Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2007

BY STEPHEN WITT

Members of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce hit the ground running for their annual Washington, D.C. lobbying trip, held on May 9 and 10. Along the way, the 17-member Chamber contingent renewed their ties with federal lawmakers representing the borough while lobbying for issues relating to business growth in Brooklyn.

The Chamber, much like New York City, has found new clout in the nation’s capital with the appointment of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez to the position of Chair of the House Small Business Committee. Chairwoman Velázquez, the first Hispanic woman to ever head a full committee in congress, hosted a luncheon for the Brooklyn Chamber delegation. She has represented the 12th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Brooklyn and Queens, since 1992.

“Over the years Congresswoman Velázquez has been, and, to this day remains, an ally to the small business owner,” said Mark Kessler, interim president and chief operating officer of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

“The annual meeting with the Congresswoman gives Brooklyn Chamber Members the faith that we have a champion for small business issues from health insurance to taxation,” he said.

During the meeting, Congresswoman Velázquez relayed a number of the issues the House Small Business Committee has been working on since the start of the 110th Congress. Several bills have already passed the House to increase access to affordable capital, reform the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program, and open up the $340 billion federal marketplace to small firms in New York and nationwide, she said.

Rep. Velázquez said the committee also conducted a number of hearings on issues of importance to small businesses in Brooklyn. These issues included finding a solution for the rising cost of health care, ensuring small business needs are considered as changes are being made to the patent system and immigration reform.

The congresswoman noted most of the Chamber’s legislative agenda — the increased cost of health care, small business tax issues, and energy costs — were priorities for the House Small Business Committee.

“Our annual [Chamber] collaborations are invaluable as they allow me an opportunity to work with local leaders to promote small business growth and protect the working families of Brooklyn,” she said.

Agenda Specifics
Chamber Members came to Washington armed with the results of a survey put together under the direction of Government Affairs Committee co-chairs Brad Korn, Continuum Health Partners, Inc. and Eric Huebscher, iDoctor. The four-page survey asked the 1,400 members of the chamber to rank the top obstacles to business growth in the borough.

There were 232 survey responses and the top five obstacles, in order, were the increased cost of health insurance, the cost of liability insurance, fuel or energy costs, finding trained, qualified and reliable workers and traffic transportation problems.

Under the health care issue, the Chamber delegation told the Brooklyn lawmakers they oppose President Bush’s proposed elimination of Medicaid Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding.

The Chamber argued the cuts would represent a loss of about $685 million to Brooklyn hospitals over the next five years.

The Chamber threw its support behind legislation to fund locally developed health insurance products and medical malpractice insurance reform.

Regarding energy, the Chamber supported action to curb oil industry pricing, lifting tariffs on ethanol to encourage local development and energy efficiency incentives. 

The respondents also overwhelmingly supported zoning changes and public investment to revitalize Coney Island, the creation of a rail link that includes two Brooklyn stops between Manhattan and JFK Airport, and the expansion of the Industrial Business Zones to retain, support and protect the manufacturing community.

Steve Kaplansky, who heads the Chamber’s Brooklyn Goes Global initiative, said the trip to Washington to meet federal lawmakers is particularly important, as his program markets, promotes and educates Brooklyn businesses and manufacturers involved in importing and exporting.

“I especially want to thank Congressman Ed Towns and Senator Hillary Clinton for helping to get funding to expand this program to help small- and medium-sized businesses in the borough of Brooklyn,” Mr. Kaplansky said.

State Lobbying Effort
The Chamber’s lobbying trip coincided with the Chamber Alliance of New York State’s Annual New York Day in Washington. Being a member of the Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS) gave Brooklyn Chamber members the opportunity to participate in the May 10 breakfast in the Russell Senate Office Building, in which both U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer addressed business issues affecting the state.

These issues include spiraling health insurance costs, workforce development, energy, transportation, technology, borders and corridors, taxes, liability reform and Medicaid.

Washington Observations
Mr. Kessler stressed the trip to Washington allows Chamber Members to learn about their lawmakers’ legislative agenda.

“It’s a continuation of a dialogue with our longstanding friends in Washington and a chance to open new ones with people like [freshman] Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, who brings intimate knowledge of Central Brooklyn’s needs to the national discussions,” said Mr. Kessler.

He said the Chamber also had a fascinating and delightful discussion with Sen. Schumer.

“He has encyclopedic knowledge of the borough, pointing out specific businesses on specific blocks in specific neighborhoods, which was enjoyable, informative and left the Chamber with great optimism.”

“This was the first time I led this trip and it was a fascinating process to help develop the survey, get the feedback from our members, and then spend two days with our delegation discussing the information from the survey with our elected officials,” said Mr. Kessler. “Our discussions were substantial."