On June 13, Susan Williams and Kat Thompson had the opportunity to participate in “Chamber Day at the Capitol”, a partnership between the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals and the state Chamber. The event was packed with information, including insight into the state budget and its negotiations, policies that will make Pennsylvania more competitive and attractive to workers, and some policies that could negatively impact your organizations.

Speaker of the House, Joanna McClinton, shared about the importance of continuing to make the Commonwealth competitive through reduction of the corporate net income tax. House Appropriations Chair, Jordan Harris, and Senate Appropriations Chair, Scott Martin, discussed how to better fund education, and their agreement to have the Motor Vehicles License Fund be entirely focused on repairing bridges and roads. Secretary of Community and Economic Development, Rick Siger, outlined a plan for improved efficiency in permitting.

A panel of workforce experts, including Venango County’s Hope Lineman, shared how higher education institutions are working together to offer valuable resources to train a generation of new workers in an “ecosystem of skills-based education”.

More than 80 Chamber leaders from across the Commonwealth met with state officials, including our own delegation. While the Senate was not in session, the event was attended by Senator Scott Hutchinson and Representative R Lee James.

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s July 2023 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.