The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee approved the Chamber’s State Legislative Agenda this week. This document sets out the Chamber’s official position on a wide range of complex public policy issues that directly impact businesses and our overall community. The goal of these priorities is to ensure we maintain pro-business policies that help foster economic growth.
Developing the agenda was a collaborative process that began early this year. The Chamber gathered input on policy and legislative strategy through the priorities identified by the Board, Chamber council and committee meetings, and numerous calls with local and state leaders. This year, the development process was tweaked to include input from the newly formed Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC). The LAC was tasked with researching and analyzing all proposed state legislative priorities and providing a recommendation to the Public Policy Council.
The Chamber believes our elected leaders play an integral role in maintaining a favorable business climate and vibrant economy. The Chamber has been at the forefront of key legislative issues during the interim and has begun developing a legislative strategy for the upcoming 86th Texas Legislature. The State Legislative Agenda lays the ground work for the Chamber’s largest biennial legislative advocacy day in Austin, ¡VIVA San Antonio!.
¡VIVA San Antonio! is a great opportunity for business and industry leaders in San Antonio to visit with key legislators and agency leaders at the State Capitol. Those who participate put forth a tremendous amount of effort to bring the top priorities for the business community to the attention of state lawmakers.
This year’s event is scheduled for March 5, 2019, and will be chaired by JD Salinas III, Director of External Affairs for AT&T. Prior to joining AT&T, Salinas was the managing partner of Maroon Consultants, a public affairs consulting firm he founded in 2006. In November 2009, he was appointed by President Obama as Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA). Prior to his appointment, he served for three years as County Judge of Hidalgo County, Texas. Salinas is active in the community and serves as Chair of Texas Border Coalition and on the boards of Texas A&M Extension Advisory and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership.
In partnership with the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and SAMCo, we are already working to make this day-long trip to Austin the best one yet!
¡VIVA San Antonio! 2019 registration opens later this month. For any questions about the VIVA trip, please contact Stephanie Reyes, Vice President of Public Policy, at 210 229 2162.
