ADVOCACY

As an advocate for business in the North Dallas area, the Plano Chamber’s fundamental purpose is to create and sustain a competitive advantage for businesses in the City of Plano and the North Texas region.  It is our goal to develop and promote public policy positions and foster a proactive agenda to protect the interest of business on current issues and advance the quality of life of the community.

We work with all levels of government, member companies and numerous partner organizations to confront the economic challenges of our times and address leading issues including business climate, workforce development, infrastructure and urban expansion. 

Listening to the concerns of our membership is the Chamber’s top priority. Our Public Policy Committee works tirelessly to identify the issues of highest priority to our business community and to act on their behalf.  Chamber advocacy programs and events provide unique opportunities to network with local, state, and national elected officials. As the voice of the Plano business community, legislation that affects regional business is our top concern. 

 
PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE
Questions & Answers

1. What is the purpose of the Plano Chamber - Public Policy Committee?

The Public Policy Committee’s primary purpose is to advocate for the business community on legislative issues affecting our members and to educate our membership on matters of public policy and legislation that can impact their business.

2. Does this only apply to City of Plano issues?

In order to serve our members, we continue to expand our areas of interest beyond the boundaries of Plano and to include addressing state, federal, and sometimes even, international issues that can affect Plano businesses and our members.

3. How do you select issues to evaluate and support on behalf of our members?

Our simple criterion for selection of issues is to select those issues that we determine will affect the broadest base of our members.  We would also consider the cause of a smaller special interest group, or individual business member, as long as it is an issue that is relevant to our purpose and does not harm or conflict with other members or any major industry represented within the organization.

4. What are your goals for 2013?

We will expand our efforts to reach out to all members and identify potential future issues for evaluation and support, including exploring additional efforts to survey our members and solicit their input on any significant issue that could affect their business and our membership.

5. What are the criteria for issues to be considered in your Committee research or for a proposed Public Policy Event?

We believe that issues selected should be timely, priority issues of the region's business community and impact a significant number of members or businesses. 

6. Is your focus on priority issues solely a Plano Chamber effort?

No. We reach out beyond the City and work with other County and Regional Chamber organizations who partner with North Texas businesses.  In addition, we collaborate with selected community organizations and even the media to jointly sponsor and promote the best programs possible for our membership. An example of a key event is the Collin County Legislative Days in Austin. We also partner with other non-partisan, non-sectarian community organizations, such as Rotary International, to offer and co-sponsor candidate forums.

7. How do you agree on any one issue to support or oppose?

We use a process of member input, research and analysis to arrive at a consensus on the issues we explore at the Chamber. We also work with our community partners to arrive at an accord on each advocacy issue but acknowledge that may not always be possible. We realize that there may be, from time to time, disagreements with our local governmental partners and their elected officials over some business issue, but our focus will always be on the business implication and consequences for the broadest base of our members. 

8. Who can serve on the Public Policy Committee?

Membership on this committee is open to any current member of the Chamber with a long term interest in public policy and legislative matters and willingness to advise and serve as an advocate for selected issues for his fellow members.

9. You use the term "Public Policy". What is does that mean?

Public policy is generally defined as the principles, often unwritten, on which social laws are based (Oxford Dictionary). In the United States, our government enacts laws, makes guidelines, and allocates resources often as a result of public policy principles. This process occurs at the local, state and national levels. At the Chamber, we work as an advocate for our members to enact public policy to protect the interests of their business.

10. I own a small business. Is the Public Policy Committee just for the larger members?

Some years ago, the committee membership was expanded by the Board and opened to all members with the goal of ensuring that small, medium, and large businesses are represented on the Public Policy Committee.  The committee is also inclusive of the major industry groups that comprise significant portions of our membership such as retail, telecommunications, banking, health care and technology. 

Broad-based business representation is our goal. This process can provide a very effective means for a small business owner to keep current with issues in his community and to identify potential public policy or legislative issues that can affect his business. The Chamber Board wants the broadest-based, most diverse member representation we can find to accurately reflect a cross section of our membership.