage appropriate for their needs.
Bureaucracy: Streamline and simplify health care administration, including claims management.
Wellness: Emphasize preventative care, wellness and chronic disease management.
COVERAGE: Appropriate coverage for all Americans, with a focus on an improved private insurance market is also a high priority. Competition: Private delivery of health care must be retained and improved, and competition must be enhanced. Creating a new government run system or a public option is not supported.
Choice: Business owners and consumers need more choice of insurance plans and options. Interstate restrictions and benefit mandates hamper choice.
Play or Pay: Requiring employers to offer insurance they can’t afford will kill job growth, stifle entrepreneurship and do nothing to address the real issue of skyrocketing health care costs. A payroll levy on firms who can’t afford the benefit is an ill-conceived way to fund health care reform and will likely result in fewer jobs and reduced wages and benefits.
Financing: Health care reform should not be financed on the backs of businesses or individuals who already have coverage.
Portability: Employees should be able to change jobs without losing their health insurance.
Tax Reform: Providing tax credits or deductions for individuals without access to health insurance from an employer, or for the self-employed, would expand the number of individuals covered when not employed. Cost-sharing, including vouchers, should also be provided for those truly unable to afford basic coverage. Provide tax incentives for long-term medical care coverage including tax deductibility of long-term care premiums and inclusion of long-term care insurance in Section 125 cafeteria plans.
Individual Responsibility: Once unnecessary insurance mandates are eliminated and equitable tax treatment of individuals is put in place, require those who can afford to purchase basic health insurance to do so. Subsidize those who cannot afford to purchase basic insurance on their own with cost-sharing limits that take ability to pay into consideration.
Pre-existing Conditions: Provide an affordable option for those with pre-existing conditions who do not have access to coverage through their employer.
For more information contact the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Department at 702.641.5822.
Eminent Domain powers can be harmful if left unchecked and the Chamber is dedicated to protecting the rights of your business to ensure that government interference is kept to a minimum. If the government chooses to invoke its eminent domain powers to take land from a private property owner, it must be for public use (i.e. roads, water, sewer etc.). The Chamber advocates for protecting property owners from onerous legislation that negatively affects the community. Business should not be at the mercy of government action.
The Chamber is vehemently OPPOSED to the Yucca Mountain Repository.
Allowing such a facility in Nevada would seriously mar the attractive qualities of our community with regard to tourism and business.
Key Legislative Dates
• Modified Business Tax (MBT or Payroll) decreases to 0.50% for first $250,000 of payroll ($62,500 base per quarter)
o Note: Sunsets on June 30, 2011
• Modified Business Tax (MBT or Payroll) increases to 1.17% for all payroll over first $250,000 per year (over $62,500 each quarter)
o Note: Sunsets on June 30, 2011
• Business License Fee doubles from $100 to $200 per year.
o Note: Sunsets on June 30, 2011
• Sales and Use Tax increases 0.35%.
o Note: Sunsets on June 30, 2011
• Starting on August 14, 2009 date, businesses with 50 or more employers will be required to grant 4 hours of unpaid leave to parents, guardians or custodians of children to participate in certain school activities. The time must be mutually agreed upon between the employer and the employee, with 5 days notice.
• On September 1, 2009 registration fees on vehicles older than 9 years increases from $6 to $16, and reduces the amount of depreciation allowed on such vehicles.
JANUARY 1, 2011
• Certain health care plans and policies of insurance will be required to provide coverage for autism screening and treatment as of this date.
More Chamber: 
6671 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Phone: (702) 641-5822 Info Center (702) 735-1616 Fax: (702) 735-0406