Hawaii businesses count on chamber to speak for them
By: Bryna Stankiewicz
1/21/2009
Between 3,000 and 4,000 measures are introduced by Hawaii legislators at each session.
Sherry Menor-McNamara of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii reads them all so business owners don’t have to.
“She IDs them, as they relate to the business community, so we can track them throughout the session,” said Menor-McNamara’s boss, Chamber President and CEO Jim Tollefson.
Menor-McNamara, the chamber’s vice president of business advocacy and government affairs, does more than track the bills, of which only a few hundred eventually become laws. The measures are posted and updated on the chamber’s Web site from mid-January through session’s end in early May.
It’s the job of the chamber, whose 1,100 members represent local companies that employ more than 200,000 people, to make sure business interests are considered.
Critical year for chamber
“Sherry has been a great addition because she has experience in Washington and a legal background,” said Steven Ai, president and CEO of City Mill Co. Ltd. “And Jim has been a very good leader who understands business both large and small because of his experience at Bank of Hawaii. He has also lived in Hawaii a long time and realizes there are many facets to a problem.”
The 2009 session, which begins Wednesday, is shaping up as one of the most critical for the chamber — and the state — in recent memory.
“As long as the U.S. economy is being challenged and consumer confidence remains low, our industries will be affected,” Tollefson said. “We believe this resonates at the Legislature and they are aware of businesses’ economic plight. Likewise, we are cognizant of the challenges they face in balancing the budget, providing social services, and seeking solutions to the economy’s weakened condition. It’s imperative that we have open and honest dialogue.”
Chamber board members met Jan. 13 with 30 lawmakers at a private meeting at the Pacific Club in downtown Honolulu. Tollefson said the legislators are “very open” to the chamber’s concerns and take the time to understand how certain legislation impacts businesses of all sizes.
That hasn’t always been the case.
The Legislature, dominated by Democrats, has to some seemed far more sympathetic to organized labor then those who issue paychecks. When businesspeople do lobby, they don’t turn out in numbers comparable to other special interests.
Unused to being challenged publicly, business owners also can appear defensive under aggressive questioning.
“The last time we had hearings on the minimum wage, which will come up again this year, we had primarily three testifiers, all from our group,” said Sen. Sam Slom, R-Diamond Head-Hawaii Kai, and president and CEO of Small Business Hawaii. “A Democratic senator leaned over to me and said, ‘If this issue is so important, why don’t you have more people coming down here?’”
The most commonly cited reason is they’re too busy running their businesses. But businesspeople will also confess to being intimidated, frustrated and baffled by the legislative process and figure it’s the chamber’s job to represent their interests.
The chamber has expanded its efforts in recent years to get business more involved at the Capitol. The efforts include “walkarounds” during the session and coordinated visits to legislators’ offices.
Daily Updates
Menor-McNamara, whose background includes a law degree and three years working at the Legislature, has launched a new Web site, www.cocaction.com, to provide daily updates on key legislation, to allow members to easily submit testimony electronically, and to issue action alerts.
“Once session starts and the hearing process begins, we’ll update our members on each hearing,” Menor-McNamara said. “When Jim testifies we will let them know the time, and we will announce the decisions of each hearing. It will be very up-to-date.”
The chamber also works closely with regional, ethnic and Neighbor Island chambers — there are 22 chambers statewide — to present a more united front.
The groups agreed in October to prioritize their legislative agenda to focus on work-force development, infrastructure improvements, investing in Hawaii’s major industries, and bolstering support for small businesses.
Slom and others complain that the chamber represents primarily big business, not the small ones that make up the bulk of Hawaii’s enterprises.
“I give the chamber credit in stopping the container tax law last year that would have impacted California and Hawaii,” he said. “And they have been very successful with military issues. But when it comes to bread-and-butter issues like workers’ comp, unemployment compensation, temporary disability insurance, family leave, the chamber’s part in that is small. Meantime, a majority of their members supported raising the [general excise tax] to pay for rail.”
But Tollefson said 80 percent of his Chamber membership comes from companies with well under 50 employees.
“The bottom line this year is that we are in this together,” Tollefson said. “And one of the main things we need to be focused on is retaining jobs here in the state.”
Tips for navigating the Capitol
• Public parking is limited. If you do park in the Capitol basement, a change machine is mounted at the “turn-around” pillar near the entrance.
• Hearings run long and don’t always start on time. If flying in from a Neighbor Island, don’t count on ending in time to catch return flights. Legislators can adjust bill schedules, however, if they know you are in town.
• The Capitol is a maze, but offices and committee room numbers are listed just outside the elevators and staircases on most floors.
• Turn cell phones and pagers off or to silent mode before entering chambers and committee rooms. Dress warmly; air conditioning makes some rooms uncomfortable.
• Government officials are usually called to testify first, followed by major businesses and organizations.
• Read bills carefully; make sure you fully understand the legislation before addressing it.
• If testifying on a bill (there is a sign-up sheet), summarize quickly and explain specifically how the bill would affect your business; do not simply read your written testimony. If someone who testified before you said the same thing as you planned, tell committee chairmen you stand on your written testimony.
• If you oppose legislation, be specific about what it would mean for your business. Offer alternatives or solutions.
• Remember that the status of any bill, even if dead, can change quickly and unexpectedly.
• E-mailing to individual lawmakers can be effective, but keep it brief and do not send “form letters” or the same e-mail repeatedly.
• There are restrooms and drinking fountains on most floors.
• Beverages and snack items are on the loading dock in the Chamber Level, located behind the freight elevator. Dave’s Snack Shop is in Room 013. An ATM machine is nearby.
• The Public Access Room in Room 401 has phones, computers, copiers and expert staff. Go to hawaii.gov/lrb/par.
• Many House and Senate sessions are broadcast by Oahu’s Olelo Television on Oceanic Channels 49 and 53, and via cable access stations on the Neighbor Islands.
• The best Web site for the Legislature is www.capitol.hawaii.gov.
Source: Hawaii Legislature
Pacific Business News (Honolulu) - by Chad Blair
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