Each
year the GHCC hosts the Hispanic Caucus Breakfast at the State
Capitol at the beginning of each Legislative Session. This year’s
sponsors were:
Presidential Level:
Senatorial Level: 
Congressional Level: AARP, Atlanta Gas Light, Kuck
Casablanca, LLC, Zrii-Nutritional Drink
The
Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s (GHCC) principal mission is
to promote and support the domestic and international economic
development of Hispanic businesses and individuals in
Georgia. To fulfill this
mission, the GHCC is committed to serving as a link between
non-Hispanic entities and the Hispanic market. With over 1,100 members, the
GHCC is the largest Hispanic business organization in the state of
Georgia and throughout
most of the Southeast.
In order
to meet the needs of the Hispanic business community in
Georgia, the GHCC
recognizes the role it must play in both the public and private
sector. The Legislative Committee serves as the non-partisan, active
voice of the GHCC to promote the interests of the Hispanic community
before federal, state, and local governments.
The
Legislative Committee at the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is
a representative council composed of many GHCC members and
representatives of the GHCC Board of Directors. The committee has
drafted the following legislative agenda, intended to summarize
upcoming legislative issues of importance that are facing the
Hispanic business community. The agenda is indicative of the GHCC’s
position and outlines possible strategies that the GHCC will
implement in tackling each issue.
The
GHCC, with the help of the Legislative Committee, will continue to
strengthen its working relationship with key leaders and government
officials throughout the state of Georgia, thereby
effectively promoting and executing the goals of the 2006 GHCC
Legislative Agenda.
GHCC
Statement on Immigration
As the
preeminent advocate for Georgia’s thriving Hispanic business
community and with a commitment to carrying this role and its
responsibilities to all arenas in the public and private sectors,
the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GHCC) believes it is
appropriate to comment on the Immigration issue as it relates to the
state legislature and the state of Georgia.
With
over 650,000 constituents and 1,100 members, GHCC believes that
elected officials should strive to maintain a proper balance between
immigration control, domestic security and the needs of the business
community. This is
critically important since each one of these issues has its own set
of demanding requirements and each one is essential to the
well-being and prosperity of the citizens of our state. If only one or two of these
matters are addressed at the expense of any of the others, any
legislation on immigration control will fall short of serving our
citizens as well as its intended goals.
Many of
our members and constituents are immigrants themselves or come from
recent generations of immigrant families. As a result, these
individuals, businesses, organizations and even our own cultural
heritage give GHCC a unique vantage point from which to say we favor
thoughtful legislation that is designed to control illegal
immigration in this country.
Such legislation provides for our physical safety and
security, the continuity of the state’s business community without
undue burden and offers compassionate protection for those who
pursue admission to this country and its opportunities through
appropriate legal means.
The
Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce remains steadfastly committed
to its goals of expanding and leveraging the potential of the
Hispanic business community.
We therefore champion any legislation that both protects our
businesses, our borders, our citizens and those who wish to join our
communities as well as advances the interests of our constituents.
To that
end, GHCC has been instrumental in initiating discussions with both
industry leaders and state government officials. We are proud that these
efforts have resulted in positive changes to current legislation:
mitigating punitive measures that would adversely affect the
Hispanic and business communities, legal immigrants and the state of
Georgia.
GHCC
intends to continue its role as an active participant in this
ongoing issue to ensure that your voice is heard. We will keep you informed of
our progress every step of the way.
2007-2008
Legislative Agenda
FEDERAL
LEVEL
Free
Trade Agreements;
The GHCC acknowledges the importance of bi-lateral and multi-lateral
trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere and elsewhere and seeks
to open those markets in order to positively impact Georgia’s
Hispanic businesses.
Immigration;
The GHCC supports the efforts to broaden current temporary visa
programs for essential workers, creating paths to permanent
residence for these workers when appropriate, and providing a way to
earn legal status for the millions of undocumented workers already
in the United States who are contributing to our economy and who
have no criminal record.
The GHCC strongly believes that Immigration legislation
should be passed at the Federal Level.
Access
to Capital and Government Procurement;
The GHCC supports programs and policies that increase and secure
access to both capital and government procurement, including
supporting strong and stable 7(a) and 504 lending programs. Access to capital and
procurement is crucial if Hispanic businesses are to succeed. As Hispanic businesses grow,
they must have access to the same venture capital and procurement
opportunities allotted to their majority counterparts.
STATE
LEVEL
Labor;
oppose legislation that seeks to transfer the role of verifying
immigration status from the government to employers, which would
otherwise place the burden of proof on
businesses.
International
Trade;
support State funding for programs and initiatives that: 1) promote
business development between Georgia, Latin America and the Iberian
Peninsula; 2) strengthen Atlanta’s position as a center for
international business and as a gateway to the Western
Hemisphere.
Small
Business;
support the creation of the Office of Small Business Advocate and
support the survival and growth of new and existing industries. Oppose legislation that will
adversely affect small businesses. Support legislation to help
small and medium businesses expand to international
markets.
Property
Rights;
oppose legislation that would infringe upon an individual’s property
rights by mandating to whom the individual can and cannot rent/lease
property.
Education;
support the improvement of performance, retention and graduation of
Hispanic students in the public school system and accessibility to
higher education. The
graduation rate of Hispanics in Georgia is 55.7% compared
to an overall graduation rate of 70.8% in 2006. Nationally, 12.3% of
Hispanics have college degrees and 27% are high school
graduates.
Education
Funding;
support adequate funding for education and oppose attempts to cut
funding for K-12 education.
Higher
Education;
support initiatives that will maintain flexibility in admission of
students for Georgia’s universities, technical
colleges and 2-year institutions to meet the needs of
Georgia’s students and to
improve its workforce.
Oppose legislation that further restricts admission based on
legal residency requirements.
Hispanics
Appointments;
support initiatives to increase the number of Hispanics in elected
offices, State government agencies & boards, and statewide
public-sector commissions & boards. Hispanics have valuable
contributions to make to the State and, with growing numbers and
prominence, merit representation on public sector agencies and
boards
LOCAL
LEVEL
Community
Improvement Districts & Tax Incentives;
support local, state and federal initiatives that allow for the
creation of these zones and offer tax incentives to small Hispanic
businesses.
Hispanic
American Center for Economic Development;
support funding for expansion of HACED’s incubator and its
educational offerings.
