Over the last year working in my role of government affairs at the Chamber, I have been involved in a number of methods of impacting policy at the local, state and federal level. Our advocacy has indeed taken several forms:
- We have supported the U.S. Chamber’s efforts to lobby congress for much-needed infrastructure funding by signing on as a member of a coalition comprised of a number of trade associations, major corporations, and other business groups throughout the country.
- We orchestrated a public forum to discuss the USMCA prior to its passage. We brought together key stakeholders: the Chicago Consulate Generals from Mexico and Canada, the Illinois Manufacturers Association, and the US Chamber of Commerce’s government affairs professionals. Representatives from our local congressional delegation participated also in the rich discussion of the need for a new NAFTA to ensure our local business can thrive on a global scale.
- We have partnered with neighboring Chambers and other groups to write joint letters advocating for specific policies at the state, county, and local levels.
- We have written position statements independently to state legislators and city council members.
- In addition, we have frequently made public statements at Naperville City Council meetings advocating for or opposing ordinances that impact our members.
That being said about our work, let’s not forget the value of the tried-and-true relationship building that happens when you meet face-to-face elected officials. These elected officials, on each level of government, have underscored the value of investing time in face-to-face meetings. NACC has invested much of its time in meeting individually with elected officials and building real relationships where complicated issues are discussed frankly and openly. We encourage you to do the same.
There is immense power in investing in face-to-face meetings with our elected officials, which is why we are excited about our upcoming Advocacy Day trip to Springfield on March 18th! Investing a day of our business lives to meet with our state elected officials is a power course of action to impact business policy.
Too often, emails and form letters can become background noise. Our trip to Springfield will provide us the opportunity to, first of all, see first-hand the legislative process in action, become more informed on key legislation impacting the business community and have meaningful conversations with our elected officials. The larger our entourage to more powerful we will communicate to our state elected officials that NACC Members are invested in ensuring bills get passed that support the growth of our local business community.
JOIN our trip to Springfield: New date tbd (effective 3/13/2020)
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If you have any questions or comments about our upcoming Springfield trip or our advocacy efforts please contact me at:
(630) 544-3387
rosborne@naperville.net