Federal Issues
2013 Federal Legislative Session Action Agenda
- National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
- President and Congress must agree upon and enact recommendations of the Simpson-Bowles Commission in order to address sequestration
- Peace Bridge U.S. Plaza Renovations & Commercial Pre-Inspection
- Implementation of agreed upon U.S. plaza renovations
- Continued advancement of commercial pre-inspection at the Peace Bridge international border as part of 2 site pilot program
- Transportation Infrastructure Funding
- Development of a comprehensive surface transportation strategy that provides a predictable and sustainable, long-term, user-based funding stream for investment in our nation’s highways, roads, bridges, freight routes, and public transportation networks.
- Ensure that all funds deposited into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) in a given fiscal year are expended solely for their intended purpose of operations and maintenance dredging
- Amendment of MAP21 legislation to include Congressional definition of projects of regional and national significance
- Workforce Development
- Passage of high-skill visa reform legislation (or inclusion in broader immigration reform such as the “Gang of 8” proposal ) that maintains a bi-partisan, pro-business approach that facilitates significant international talent attraction, integration and retention through reform to the H-1B visa program
- Passage of legislation (or inclusion in broader immigration reform legislation such as the “Gang of 8” proposal) that reforms the H-2A agricultural guest worker program to accommodate the needs of modern agriculture and relieve the chronic farm labor shortage
- Reform and reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to better reflect regional skills needs and provides adequate funding to implement WIA-related initiatives
- Great Lakes Economic Revitalization
- Implementation of the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition’s Agenda for Jobs and Competitiveness
- Passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2013 (S.601)
- Redevelopment
- Passage of the Creating American Prosperity through Preservation Act (S.2074/H.R.2479) which will increase rate of federal historic tax credits to 30% for small projects, add a 2% additional credit for qualified energy efficiency rehabilitations, exempt the proceeds of state historic tax credits from federal taxes and update the placed-in-service requirements to 50-years prior
- Extend the New Market Tax Credit, which covers almost 40 percent of investment costs for eligible projects
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Introduction of legislation which will repeal of the 2.3% excise tax included in Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- Passage of the Make It In America Manufacturing Act of 2013, which establishes a program for the joint award of incentive grants to a state or a regional partnership to support U.S. manufacturing
- Campaign Finance/Political Spending
- Block any attempt to re-introduce the DISCLOSE Act
