The Maryland Chamber’s Legislative Committee met to review the 2012 Business Agenda yesterday, and there were new faces at the head of the table. MedStar Health Corporate Vice President of Government Affairs Pegeen Townsend is the Chamber’s new Legislative Committee Chair and Jack Andryszak, a Partner with Popham & Andryszak, P.A. is the new Vice Chair. Both are long-time members of the committee.
They take over for Drew Cobbs, Executive Director of the Maryland Petroleum Council, and Sean Looney, Vice President of Government Affairs for Comcast, who did an outstanding job as last year’s Chair and Vice Chair.
Townsend oversees all government relations activities in Maryland, the District of Columbia and at the federal level for MedStar Health. Prior to joining MedStar Health, Townsend was the senior vice president for legislative policy with the Maryland Hospital Association. Andryszak represents a number of insurers and trade organizations, including the American Insurance Association, and is a former Chair of the Maryland Chamber’s Civil Liability Committee.
To view the complete Legislative Committee, click here.
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman has been added to the agenda for the Maryland Chamber’s Business Policy Conference. He will be the dinner speaker on November 2, discussing how the state’s budget and transportation funding debates impact local governments.
Ulman has served as Howard County Executive since 2006. Earlier this year he was elected President of the Board of Directors for the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), an organization that represents Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City in Annapolis by articulating their needs and ideas to the Maryland General Assembly.
He joins a great lineup of speakers for our two-day conference, including:
- Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Dist. 27)
- House Speaker Michael Busch (D-Dist. 30)
- Senate Minority Leader Nancy Jacobs (R-Dist. 34)
- House Minority Leader Tony O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C)
- Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola (D-Dist. 15)
- Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Dist. 20)
- Sheela Murthy, President of Murthy Law Firm
- Gail Bassin, Co-CEO of JBS International
- Nathan Biel, President, KCI Technologies
- James Cornelsen, President & CEO of Old Line Bank
- Gary Keith, Regional Economist for M&T Bank
- Many More
View the complete agenda here.
The Business Policy Conference will be held on November 2 and 3, at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort in Cambridge. For more information, or to register, click here. The deadline for reserving a room at the Hyatt in the Chamber’s block is October 10. To reserve your room, contact the Hyatt directly. Reserve online or call 1-888-421-1442.
The Maryland Chamber will hold its 2011 Business Policy Conference on November 2 and 3 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort in Cambridge.
Attend this event to learn more about important public policy issues and network with hundreds of Maryland business leaders. This year’s conference will focus on economic competitiveness, transportation funding, health care, immigration law, environmental sustainability, and more. The event will also feature a CEO panel
M&T Bank Regional Economist Gary Keith will be back to open the conference with his presentation on Maryland’s competitiveness (here is his 2010 presentation). There will also be a session featuring CEOs from different industries giving their perspectives on Maryland’s economy, and the Maryland General Assembly’s presiding officers, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and House Speaker Michael E. Busch, are confirmed for breakfast on November 3. In addition, we are organizing a panel discussion that will bring together representatives from business, government and the news media to discuss how social media and open government initiatives are changing how we stay informed during the legislative session.
Speakers include:
- Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller
- House Speaker Michael Busch
- Sen. Rob Garagiola (D-Dist. 15)
- Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Dist. 20)
- Sheela Murthy, President of Murthy Law Firm
- Gary Keith, Regional Economist, M&T Bank
- Carolyn Quattrocki, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform
- Amy M. Nice, Executive Director, Immigration Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Tom Hood, CPA, Executive Director & CEO, Maryland Association of CPAs
- Many More
View the working agenda.
Special thanks to IWIF for once again serving as the event sponsor.
Register Today
Maryland Chamber members can save $30 by registering before September 30. The early bird rate is $295. Registraiton will be $325 after that. The nonmember rate is $425. Register online or contact Kristen Solis at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 or ksolis@mdchamber.org.
Accommodations
Overnight accommodations should be made directly with Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay. Click here or call 1-888-421-1442. Reserve by October 3 to receive the Maryland Chamber block rate – $189 single or double, plus $18 resort fee and taxes.
The Maryland Chamber is hitting the road for a series of regional meetings. Our goal is to bring together members at locations across the state to discuss the economy and the legislative issues that impact Maryland businesses.
The Maryland Chamber is working on our Business Agenda in preparation for the 2012 session. In addition, the General Assembly will hold a special session in October to address congressional redistricting.
After the Governor’s speech to the Maryland Association of Counties last weekend, it seems less likely that lawmakers will address issues beyond redistricting during the special session. But, issues like taxes or transportation funding could dominate the 2012 session. Maryland Chamber staff will keep you up to date as we get closer to the October.
We hope you can join us for one of the meetings. During each event, one of our lobbyists will provide a legislative update. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback to let us know what we can do better. The meetings will also be a great opportunity to network with local business leaders.
Space is limited, so please register soon. The Chamber benefits from your feedback, and your participation makes our advocacy efforts stronger.
View a complete list of legislative briefings is available on our calendar of events.
