Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2009

BY LETICIA THEODORE-GREENE

Members of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, including board and staff led by the members of the Government Affairs Committee, took to the nation’s capitol to lobby for the concerns of the Brooklyn business community. The two day trip, May 12 – 13, coincided with the Chamber Alliance of New York State’s "New York Day in Washington" and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Summit.

The trip came at a critical time for the borough. New York State’s unemployment rate – almost three points higher than a year ago at 7.7% with more than 446,000 New Yorkers collecting unemployment benefits in April 2009 – and the wrangling over healthcare reform, among other things, rage on Capitol Hill. Armed with the 2009 Federal Agenda for Recovery and Growth, Chamber Members converged on the offices of Brooklyn’s eight federal representatives to talk healthcare reform, including the rising cost of health insurance, taxes, workforce development, economic development, energy including the development of alternative energy sources, and the Employee Free Choice Act that would affect a business owner’s ability to speak with employees about the impact of unionizing before a final decision is made.

“I think that the lobbying trips to Washington and Albany are important to our membership because we are able to sit with our legislators and articulate face to face those issues the Chamber's Members feel are important,” said Chamber Chairman Peter Meyer, TD Bank. “On the other hand, we receive great guidance from them on potential new legislation that may have negative consequences for our membership. These trips are important for the Chamber to make its case for continued governmental funding for programs critical to Members.”

“We’ve always had a sympathetic ear in Washington with regard to healthcare, taxation, workforce development, energy and other issues, but because of the change in administration there is a little more momentum for our Agenda. It seems that our membership has been on the right track all along,” said Brooklyn Chamber President & CEO Carl Hum.

Brooklyn delegates to Congress and the U.S. Senate are supporters of the Obama Administration and claim a feeling of excitement and renewed hope though they understand they face challenges.

“If you believe in God,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “Ever so often when America needs help the good Lord sends someone and he did. And, I was a Hillary supporter,” added the Senator with a smile.

The Chamber delegation comprised of 15 people, including the Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr. Meyer, TD Bank, Chamber President & CEO Mr. Hum, Government Affairs Committee Co-Chairman Brad Korn, Continuum Health Partners and Government Affairs Committee Vice Chairman Gil Cygler, All Car Rent A Car. While the Chamber and federal legislators agreed on nearly all of the issues presented, healthcare reform took the lead during most meetings.

“Without a doubt the issue of most importance was healthcare. This issue really breaks down into two subsets and each effects our Members. First, is the ability for small businesses to have access to quality affordable healthcare. The second is the concerns of our institutional healthcare members (hospitals, insurers, medical groups, etc.) to be able to continue providing excellent healthcare while dealing with significant cuts in funding. The good news is that I feel our legislators both at the federal and state levels are very aware of these needs and concerns and are working with groups like ours to overcome the challenges.”

“With healthcare costs forever increasing, we often feel there’s not much we as small business owners can do, but it was interesting to hear what Congress was thinking in terms of health care as well as be able to voice the concerns of Brooklyn business,” said Mr. Cygler.

Making An Impact
While legions of people including the educators, the small business community, nurses, police officers and even celebrities took to Capitol Hill to advocate for their issues, Brooklyn legislators said it was refreshing to see faces from “home.” U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY-Distict 10), a long-time supporter of the Chamber, hosted a luncheon for chamber members and extended invitations to all Brooklyn representatives. U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY-District 11), who attended the luncheon, said she welcomed the chance to speak with members of the local business community, because her schedule, which includes sitting on the congressional Education and Labor, Homeland Security and Small Business committees, limits the amount of time she can spend with individual constituents.

Lining Up on The Issues
From Graduate Medical Education to the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, the Brooklyn Chamber is in step with legislators. The Chamber’s Agenda calls for funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Senator Schumer touted his work which tripled LIHEAP funding. U.S. Rep. Velázquez sided with the Chamber on taxation, which broadens the base and narrows the tax the Chamber Agenda specifically includes reforming the Alternative Minimum Tax, readjusting the real estate tax and adjusting it for inflation and social security reform including reducing FICA payments and reinstating tax deductibility.

Though these and other positions aligned, the Chamber was hard pressed to find a legislator who opposed the Employee Free Choice Act (see the 2009 federal agenda for more). U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says while she supports the bill she is open to compromise and Senator Schumer believes there will be a compromise, but Brooklyn members of Congress were staunch in there positions. In fact, a vigorous debate ensued between members of the Chamber delegation and U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner.

“We often are quick to criticize what Congress does; but here the Chamber took the time to visit Washington and make our voices heard,” said Mr. Cygler. “While our efforts may not always be successful, in the very least we made the effort to speak on behalf of the Brooklyn business community.”

“I take volunteerism seriously, as do most of our members. Brooklyn has been very good to me – I attended high school, college and graduate school here and I live here. I've spent many years of my career in Brooklyn and it has been very rewarding to me professionally,” said Mr. Meyer. “As a banker I see first hand that a strong business environment is essential for a vibrant community. The Chamber is a critical partner with and champion for small businesses which are vital to the fabric of the Brooklyn economy. Without an effective small business community larger businesses cannot be successful. 

To see the full 2009 Agenda for Growth and Recovery, state and federal as well as the most recent Member survey of the issues important to Brooklyn Chamber Members visit the advocacy section of ibrooklyn.com.