UMA SOUTHERN REGION HOSTS GOLF TOURNAMENT
Under the direction of Owen Olsen, Southern Region Director for Utah Manufacturers Association, the second annual Southern Region Golf Tournament was held at Sky Mountain Golf Course in Hurricane on. The weather was a bit seasonally cold for the more than 30 golfers but they escaped the rain. Rain began not long after the tournament finished while participants were eating lunch and prizes were being awarded. Winning team for the scramble format was from Energy Solutions, with the Presidio Group/Source Corp finishing second both with scores of 62 for the round. Long drive honors went to Darin Larson, Holiday Inn Express; and closest to the pin honors went to Matt Hill, Presidio Group, and Andy Thackrell, Energy Solutions. Tournament organizer Owen Olsen said of the tournament, “We are pleased with the turnout for this second annual Southern Utah Tournament. We are just getting started with this event and we really appreciate the outstanding support from both golfers and our generous sponsors. Sponsors of this year’s tournament included: Workers Compensation Fund, Energy Solutions, SOS Staffing, Tram Electric, Nexeo, Materion, Les Olsen Company, Holiday Inn Express, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking and Source Corp. A big hardy thanks to all for a successful second year for this Southern Utah tournament. HEALTH CARE REFORM: ONE YEAR LATER
NAM Capital Briefing One year ago this week, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Along with the Reconciliation Act of 2010, the legislation instituted the greatest overhaul of the U.S. health care system in more than 40 years. Manufacturers were active throughout the legislative process, working to defeat damaging proposals like the public option and maintain important employer protections such as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The NAM also led the effort in urging Congress to restart the legislative debate with meaningful reform to reduce health care costs, support employer-sponsored benefits and create more affordable options for employers and individuals. Manufacturers have many other concerns with the health reform laws. While the NAM is pleased with the momentum in the House and Senate over the past few weeks to repeal the 1099 provision originally included in the health care legislation, until the measure is signed into law, the manufacturing industry still faces financial burdens in ramping up to comply with the 1099 requirement at the beginning of next year. Under the new IRS reporting requirement, all businesses will have to file a 1099 form with the IRS for all purchases of property and services that cost over $600. Previously, businesses have only reported purchases of services from non-corporate businesses. In addition, limits on contributions to Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) – with no index for inflation -- will serve as an immediate tax increase on employees and could eliminate these valuable savings tools over time. The NAM continues to monitor implementation of the reform laws as provisions take effect through 2018. The most prominent change will take place in 2014, when individuals are required by federal law to purchase health insurance. This individual mandate is matched by a requirement that employers with 50 or more workers either provide appropriate insurance coverage or pay a fee for certain employees. Employers also can expect premiums to continue to increase each year as the statute's mandates and programs enter into effect, stifling their ability to grow and create jobs and compete in a global economy. Before it goes into effect, however, the individual mandate has been challenged in the judicial branch. Two separate courts have ruled the law unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court ultimately will decide. One year later, manufacturers are still concerned about the cost of health care, and we know that the promise of being able to keep existing health coverage was an empty one. The Administration's chief actuary told a House Budget Committee hearing in January that the claim is "not true in all cases." He also projected that more than 7 million Medicare recipients in private Medicare Advantage plans will eventually have to find other coverage, cutting enrollment in the plans by about half. In addition, in a stunning admission before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius admitted the Administration is counting reductions in Medicare spending as a credit to extending the solvency of the program while also using the same funds to "pay for" a large portion of the expected costs of the law. This double-counting allowed the Administration to claim the legislation would save the nation more than $100 billion over the next 10 years. In the meantime, many other questions remain. Details: Joe Trauger, (202) 637-3127. {Back to top} CONGRESS SET TO VOTE ON EPA LEGISLATION: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
NAM Capital Briefing Votes on measures geared toward curtailing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are expected in both the Senate and the House in the coming weeks. The NAM supports efforts to curb these regulations and urges the manufacturing community to contact legislators on this critical issue. In the Senate, Republican Leader McConnell's (R-KY) Energy Tax Prevention Act amendment to the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011 should come up for votes as early as next week. A vote on the House bill (H.R. 910), introduced by Reps. Upton (R-MI) and Whitfield (R-KY), is expected soon. These measures would block the EPA's authority to regulate GHG emissions from stationary sources under the Clean Air Act while keeping intact the GHG tailpipe standards for model years 2012-2016. To send a letter to your legislators asking them to support the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, please click here. NAM FIGHTS TO ELIMINATE EXPORT TAXES
NAM Capital Briefing In an amicus brief filed March 16, the NAM supported Supreme Court review of a decision that undermines the Constitution's protection against export taxes. The decision allows taxes based on a product's weight to avoid the export tax ban, even though the tax is imposed on goods in export transit. Unless reversed, it will encourage administrative agencies and Congress to impose more excise taxes on exports, threatening the recovery and small and medium-sized businesses. Director General of U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service Visits Utah
World Trade Center Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert has called on Utah businesses to double exports in the next five years, just as they have done in the previous five years. The President has challenged the nation to do the same. So far only Utah has stepped up to meet the challenge in an amazingly successful way. Utah has over 2,500 companies who are actively engaged in international business. The number of Utah businesses who are entering the global marketplace continues to grow. For these reasons, Mr. Suresh Kumar, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Promotion and Director General of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service visited Utah to visit with Governor Gary R. Herbert and to speak on the President's National Export Initiative. While in Utah, Mr. Kumar saw firsthand what Utah is doing to successfully foster the nexus of innovation, education, and commercialization, which the Administration considers critically important to creating globally competitive and sustainable job growth, thereby, "winning the future" for the U.S. economy. Read More / Watch Interview » SmartBrief on Leadership U.S. manufacturers were forced to slow production after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami because of disruptions in the global supply chain. Experts say the slowdowns are a byproduct of increased reliance on just-in-time inventory management, in which plant mangers curb costs by keeping only a few days or hours' worth of inventory on hand. "If supply is disrupted as in this situation, there's nowhere to get product," says Jim Lawton, a former Hewlett-Packard procurement chief. BusinessWeek.com
Today in Manufacturing Economy grew faster at the end of 2010 than the government had previously estimated, boosted by more inventory building and business investment in plants and equipment ... continue
U.S. Department of Commerce According to a U.S. Department of Commerce report yesterday, "Lower demand for machinery and defense equipment prompted a fall in factory orders in February." The report further notes that "new orders for big-ticket items...fell 0.9% during the month, led by a 4.2% drop in machinery orders." Economists had expected orders to rise. The February data on new orders for long-lasting goods may suggest an unwelcome softening in a critical source of demand for US manufacturing. JAPAN CRISIS RENEWS CONCERNS ABOUT GLOBAL SOURCING Quick Manufacturing News Blog: Production setbacks 'emblematic of a broader decline in American industrial self-sufficiency.' Click to continue BIOPHARMACEUTICAL R&D INVESTMENT HIT RECORD LEVELS IN 2010 Quick Manufacturing News More than 75% of research conducted in U.S. Click to continue
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