_advocacy

As an organization dedicated to the economic well-being of McLennan County, the Waco Chamber of Commerce actively seeks to promote policies that are conducive to the further development of this region. The goal of our public policy initiative is to inform, educate, engage and advocate for the Greater Waco business community regarding relevant public policy.

Public Policy & Advocacy News:

ACTION ALERT – ACT NOW — Support HB 5 – The Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology & Innovation Act

On behalf of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce’s Public Policy Committee, we are alerting our Greater Waco Chamber membership to support HB 5 –…

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Action Alert: Oppose HB 2827 to Protect Greater Waco’s Water Supply

ACT NOW — Oppose HB 2827 to Protect Greater Waco’s Water Supply On behalf of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce’s Public Policy Committee, we…

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2020 State Of Series Recordings

Legislative Platforms

The Waco Chamber serves the vibrant and growing heart of Central Texas as the voice for businesses. Each year, the Public Policy Committee will survey the Chamber’s membership and engage in dialogue with legislators to identify a priority list of issues that will be tracked. Individuals are invited to propose policy issues on behalf of their business or industry for consideration within the scope of the Chamber’s interests.

Every year, the Public Policy Committee develops a Legislative Priority Agenda at both the state and federal levels which serve as a public policy guide to inform our members, elected and appointed officials, and the community-at-large of the position of the Waco Chamber on issues that impact business in Greater Waco and Central Texas.

Texas 88th Legislative Session

  • Support solutions and funding to attract and retain high-quality teachers and improve the overall teacher experience.
  • Ensure school districts receive their full Tier 1 entitlement to support a strong and equitable public-school system.
  • Support the Texas Commission on Community College Finance’s concept and funding of the new community college outcomes funding model.
  • Increase funding of the state financial aid programs, such as the Texas Tuition Equalization Grant program, to ensure opportunities for all Texans to attend an institution of higher education.
  • Support training programs like the TRUE (Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education) program that will reskill, upskill, and strengthen the Texas workforce across all industry sectors.
  • Support solutions and funding to unlock and retain more workers that will strengthen the talent pipeline and addresses the barriers to entering or re-entering the workforce such as affordable housing, high quality childcare, transportation, healthcare, food security and broadband access.
  • Support tax provisions that spur private sector innovation and development and that encourage the formation of new businesses large
    and small.
  • Support solutions that reduce the property tax burden on businesses and promotes a fair, professional appraisal process that retains local authority and spurs business development and growth.
  • Ensure regulations reflect a cost-benefit perspective and support legislative efforts to maintain a regulatory climate that does not impose hidden taxes on employers through excessive fees and fines, but rather
    reduces excessive regulations to promote economic growth and job creation.
  • Oppose any regulations or policies that incentivize able-bodied workers to not join or return to the workforce.
  • Reauthorize Chapter 311 and reimplement or replace Chapter 313 for
    large capital investment projects.
  • Support the Texas Enterprise Fund, the state’s deal-closing incentive fund, and all other competitive economic development incentives and tools.
  • Permanently fund the Spaceport Trust Fund (minimum $10 million per biennium) for communities with designated Spaceport Development Corporations.
  • Advocate for using the state’s record budget surplus towards funding long term impact capital and infrastructure projects.
  • Support policies and programs that increase access to capital for small business loans and that provide resources for small business development.
  • Support increased transportation funding and dedicated funds for small/mid-size MPOs and preserve the local decision-making ability of MPOs in the prioritization, planning and designation of funding for regional transportation projects.
  • Support completing the reconstruction and expansion of Waco’s section of Interstate 35 without requiring the sacrifice of additional local resources.
  • Support innovative water management strategies including reuse, conservation and conjunctive use of quality ground and surface water along with providing incentives for the implementation of these strategies to ensure adequate supply of water that supports future economic growth and development of the region.
  • Support the further implementation and funding of the statewide broadband plan that fairly serves all Texans.
  • Support the domestic production of efficient energy sources to further Texas’ position as a global energy leader.

2023 Federal Public Policy Priorities

  • Support re-Authorization of The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to support federal investment into the WIOA to its authorized levels to enable a local, employer-led and demand driven national workforce system to increase the skills of the American workforce and our businesses’ ability to have the skilled workforce they need to innovate and increase productivity.
  • Support S.161/H.R. 793 The JOBS Act of 2023 to expand and increase funding for the Pell Grant to support short-term credentials sought by local employers and expand eligibility to allow individuals to pursue short-term, high-quality education and training programs to address the
    worker shortage.
  • Support funding and solutions to address the barriers to entering or re-entering the workforce such as affordable housing, high quality childcare, transportation, healthcare, food security and broadband access.
  • Support funding and solutions for training and re-training the workforce and efforts to unlock and retain more workers.
  • Support federal funding for postsecondary education research grants and opportunities.
  • Support policies that reduce long-term debt – with attention to the debt to GDP ratio – to achieve long-term fiscal stability, curb inflation and promote economic growth.
  • Support pro-business environmental and labor laws that keep costs low for employers, prevent regulatory uncertainty by providing the needed clarity and predictability and promote job growth and innovation.
  • Support modeling corporate tax benefits for small businesses in a way that is congruent with larger corporate entities to achieve fair and equitable taxation across all business sizes.
  • Support H.R. 261 – The Article 1 Regulatory Budget Act to advocate for regulatory reform and streamlining across all industry sectors by requiring Congress to vote on new rules and regulations before they can take effect to ensure there is no harmful regulation or unfunded mandates enacted on businesses.
  • Oppose any regulations or policies that incentivize able-bodied workers to not join or
    return to the workforce.
  • Support maximizing the available federal resources from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and additional legislation and federal funding sources for viable transportation projects including federal funding for the city of Waco’s Speegleville Road Bridge Replacement Project.
  • Support re-authorization of The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 and additional legislation and funding sources that work to facilitate water reuse and conservation projects that will help meet our area industries’ water needs and conserve valuable water resources now and for the future including federal funding for the city of Waco’s Flat Creek Reuse and Recycling Project.
  • Support H.R. 1577 The BUILDER Act of 2023 for federal regulatory and permitting reform that would streamline water, energy, transportation, and other infrastructure permitting projects to provide the needed predictability for efficient, timely projects.
  • Support programs that support and fund diverse aspects of vital infrastructure projects including air transportation, broadband, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure.
    Support an all-of-the-above energy approach and the domestic production of efficient energy sources to further Texas’ position as a global energy leader.
  • Support solutions and funding focused on the development of projects, zoning, regulatory reforms, and other policies that support and expand the affordable housing supply, particularly in higher opportunity areas.
  • Support reauthorization and funding for programs and agencies that aid small businesses and entrepreneurs, or foster community development and economic impact, including EDA, CDBG, SBA, MEP and NIST.
  • Support legislation that simplifies and provides greater access to capital, such as the State Small Business Credit Initiative, as well as continuing support for existing access to capital programs like SBA’s 504 and 7(a) programs.
  • Support international trade policies that encourage economic development, reduce trade barriers, protect U.S. intellectual property, eliminate unfair trade practices, and expand market access for U.S. supply chains.

Public Policy Committee

The Public Policy Committee provides a voice for Chamber members in economic, legislative and policy issues that impact the community and economic development. The role of the committee is to be a liaison for our business community with local, state and federal officials and various government entities.