Advocacy

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce has built its reputation as the “Voice of Business” in Annapolis by working to improve the state’s business environment and helping to strengthen its economy. Some of the Chamber’s recent victories include:

• Leading the fight against a wide-array of anti-business tax increases.

• Fighting to slow the growth of mandated health care benefits.

• Defeating legislation to increase workers' compensation benefits to various groups, thereby increasing employer costs.

• Winning passage of a bill creating a task force to study the state's Unemployment Insurance system and its impact on Maryland's employers.

• Fighting to kill or amend environmental bills that would have significantly increased fees and imposed penalties for air, water and waste operations.

The Maryland Chamber’s ongoing legislative goals include:

• Serving as the leading business voice on the state’s budget crisis.

• Leading a coalition of organizations to address short- and long-term transportation and transit funding needs in Maryland.

• Working with employers, legislators, regulators and health care providers to improve our current market-based health insurance system’s strengths to control costs and provide access to those who want coverage but can’t afford it.

• Ensuring that adequate funding is made available to strengthen the quantity and quality of skilled and unskilled employees in Maryland.

• Strengthening the state’s competitive tax climate to help attract and retain businesses, workers and investment.