ASBC Policy Update: June 14, 2011

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ASBC Policy Update–June 14, 2011

Actions for Partners Only

Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) to Address ASBC Partners and Business Supporters June 15th, 4:30 p.m. EDT
Join us in a conversation with Rep. Keith Ellison about small business, energy, taxes, and other important issues facing Congress. Rep. Ellison is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a three-term Congressman from the 5th District in Minnesota (which includes the City of Minneapolis). The call will be a chance to hear from and ask Congressman Ellison about a range of issues.

Read the full text of The People’s Budget Amendment sponsored by the Congressional Progressive Caucus is here:

To participate in this conference call and receive the call-in information, you must register with this link:

White House Job Creation and Economy Boosting Initiatives
We are continuing to look for submissions for Job Creation and Economy Boosting Initiatives to include with those already submitted.

Here again is the format (submissions should be approximately 2 pages):

Name of Initiative
Summary including prime objective(s)

Job creation and economy boosting opportunities (please provide statistics if available)

Action(s) needed: Legislative, administrative, or otherwise

Relevant agencies (if any)

Lead organization

Links
Please send to [email protected].

Stories of Businesses that are Creating Jobs
We are looking to do press around businesses that are creating good jobs and want to collect information on some of your best stories. Please send the following information:

Name of business
Contact

Overview of business — including triple-bottom line benefits

Info on number of jobs created and/or financial growth of business

ASBC organizational member information
Send to David Levine

Small Business Owners Need for Op-Eds on Benefits of Good Regulation
We hope to have op-eds run in papers in Maine, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Connecticut in time for a June 23 hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that will focus on a variety of regulatory proposals. The aim is to sway key senators in those states. The best people to write those op-eds are small business owners. We are pulling together talking points to help guide them and would be happy to assist in drafting. Each state will have a different message based on the senators and their stances on the issue.

Since the aim is to have the op-eds run in the larger papers, ideally the small business owners would be in the circulation areas of the Portland Press Herald, the Boston Globe, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and the Hartford Courant. But if that’s not possible, we’ll be happy to adjust.

If you have suggestions of business owners who might want to submit an op-ed, please contact David Levine.

ASBC Supports Elizabeth Warren
ASBC sent a letter to President Obama urging him to officially nominate Elizabeth Warren as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by the designated transfer date of July 21, 2011, when the CFPB assumes the consumer protection responsibilities currently held by other federal agencies.

Green America Issues Report Calling Southern Company Most Irresponsible U.S. Utility
Green America has produced a new Real Social Responsibility Report for Southern Company: Leadership We Can Live Without. The report details the real economic and health-related costs of Southern’s utility practices. This cost includes asthma, heart disease, lung disease, air and water pollution, global warming, and the potential for catastrophic accidents. The Report explains how Southern “wins” the title of Most Irresponsible Utility in the United States. Read the full report.

ASBC Welcomes Summer Interns
Four interns have joined ASBC to work on its campaigns this summer. Shreya Barot will be supporting the Business for Democracy campaign. Sean Griffin will be supporting ASBC’s legislative activities on Capitol Hill and the Corporate Tax Haven Abuse working group. Benjamin Cruikshank, who is jointly interning with ASBC partner Green America, will be supporting the Climate & Energy working group. Marguerite Conroy, who is jointly interning with ASBC partner National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association, will be supporting the Sustainable Agriculture working group.

Upcoming ASBC Meetings
Steering Committee Meeting
The ASBC Steering Committee will hold its next teleconference meeting on Thursday, July 7 at 1:00 pm EDT.

Conference Call # (641) 715-3840 code: 431924#

Climate & Energy Working Group
The ASBC Climate & Energy Working Group will hold its next meeting by teleconference on Friday, July 1 at 11:45 a.m. EDT.

Conference Call # (641) 715-3840 code: 431924#

PACE Legislation:

Efforts are underway to support the forthcoming PACE Assessment Protection Act of 2011, introduced by Representatives Dan Lungren (R-CA3), Mike Thompson (D-CA1) and Nan Hayworth (R-NY19). The Act protects local governments’ authority to establish Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. PACE programs are an innovative type of municipal finance that makes it easier for home and business owners to install energy saving improvements.

Health Care Working Group
Plans are underway to form a working group to explore a number of strategies to support the ACA, including integrated health care, cooperatives, and transparency in pricing. Interested in participating? Contact Richard Eidlin.

Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
The seminal Farm Bill will be debated in Congress beginning later this year. ASBC is gearing up to ensure that the bill supports small farmers, organic and quality food, water conservation, rural development, and local food production. Interested in participating? Contact Richard Eidlin.

Policy Actions to Send to Your Members

Stand up for Democratic Elections
Stand with the four members of the Supreme Court and the 80% of Americans who believe that corporations do not have the Constitutional right to give secret and unlimited amounts of money in U.S. elections. We invite all business leaders who share our concern that the 2010 Citizens United decision undermines our democracy and a fair, competitive economy to sign the Business for Democracy Statement of Support at www.businessfordemocracy.com.