The Montgomery County Chamber supports policies that attract and retain knowledge economy businesses in our County and our State. These businesses employ highly educated individuals in our community and grow our tax base. This contribute not only to our regional economy but to enhancing the quality of life we enjoy as a community. The Chamber opposes efforts to increase burdens on businesses that create barriers to doing business in Maryland.

SB 104 HB 135	Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board. Establishes a 15-member board within DBED to assist in developing a strategic plan for life sciences, including supporting federal facilities in MD, promoting life sciences, coordinate state and federal resources to attract private sector investment and job creation, and making recommendations to address access to venture capital and capital construction funding. Members include the Secretary of DBED, three from federal agencies (life sciences mission), four with executive experience (life science), four from higher education and three member of the general public.	Administration, et al	SUPPORT
SB 277	Economic Development Opportunities (Sunny Day) Account-Extraordinary Economic Development Opportunity-Definition. Expands the use of Sunny Day monies that are used for the retention or attraction of public or private institutions that position the state to secure an advantage in new or emerging technologies.	Madaleno	NO POSITION
SB 594 HB 659	Maryland Biomedical Product Development Fund. Increases the $1 cigarette tax by 15¢ and dedicates the increased revenues to the Maryland Biomedical Product Development Fund to be awarded as grants for R&D of innovative treatments, therapies or diagnostics that address smoking-related diseases. TEDCO and DHMH awards grants in amounts ranging from $150,000 to $1.5 million; an applicant may not receive more than $1 million in a year or $3 million over five years; the State may maintain ownership or other financial interest in the commercialization of the project as negotiated in a MOU.	Garagiola, et al Feldman, et al	SUPPORT
SB 614 HB 983	Economic Development and Tax Incentive Act. Requires DBED to file an annual report and publish the information on its website regarding names of companies that have received development subsidies of $50,000 or more, including tax credits, grants, loans, loan guarantees, matching funds, and an enterprise zone. The report includes: the number of full-time, part-time and temporary jobs created; the average hourly wages paid to all employees at a project site in wage groups of dollar increments beginning at the minimum wage through $14 or more per hour (broken down by FT, PT, and temp positions); the types and amounts of health insurance provided, including the number of employees covered by each type of insurance. SDAT shall also publish the amount of property tax revenue not collected and the name of the property owner who received the development. The reporting requirements apply to all development subsidies awarded on or after July 1, 2007, and have been interpreted to capture development subsidies that occurred prior to the effective date, but achieved loan forgiveness after the effective date.	V. Jones, et al A. Jones, et al	OPPOSE
HB 1069	Public Service Commission-Broadband Internet Service. Requires a broadband internet provider to offer broadband services on an open access basis to any other provider of internet content, application or service without priority to the company's own service; and requires providers to file quarterly reports with the PSC regarding their deployment of broadband service to a level of zip code, plus four.	Taylor, et al	OPPOSE