Earlier this year we provided a link to a survey from the Committee on Paid Leave Policy that led to months of in-person interviews across the state by the Committee members. Their final report has just been released. You can read the entire report here, but overall, the Committee determined that "there is not one problem, but many problems that need to be addressed: lack of life/job skills, lack of child care and lack of transportation." The Committee also found that "HB1 cannot resolve these problems.

The same day the Committee's final report was released, Governor Larry Hogan announced the Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018 which was filed as Emergency Legislation. You can read the Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018 here. 

You can read much more about the Chamber's advocacy efforts related to the Paid Sick Leave Act in our 2018 Issues for Legislative Action brief.

Earlier this week the Howard County Council elected new officers at its legislative session. Mary Kay Sigaty (District 4) was elected Chairperson of the County Council and Dr. Calvin Ball (District 2) was elected Vice Chairperson. Jen Terrasa (District 3) was elected Chair of the Zoning Board with Dr. Ball as Vice Chair. Greg Fox (District 5) was elected Chair of the Board of License Commissioner and Jon Weinstein (District 1) was elected Vice Chair. Terrasa was also appointed to the Maryland Association of Counties, Legislative Committee.

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Thank you to everyone who came out to our last Small Business Seminar of 2017 on Active Assailant Training! Attendees heard a ton of potentially life-saving information about what to do in an attack to keep themselves, their employees and their clients safe. 

A very special thank you to Lois Blevins, founder of the National Center for Citizen Safety and the incredible group of panelists she put together including Howard County Sheriff, Bill McMahon, Behavioral Psychiatrist Dr. Raphael Matos, retired United States Secret Service Agent, Barbara Golden and Michele Gay, Mother of fallen Sandy Hook child, Josephine Gay and Co-founder & Executive Director of Safe and Sound Schools: A Sandy Hook Initiative.

For more information on NCCSAFE, click here. 

If you were unable to make it to the November workshops where consultants presented a series of preliminary ideas for public review on the Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan, then you are in luck. There is now an online resource available to get you caught up before the next meetings in early 2018.

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Starting November 1st, you can apply for a 2018 health or dental plan, or change your current coverage. Maryland Health Connection is providing an information session in Howard County this December.

December 9, 2017 - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Howard County Health Department

8930 Stanford Boulevard

Believe it or not, work has already begun preparing the fiscal 2019 budget for Howard County, and County Executive Allan Kittleman is holding his first Citizens' Budget Hearing to find out what you think.

December 11, 2017 - 7 p.m.

Banneker Room, George Howard Building

3430 Court House Drive

Ellicott City, MD

For more information about signing up to testify or the hearing call 410-313-2077

The Chamber has partnered with the Federal Reserve on a Small Business Credit Survey for both pre-start and existing businesses to help business service providers and lenders understand real-time business conditions.

Take the survey now!

It was a chilly morning, but everyone stayed warm inside of Two Merriweather where Pearson's Online & Blended Learning cut the ribbon at their brand new office space today. Chamber President Leonardo McClarty helped kick things off and had great things to say about the modern and flexible new office space that the company, who specializes in content, products and services to help people learn.

Congratulations to one of our newest members, carbiz, on their successful ribbon cutting ceremony last Friday! Chamber President Leonardo McClarty and County Executive Allan Kittleman were on hand for the big day. carbiz specializes in offering a swanky and entertaining showroom along with a hand-picked inventory of used cars online. 

We have the best members, and clearly The Daily Record agrees! Congratulations to United Way of Central Maryland's Education Program Manager, Elizabeth Devereux, Howard County General Hospital's Vice President of Population Health and Advancement, Elizabeth Edsall Kromm, Ph.D., Wells Fargo's District Manager, Alta G. Marzzacco, and Miles & Stockbridge, P.C. Counsel, Luisella P. McBride.

You can check out the full list here.

Another big congratulations is in order for Howard Bank's President & CEO, Mary Ann Scully, who has just been named a 2017 Community Banker of the Year by trade publication American Banker.

Howard J. Rosen, Co-founder & President of Rosen, Sapperstein & Friedlander LLC, Violet Apple, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Maryland and Angie Barnett, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland have all been named to The Daily Record's 2017 List of Maryland's Most Admired CEOs!

The team from Howard Tech Advisors spent the entire day outside of Macy's at The Mall in Columbia greeting holiday shoppers and collecting money for the Salvation Army. If you weren't able to make it to the mall yesterday, you can visit Howard Tech Advisor's fundraising page here.

Columbia Association (CA) is seeking Columbia residents, employees and students between the ages of 17 and 35 to be part of the new Millenials Work Group and share ideas about how to serve them better. 

Congratulations to La Prima Catering, celebrating their 30th Anniversary Year!