Share a piece of your mind

DAVIS COUNTY -- How many times have you wished you had the opportunity to share a piece of your mind with local elected officials? The Legislative Affairs Committee of the Davis Chamber of Commerce provides the opportunity for its members to do just thatÖin a highly effective manner.

The mission of the Davis Chamber of Commerce is to unite the business community, advance business prosperity, and sustain a vibrant economy. The Chamber's Legislative Affairs committee is a key driver in achieving those goals. This 50-member committee is comprised of leading business owners, managers, organizational professionals and elected officials who are members of the Davis Chamber. They represent a vibrant cross-section of commercial, non-profit, and governmental organizations that work together to bring about state and local legislation. They formulate and advance public policy that benefits all sectors of the local economy.

The committee, chaired this year by McKay-Dee Hospital's public relations director Chris Dallin, meets each Wednesday during the legislative session to review pending legislation and to determine the committee's position on each pertinent bill. With more than 1,000 bills pre-filed for this session alone, the Committee has identified six policy priorities to guide its efforts. They are economic development, education advancement, transportation improvement, Hill Air Force Base advocacy, health care reform, and natural resource management.

Once the committee has decided which bills to focus on and what position to take on those bills, they present their findings and opinions to local legislators. The entire committee attends a caucus meeting at 7 a.m. each Thursday during the session. The meeting gives the Davis delegation the opportunity to hear from a broad section of the business community in one place and at one time.

State Representative Sheryl Allen (R-Bountiful) says that the Davis Chamber's legislative recommendations are important considerations in her decision-making process. "Those weekly meetings give me access to dozens of community-minded Davis County residents who are aware of the issues and who represent a critical point of view."

Of course the recommendations of the committee are not binding on the legislators, but they do seem to have an impact. Last year the Legislature's votes complied with the Chamber recommendations 80 percent of the time. That represents a 30 percent improvement over the 50-50 chance of compliance that Davis County business owners would have without any input.

The Legislative Affairs Committee works equally hard with county and city officials to promote the interests of Chamber members. They have impacted legislation time and time again for local businesses, not because they are high-paid lobbyists, but because they are members of the community volunteering their time and influence for the good of local businesses and neighborhoods.

To join the Legislative Affairs Committee, please contact the Davis Chamber at 801-593-2200. We are pleased to provide businesses the opportunity to add their voice to the legislative process.



Weiler becomes 2008 Chairman

DAVIS COUNTY -- Todd Weiler is looking to make a change as he is now the new Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce.

"So by virtue we agreed that he would serve as Chairman that year, leaving me to serve as Chairman this year."

This year he hopes to bring about change with his new theme.

"We decided to call it 'Focus on the FUNdamentals,'" said Weiler. "We want the activities we do to be fun for everyone while also educating them to some common practices."

And they have plenty of activities lined up. In March they plan to hold a Northern Utah Business and Education Summit (NUBES) meeting.

They also have legislative meetings twice a week to discuss businesses in Davis County.

"We believe in helping businesses, but there are proposals and drafts out there that will hurt them," said Weiler. "We've been given a list of bills that we're yet to look at. We always look for ways to improve the businesses of Davis County."