LEGISLATURE MOVES BILLS TO RAISE GE TAX TO 6%

1. PAID ADVERTISEMENT VOICE VOICE O F B U S I N E S S February 19, issue of Chamber Voice, PBN www.cochawaii.org LEGISLATURE MOVES BILLS TO RAISE GE TAX TO 6% Welcome New Members  Aloha Overstock  Corporation  Bloomingdale’s  Breakout Waikiki  JPG Hawaii  Kai Lani Loa  La Tour Bakehouse Chamber Business Package For the third session in a row, the Chamber has introduced a business package that focuses on spurring economic development, investing in Hawaii’s future and addressing the cost of doing business, in support of various industries in Hawaii: • HB 1716 and HB 2266, which support early learning programs • HB 1847 and SB 2216, which support sports tourism and entertainment • HB 2027, which supports an infrastructure revolving fund • HB 2049 and SB 2372, which seek a solution to neglected private roads in use by the public • HB 2199, which supports Transit Oriented Development • HB 2209, which seeks to rectify the ruling in the case of Adams v. CDM • HB 2262, HB 2264, HB 2288, HB 2550, HB 2668, SB 2791, SB 2792, SB 3011, which support the state’s manufacturing, high technology and innovation industries by supporting successful programs with renewed funding To get involved and help build a better business climate in Hawaii , contact Jenny Lee, Business Advocacy Coordinator, at jlee@cochawaii.org. Welcome New Young Professional Members  Christina Armstrong, Kapolei High School, Department of Education  Liz Cawrey, Servco Pacific Inc.  Aaron Dooley, Liberty Mutual  Branden Gedeon, JPG Hawaii  Jean-Paul Gedeon, JPG Hawaii  Joe Gedeon, JPG Hawaii  Chase Huntley, YMCA of Honolulu  Courtney Jones, Dale Carnegie Training, Hawaii & Guam  Iniki Leialoha, Surf HNL  Katrina Richardson, Wine and Canvas Hawaii  Lauren Sayson, Wyndham Vacation Ownership  Randall Sebastian, University of Phoenix  Francesca Weems, Communications Pacific  Jerry Yu, Keller Williams Members bring their collective voice of business to policy makers during the Walk Around at the Capitol as part of the Chamber’s annual Chamber Week to engage members and the business community in the legislative process. Chamber Voice Sponsor • SB 2478 - raises the GET by .5% to fund a state-run long-term care program Businesses and consumers cannot aff ord an additional $1 billion+ increase in taxes, including bills that do not guarantee that these funds will only be directed to the intended programs. If these bills pass, the GET could be 6% on Oahu and 5.5% on the neighbor islands. Business owners are encouraged to contact their legislators to express their concerns through the Chamber’s Action Alert System. To sign up for Action Alerts, go to cochawaii.org/action-alerts. T e 2016 legislative session is of to a strong start; the Chamber has been actively testifying on over 100 bills to support a positive business climate in Hawaii and opposing many harmful bills that would increase costs or impose harsher regulations Several bills are being tracked that would raise the GET and income tax, and mandate paid sick leave. Projected tax increases being considered this year would raise taxes by over $1.2 billion, including the following bills: • SB 2454 - increases income taxes • SB 2599 & SB 2586 - raise GET by 1% to provide funds for DOE SERVING HAWAII’S BUSINESSES FOR MORE THAN 110 YEARS. LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO HELP MEMBERS PROMOTE THEIR BUSINESS UPCOMING EVENTS CHAMBER EVENTS February 22 - Young Professionals Development Class February 25 - Business After Hours at Honolulu Club March 12 - Mad About March H-O-R-S-E Basketball Tournament March 31 - 2016 Health Summit: The Future of Health in the Workplace For more information on all events, to register or to join the Chamber, visit cochawaii.org or call 808-545-4300 Over the past few decades, the Chamber utilized a membership software program to manage our products and services, as well as member information. As technology evolves, so does the Chamber, particularly in this fast-paced environment and with the need to be forward-thinking to provide the best value to our members In that light, we are pleased to announce a new, more advanced and interactive membership software, Chamber Master (CM), the market leader in Chamber software. We launched Chamber Master earlier this month and many of our members are already proactively using this new tool. One of the initiatives included in our 2016 strategic plan was to leverage online tools to help members promote their businesses. T is tool gives members exclusive access to valuable resources and the opportunity to showcase their businesses on the Chamber’s website, by providing each member with a member information center. Features include: • Personalized, secure log-ins • Member Information Center where members can: • Update their company profi le or employee information • Create a mini website by adding photos, videos, map and social media links, for example, to their online member directory listing • Promote job openings, discount off ers, events • Expanded functionality of events registration process • Expanded reporting features, including utilization and marketing reports • Mobile application With CM, members are able to access their account from anywhere online. To learn more about this opportunity to further engage with the Chamber and promote your business, go to cochawaii.org. Or for member login information and other questions, email support@cochawaii.org. In other news, the Chamber’s Young Professionals (YP) program for individuals ages 21-39, continues to thrive with increased number of sponsors and members, and heightened visibility. We encourage our members and/or their employees to get involved. For more information about this dynamic program, please contact Bianca Mordasini, Director of Communications and Marketing and YP Executive Director, at bmordasini@cochawaii.org. MEMBER EVENTS February 20 » DBEDT & Leeward Community College 2016 Spring Hawaii Small Business Fair February 20 » ES&A Supervisor Saturdays for Supervisors and Managers February 25 » HVCA 16th Annual Awards Gala March 8 » AFCEA Hawaii March 2016 Luncheon Clean, reliable gas energy hawaiigas.com Sherry Menor-McNamara, President & CEO Proudly sponsored by: