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North San Antonio Chamber Members and Partners,
Last October, I shared a brief with you by economists at The Employment Policy Institute, The State Employment Impact of a $15 Minimum Wage, where they analyzed the impact of an increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour. In short, “they estimate that if enacted, the Raise the Wage Act would result in 2 million jobs lost across the United States.” At least half of those jobs would come from Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation and Accommodation and Food Services sectors. Workers 16-24 years will see the highest proportion of job losses, of which most will be those held by women.
Our own expert economist, Dr. Ray Perryman, addressed The Minimum Wage in his latest weekly column in response to the renewed efforts in Congress to include a universal minimum wage as part of the $1.9T stimulus package. Bottom line, he comes to similar conclusions, “Slightly over 2% of the workforce and only 1% of full-time workers are paid at or below the minimum wage. Many of these employees are teenagers, retirees supplementing their incomes, or secondary earners.” He concludes the need to reassess the minimum was is valid, however, a stimulus bill is not an appropriate vehicle. It is a poor mechanism to stimulate the economy.
While the White House and Congressional leaders work to fast-track a COVID-19 relief bill, the National Restaurant Association remains focused on including the Senate version of the Restaurants Act in any relief plan. The plan as presently proposed would be detrimental with some states seeing a 600% increase in labor costs. Read more in their letter asking for advocates to Take Action: Save the Tip.
What I'm reading today:
Stay Safe and Healthy.
Sincerely,
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This is an exciting year to have Senior Vice President for Pape-Dawson Engineers, Mr. Dawson, serve as Chairman of the Board for the North San Antonio Chamber.
In 2020, Trey was the professional engineer of record for approximately 3,000 single-family lots, which equates to 20 percent of all new single-family starts within the San Antonio area. His work includes major commercial and industrial projects totaling more than $500 million as well as the completion of thousands of single-family residential lots for numerous home-builders and developers throughout the San Antonio region.
In addition to his long-time involvement with the North San Antonio Chamber, Trey holds numerous leadership positions in multiple civic and professional organizations including Texas Biomed, The Real Estate Council of San Antonio, and the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. As an officer of Pape-Dawson, Trey is also involved in the overall management, planning, staffing, and strategic growth of the company.
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Born and raised in San Antonio and with a BBA from St. Mary’s University, Paul is no stranger to the business community and chambers. We welcome Paul to our Board of Directors.
Paul began his career at the San Antonio Chamber and later with other young professionals, started Vision San Antonio, a community advocacy group made up of his peers. Paul then worked his way up to Vice President of Operations at Yantis Company, then a Partner at Mosaic Land Development, which then led him to start his own company, VersaTerra Development, a full-service land development company, in 2019.
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A sixth-generation Texan and proud Texas Longhorn, Tara is no stranger to the North SA Chamber and we welcome her back to serve on the Board and as Chair for the Legislative Committee.
Tara is Vice President of Public and Government Affairs with Zachry Corp. and is also an active community leader serving on several boards and committees, such as the San Antonio Mobility Coalition, Associated General Contractors of Texas, Transportation Advocates of Texas, Texas Aggregate & Cement Association and TX Civil Justice League.
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Originally from Odessa, Texas, Ashley earned her Bachelors of Business Administration in Accountancy from the University of Texas, Permian Basin (UTPB). Representing long-time Member, ADKF, we are also excited to welcome Ashley, a Senior Tax Manager, as a new Board Director.
She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has been practicing in public accounting since 2003. She also is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, TX Society of CPAs, and SA CPA Society.
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Texas 2036 | 2021 Texas Voter Poll Report
According to Texas 2036, "Prior to the pandemic, 50% of Texas voters rated the Texas state government's ability to solve problems and serve the needs of its residents as “good” or “excellent,” compared to only 36% after the pandemic. That's concerning, but state leaders can rest assured as voters laid out a clear path to restoring confidence and ensuring today's and future generations can prosper." Read more by download the Report below or here.
Tap on image to for more information.
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The Government Affairs Council serves as an advocate for Member businesses and their employees before municipal, county, state, and federal officials on policy issues impacting the economic growth, quality of life, and financial health of local industries. The Council informs and educates Members on proposed initiatives, policies, and legislation that may affect the way business is conducted in San Antonio.
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February 26 | Deadline: CPS Energy RAC Applicants
CPS Energy is looking for members to join the Rate Advisory Committee (RAC).
The deadline to apply for the RAC is Friday, February 26, 2021. More information.
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The General Appropriations Bill publication provides an overview of the appropriations included in the General Appropriations Bill, otherwise known as the state budget. Speaker Phelan said it “prioritizes the needs of Texans during this consequential moment in our state's history and advances the Legislature's commitment to the historic public education and school finance and property tax reforms passed last session.”
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In his address, Governor Abbott shared five emergency priorities, which will allow the Legislature to vote on within the first 60 days of the legislative session. The emergency items include:
- Expand broadband internet access;
- Prevent cities from defunding police;
- Fix flawed bail systems through the Damon Allen Act;
- Ensure election integrity; and
- Provide civil liability protections for individuals, businesses, and healthcare providers that operated safely during the pandemic
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- February 12, 5 pm | Last day to Submit Application for a Place on the Ballot
- April 19 – April 27 | Early Vote Period
- May 1 | Election Day
Candidate Residency Requirements | Ordinance 2017-11-30-0920, City Council Candidates are required to submit 2 supplemental documents to verify residency with an application for a Place on the Ballot
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February 12 | City of San Antonio Lays Out Goals and Timeline for Collective Bargaining with Police Union
On January 20, the City of San Antonio, City Council was briefed on the process, timeline, and goals for negotiating the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the San Antonio Police Officers Association (SAPOA).
The City and SAPOA will meet on February 12, 2021, following the transition of the SAPOA's new president, to establish ground rules for negotiations. Once negotiations begin, both parties have 60-days to negotiate a new contract that would take effect on September 30, 2021. Read More
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¡VIVA SAN ANTONIO 2021! | March 2 - 4, 2021
The 87th Texas Legislative Session will be unlike any we have experienced in over one hundred years. Due to the uncertainties of the pandemic and new Capitol safety protocols for in-person meetings, Chamber partners are hosting a 3-day virtual ¡VIVA San Antonio! that will include remarks from State Leadership, Comptroller Glenn Hegar, and members of the Bexar County Delegation and opportunities to participate in virtual one-on-one meetings with legislators and make your voice heard.
2021 ¡VIVA San Antonio! is chaired by Tyler Lowe, Manager of Community and Government Relations for Vulcan Materials Company, and brought to you in partnership with the San Antonio North, South, and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the San Antonio Mobility Coalition.
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Government Affairs Council held its monthly meeting with special guest speaker, the Honorable Tony Gonzales, U.S. House of Representatives, Texas 23rd Congressional District.
Thank you to our new Bexar County Commissioner, Trish DeBerry, for visiting with us in January, where she shared her priorities for 2021 and her 1st term of office.
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The Infrastructure Council serves as a resource and strategic advocate for San Antonio regional infrastructure planning and development to improve the quality of life for our members and stakeholders. |
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The Infrastructure Council has a great year of engagement, expanded infrastructure topics, and speakers planned for 2021.
Join us for our next meeting when we welcome the City of San Antonio's Chief of Innovation, Brian Dillard. Brian will give the Council an update and discuss the City’s plans, activities, and challenges addressing the digital divide of broadband and internet connectivity infrastructure.
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The Workforce Development Council serves in an advisory role to assess, research, and design strategies that address workforce development challenges and opportunities. North San Antonio Chamber members are kept abreast on local workforce trends and demands, creating programs through collaborative partnerships to address workforce shortages.
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Workforce Solutions Alamo released data for the Alamo region. The December unemployment rate for the San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA is 6.4%, a decrease of 0.90 percentage points over the month, from the November rate of 7.3%. The December unemployment rate is lower than the state’s not seasonally adjusted (actual) rate of 7.1%. The Texas not-seasonally adjusted (actual) unemployment rate decreased 0.9 percentage points over the month. Nationally, the U.S. not seasonally unadjusted (actual) unemployment rate increased to 6.5% in December, up from 6.4% reported in November. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.1 percent in December 2019.
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Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas | San Antonio Economic Indicators
In November 2020, the San Antonio Business-Cycle Index contracted following its rebound in October. Overall, the pattern suggests a sharp slowing in the recovery since August. The unemployment rate increased sharply in November, while job growth was positive but weak. Local consumer spending improved in mid-November and early December, and the number of small businesses open increased briefly around the Thanksgiving holiday. Office space demand improved somewhat in the fourth quarter.
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The San Antonio Business-Cycle Index—a broad measure of economic activity in the metro—declined 0.8 percent in November, suggesting some weakening in economic activity from October (Chart). The decline was mainly due to a sharp rise in the November unemployment rate component.
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February 18 | Workforce Council Meeting
The Workforce Council met to discuss the latest updates on local workforce programs. The group also discussed plans for a series of workforce industry-focused forums focused on helping to create awareness of and accessibility to workforce resources that will lead to matching job-seekers with employers. Join us for our upcoming meeting.
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Tap on image to for more information. |
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2020 Leadership Lab | From Retreat Kick-Off to Graduation! |
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Tap on images to for more information. |
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Become Our Next Small Business Spotlight!
We are so excited to announce that we are launching our “Small Business Spotlight” feature. Every month, we will be featuring a small business member’s business in our Chamber communications. What does this mean for you? Your business will shine and be seen in everything North Chamber. From our newsletter to our social media channels, we’ll have you covered.
How it works. On the 15th of each month, we will choose a business at random, and contact you with the news that your business what chosen to be Spotlighted!
All you need to do is send us your company logo and up-to 50 words touting your great company by the deadline provided – that’s it! Or, if you have some exciting, spectacular news that you have to absolutely share, contact us and we will get your spotlight scheduled.
We appreciate you being a part of the North San Antonio Chamber and this is our way of saying thank you, while also helping your business thrive.
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The Texas Association of Business/Texas State Chamber names Glenn Hamer as the next president and CEO. Read More.
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SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Update
With Remarks from Senator John Cornyn
The Governor's Small Business Team will partner with the Texas Music Office to provide an update on the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.
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Updates on the New Round of PPP Funding
This Governor's Small Business Webinar will provide an update on the new round of Paycheck Protection Program funding and other recovery resources through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The virtual event will feature a live Q&A with our panel of experts.
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Tap on image to for more information & registration. |
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Chamber Access & Services |
Temporary & Restricted Office Hours by Phone and Email Only
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce
12930 Country Pkwy. | San Antonio, TX 78216
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