Weekly Policy Update: February 14th, 2012
Policy Updates
Energy & Environment
ASBC re-affirmed its opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline project in a statement sent to Congress. The letter opposes any efforts by Congress to usurp the President’s authority to make the final decision on the project. Three pieces of legislation have been introduced that would approve the project, superseding the Administration’s decision to reject the pipeline.??To read the letter, click here.
For more information, contact Bryan McGannon – bmcgannon@asbcouncil.org
B-Corp
Despite the efforts of our partners and businesses in the states, the benefit corporation bills in Oregon and Washington have died for this year. Procedural impediments caused the bills to be dropped, not the merits of the bill. Good progress was made creating allies and support during this session and it will be introduced in the next legislative session.
Pennsylvania is the next state to take up b-corp legislation this month. Business voices will be vital to moving bill # HB 1616- Denlinger forward during legislative session. For more information on ASBC’s Benefit Corporation campaign, click here.
A Benefit Corporation bill will be introduced in the Colorado legislature this month. It has already gained wide support from businesses across the state including; New Belgium Brewery, Rally Software and Namaste Solar. If you?re interested in having your company get involved, please contact: Richard Eidlin ?reidlin@asbcouncil.org or see the letter of support.
ASBC is also monitoring B-Corp legislation in IL, GA, DC, MI and NC. Contact Bryan McGannon – bmcgannon@asbcouncil.org for more information.
Crowdfunding
ASBC is working with Senate offices to get crowdfunding legislation moving, where it is stuck in committee. Another initiative we are working on is to “crowdfund” an ad to run in the Capitol Hill newspaper Politico, urging the Senate to act. We encourage you to share this link with your networks to help drive attention and traffic to the ad campaign. ??
For more information, contact Bryan McGannon – bmcgannon@asbcouncil.org.?
Upcoming Events
Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conferences Atlanta & L.A.
The Blue Green Alliance is sponsoring the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference in Atlanta, February 23-24. This year ASBC will be leading a panel at the conference to discuss a myriad of issues.??
The 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference featured more than 100 workshops covering topics like workforce development, clean energy manufacturing, transportation infrastructure investments, emerging green sectors, worker safety and the financial tools needed to build the green economy.??
At the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference ASBC will also host a Reception on February 23, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.??
Contact Richard Eidlin at reidlin@asbcouncil.org for more information
Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference Los Angeles?
The Blue Green Alliance is also sponsoring the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference in Los Angeles, March 15-16. This year ASBC will be leading a panel at the conference to discuss a myriad of issues.
Again for information on this event please contact Richard Eidlin at reidlin@asbcouncil.org
Richard Cordray to Speak in NYC
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) invites you to participate in a town hall event in New York City.? ?
The town hall will take place at 5:30pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at Hunter College (entrance on E. 69th Street between Park and Lexington Avenue).? ?
The event will feature remarks from CFPB Director Richard Cordray about the consumer bureau?s mission and work, including a new effort around checking accounts. Audience members will also be invited to share their personal experiences with checking accounts and other consumer financial products and services during an open-microphone session.? ?
This event is open to the public and requires an RSVP. To RSVP, email your full name and your organizational affiliation (if any) to cfpb.events@cfpb.gov. Feel free to forward this invitation.? ?
The CFPB was created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and is the first federal agency devoted to consumer protection in the financial marketplace. For more information on the Bureau, please visit www.consumerfinance.gov
Recent Press
Small Businesses Split on Obama Budget
“Small business owners struggled through a recession we didn’t cause, yet we still lead the economy in job creation, said Frank Knapp, President and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chair of the American Sustainable Business Council. Read full story here.
Get the Dough Out Of Politics
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were recently took place in an interview on the Dylan Ratigan Show on MSNBC. They talked about their ?Get the Dough out of Politics? campaigns. For more information visit here: and to see the interview visit the following link here.
US Carbon Rule Could Slam Door on New Coal Plants
The Obama administration is expected soon to unveil long-delayed rules limiting carbon emissions from new coal-fired power stations, possibly helping to slam the door shut well into the future on building plants that run on the fuel. Read Full story Here.
Requests for Partners and Business Supporters
Your Photos Wanted
ASBC is seeking photographs to liven up the new ASBC web site, which is about to launch. Please send us a few from your collection. Please only send photos that you have the right use, and not any that you may have taken from another website.??
We are particularly interested in:?
Photos of meetings of your organization, whether a formal meeting or a networking event.
Photos which show diversity of our membership are particularly valuable.
Photos that show your members with their businesses, for example an owner standing in front of her or his shop ? or in their factory, at a job site, etc.
?Photos that illustrate advocacy, for example of your people meeting in Washington or with city or state decisionmakers, or in front of a capitol bulding, or any other context that implies advocacy. (not a protest march, or you in a tent at an Occupy site, however.)?
Please email photos to dbrodwin@asbcouncil.org
Request for Upcoming Events
ASBC is currently in the process of launching our new website, and in an effort to include information about our events, partner events, and events elsewhere, we are including a calendar on our new site. At this time we would like to request any information about upcoming events (Conferences, tradeshows, etc) from partners, and business supporters.?
The setup of the Events page on our new site is slightly different from that on the current one. Please follow these guidelines when submitting your event information:
In the new setup there will only be three categories of events: “ASBC events,” “Partner Events,” and “Events Elsewhere.?ASBC Events” are sponsored by ASBC directly; “Partner Events” are sponsored by partners or business supporters; “Events Elsewhere” are offered by other affiliated organizations. All events for outside organizations (neither partners nor business supporters) will be vetted by ASBC management before being placed on the site.
When you submit your event, please provide the following data:
Event Name: How you want it to appear on the calendar (note that longer titles will be cut off on the monthly view of the calendar but visible at the detail level)
Event Type: ASBC Event (if ASBC is a co-sponsor, it can be listed as an ASBC event), Partner Event, or Event Elsewhere
Event Description: One or two paragraph text description of the event. Include any registration links or relevant logos/images.
Event Date and Time (from Date X to Date Y; From Time X to Time Y)
If you have any questions about formatting or what to include, please contact Robyn Schwartz, website, at rschwartz@asbcouncil.org