“ON THE HILL”
Immigration Still a Hot Topic: Rep. Sandstrom's immigration bill (HB-70 - Arizona style) moves out of a House committee late Friday after more than three hours of testimony. As promised, the House’s myriad immigration bills are moving through the system toward a showdown with the Senate.In other action on Monday, Rep. Herrod’s immigration bill was approved by the House committee. HB-253 would suspend the business license of firms that knowingly hire undocumented workers. An amendment to the bill raised the size of employer from 5 to 15 to be included in the requirements of the proposed new law. Both Herrod and Sandstrom received death threats over the weekend as a result of their sponsorship of these bills.
Immigration is causing much concern within the Latino community.
Salt Lake County Police Fee Under Fire: A third in a string of attacks on the unpopular county police fee in Salt Lake County has been heard by a Senate Committee. Senator Daniel Thatcher presented his bill (SB-43) to the committee on Friday to kill the police fee immediately. The bill was held pending consideration of other similar measures, one from the House and one from the Senate.
Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, recently shepherded HB226 through the House with a 2012 effective date. Now Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, has forwarded a proposal that would replace the police fee with a utility franchise tax. UMA has traditionally opposed county franchise taxes.
WEBER AND DAVIS COUNTIES SEEING POSITIVE GROWTH
UB DailyWeber and Davis counties are seeing positive growth now, and in the future said area representatives at a Utah Business roundtable on Thursday, February 10. Business and community leaders discussed how these counties are contributing to many industries (including travel and tourism, retail, manufacturing, real estate and financial industries) and are making a difference to Utah’s economy. Among these industries, manufacturing and travel and tourism industries are showing significant signs of success. View Full Article
UMA SUPPORTS FUNDING FOR MEP
UMA joined a host of other associations and companies across the county in support of funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The following letter was signed by UMA president Tom Bingham.
February 14, 2011
The Honorable Barbara Mikulski, Chairwoman
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, Ranking Member
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Frank Wolf, Chairman
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Chaka Fattah, Ranking Member
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairwoman Mikulski, Chairman Wolf, Ranking Members Hutchison and Fattah,
The undersigned associations, representing tens of thousands of U.S. manufacturers and millions of employees, respectfully urge you to support funding the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) at $125 million in the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution.
MEP is critical to the creation and retention of U.S. manufacturing jobs. Each year, the program is validated by an independent third party. Based on their latest report, the MEP program created and retained 72,075 jobs in FY09 alone and more than 318,000 since the program was created in 1988.
The federal funding for this program is essential to leveraging equal investments from both the state and local governments and client fees. In FY09 this public/private program created or retained $8.4 billion in sales, allowed their clients to make $1.9 billion in new investments, and provided $1.3 million in cost savings.
Manufacturing is key to our economic recovery and job creation. Thank you in advance for preserving $125 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program in the FY11 Continuing Resolution.
Respectfully,
Thomas E. Bingham, President
Utah Manufacturers Association
Today in Manufacturing
The president is sending Congress a $3.73 trillion spending blueprint, pledging $1.1 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade through spending cuts and tax increases ... continue
NAM SAYS OBAMA BUDGET FALLS SHORT
NAM News ReleaseNational Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Relations Aric Newhouse issued a statement today following the release of President Obama's budget for fiscal year 2012:
“We are pleased that the President recognizes the importance of research and development (R&D) to our economy. The President's call for a strengthened and permanent R&D tax credit is critical to innovation. Additionally, proposals to support manufacturing technology and innovation by funding robust protection of intellectual property, the deployment of the next generation broadband, and an increase in basic research funding have the potential to positively impact jobs and economic growth. Unfortunately, President Obama's budget plan also contains higher taxes for virtually all manufacturers – a direct threat to growth and manufacturing jobs. Increased income taxes on companies with worldwide operations, increased energy taxes and income taxes for small and medium-sized companies will make manufacturers less competitive. We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to advance policies that will keep the US the best country in the world to manufacture.”
Today in Manufacturing
Japan confirmed that China's economy surpassed its own as the world's second largest in 2010, a historic shift that underscores a stark change in fortunes ... continue
Today in Manufacturing
Shoppers pushed retail sales up for a seventh straight month although the increase was the weakest since June ... continue
NAM JOINS BRIEF IN AEP V. CONNECTICUT:
FLAG Weekly CommunicationsThe NAM on Monday, Feb. 7, joined an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Second U.S. Court of Appeals in American Electric Power v. Connecticut that allowed eight states to sue six major electric utility companies under the theory that their emissions caused a public nuisance by contributing to global warming. Through its decision, the appellate court effectively makes the federal judicial system the arbiter of what is fundamentally a political issue — environmental, energy and economic policy — that must be resolved by the policymaking branch of government, Congress. The NAM has been involved in this litigation for several years. Background is available at the NAM's Manufacturing Law Center. The NAM's brief was submitted by the Houston law firm of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. From the firm's news release:
In accepting the power companies' appeal, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether global warming was a “political question” that courts lacked the standards and resources to decide.
“Such a standardless exercise is not jurisprudential,” note Mr. Faulk and Mr. Gray in the current brief. “Instead, it transforms courts across the United States into regulatory agencies, requires them to devise ad hoc standards for each case, applies ex post facto rules to impose liability, and then mandates enforcement using the threat of contempt to motivate compliance. Such a proceeding may be called a trial, but it is not.”
Mr. Faulk and Mr. Gray argue that allowing courts to resolve climate change liabilities on a “case by case” basis would create a “confused patchwork of standards, to the detriment of industry and the environment alike.”
Joining the NAM in the amicus brief are the American Chemistry Council, The American Coatings Association, The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, and the Public Nuisance Fairness Coalition. The brief can be found at http://www.gardere.com/Binaries/Press%20and%20Publicatio …
Quick Manufacturing News
U.S. manufacturers and machine shops purchased a total of $446.76 million in machine tools and related products and supplies during December 2010, with sales up across all regions for the month, and up 85% for the full year. Click to continue
Quick Manufacturing News
Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to be up 11% in February over the same month last year, and the first half of 2011 should be up 6% over the same period in 2010, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. Click to continue
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