Members/China/Baucus/Safety/Interim/Absentee/Jobs/Family/Annual/Rehberg

MEMBERS

-          Staves Consulting; 3191 Parkhill, Billings, MT  59102; Homer Staves; 406-656-7086; www.StavesConsulting.com

-          Arch Coal; PO Box 7152, Billings, MT  59103-7152; Mike Rowlands; 406-245-0990; www.ArchCoal.com

-          SCORE – Montana District; 10 W 15^th St Ste 1100, Helena, MT  59626; Alice Rice; 406-441-1094; www.MontanaSCORE.org

-          Global Net, Inc; 101 E Mendenhall, Bozeman MT  59715; Gary Carpenter; 406-587-5095; www.TheGlobal.net

-          MT Seniors Bookkeeping Services; 2540 Gilbert Ave, Missoula, MT  59802; Jennifer Vander Weide; 406-493-1471

Thanks for joining the Montana Chamber!

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MEMBER NEWS

-          We enjoyed the pig races at Bear Creek Saloon last weekend.  If you haven’t been there – check it out:

http://www.redlodge.com/bearcreek

MONTANA GOES TO CHINA IN 2011

                It seems like we just returned from our highly successful trip to the Orient back in March.  Now it’s time to start planning for 2011.  Looking for a great Christmas present for yourself or others?  How about a nine-day, all-inclusive visit to four of Chinese major cities and a host of major attractions?  Throw in a business conference, and this could be one of your best investments, at $1,999 per person, based on double occupancy from Seattle.  We’ll be holding an orientation meeting with Citslinc International, our member tour operator, on Wednesday, September 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Wingate Inn in Helena.  To register for this free orientation, contact Leah – 888-442-MONT (6668) ext. 102 or Leah@MontanaChamber.com.  For more info and registration, check out:

www.MontanaGoesToChina.com.

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BAUCUS ECONOMIC SUMMIT

The Montana Chamber is pleased to co-sponsor the 2010 Montana Economic Summit in Butte on September 13-14.  We hope you can join us as we gather to share Big Sky ideas on sparking innovation, boosting exports, and creating good-paying jobs.  This week, Senator Baucus announced the addition of Warren Buffet and Barry Diller to the summit’s speaking line-up.  To register for the Summit, please visit:

www.MontanaEconomicSummit.org.  This event will feature many other world-class speakers and presenters who will converge on Butte to discuss and develop strategies for jump-starting our companies, communities, universities, and our state.  The 2010 Montana Economic Summit will also bring Ambassadors from China, Chile, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand touring through Montana to explore partnerships and opportunities with Montana businesses.  The Montana Chamber will be sponsoring a special event with these Ambassadors, as well.  Along with presentations from keynote speakers, there will be networking opportunities and over 30 breakout sessions.

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SAFETY SERVICES

                Montana Safety Choices, our association work comp insurance program, offers the following safety webinars in September:

-          Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness, September 1, Noon hour

-          Machine Safeguarding Risk Assessment, September 23, Noon hour

-          Lean Approach to Office Ergonomics, September 30, Noon hour

The Montana Chamber is pleased to be a co-sponsor of the annual Governor’s Conference on Workers’ Compensation & Safety & Health.  It will be held at Big Sky Resort, September 15-17.  Check out the agenda and register at:

http://erd.dli.mt.gov/upevents/govconf.asp.  For more information on our work comp program, go to:

www.MontanaSafetChoices.com.

Remember, the Occupational Safety and Health Bureau of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry offers free safety consultation services to all Montana employers.  To schedule a free safety consultation or for more information, contact the Safety and Health Bureau at 406-444-6401 or log onto:

http://erd.dli.mt.gov/safetyhealth/sbhome.asp.

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FULL INTERIM COMMITTEE MOVES CHAMBER’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA REFORMS FORWARD

The Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee (CFHHSC) met last week in Helena and approved the Montana Chamber’s bill to reform Montana’s medical marijuana laws on a 6-2 vote.  The Montana Chamber has led the efforts to place major business revisions in the law, including expanded drug testing laws, prohibiting wrongful discharge and discriminations claims for medical marijuana use in the workplace, and ensuring that work comp and private health insurers don’t have to pay for medical marijuana.  The legislation now goes forward as a committee bill to the 2011 Legislature with Rep. Gary MacLaren of Victor as the likely sponsor. This is a big issue for business, so we were pleased the committee made the determination to go forward with our ideas for reform. We will keep you updated on the bills progress as it moves through the process.

The State-Tribal Relations Interim Committee will meet in Helena on Wednesday, September 1st. To view the committee’s agenda, click here:

http://leg.mt.gov/content/Committees/Interim/2009_2010/State_Tribal_Relations/Agenda/AGENDA_09-01-10.pdf

The Economic Affairs Interim Committee will have a conference call this Friday, September 3rd, to do some last minute review of the LMAC’s workers’ compensation reform bill. An agenda and call-in number has not yet been posted. To get more information on the call, click here:

http://leg.mt.gov/css/Committees/interim/2009_2010/Economic_Affairs/default.asp

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ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUESTS

Thursday, August 19 marked the first day for absentee ballot applications for the November 2nd General Election.  To request an absentee ballot, fill out the Application for an Absentee Ballot here: http://sos.mt.gov/Elections/forms/voters/absenteeballot.pdf and either mail it, or drop it off at your county election office so that it is received before noon, November 1.  Every registered voter is eligible to vote absentee.  Regular voter registration continues until October 4.  To register, contact your county election office.  For more information on Montana's elections, visit the Montana Secretary of State's Website at:

http://sos.mt.gov/Elections/Vote/index.asp

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2011 LEGISLATIVE “JOBS PLAN”

The Montana Chamber is putting some last minute work into its pro-active agenda for the 2011 Montana Legislature. We’re calling it the “Jobs Plan for Montana.” It will details our positions and plans in a short, summarize form on important business and economic issues, such as balancing the state budget, workers’ compensation reform, affordable and quality health care, responsible resource development, small business issues, low taxes, legal reform, medical marijuana law revisions and more. Look for the “Jobs Plan for Montana” coming this October!

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FAMILY BUSINESS DAY

The 2010 Montana State University College of Business State Farm Insurance Family Business Day is set for Friday, September 24 at the Holiday Inn in Bozeman.  The day will start at 11:30 am with the keynote luncheon and the awards ceremony will start promptly afterward.  This year’s keynote speaker will be Kathy Stark, owner of Starky’s Authentic Americana along with her husband Glen Stark.  The Montana Chamber is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this event, recognizing the best of Montana’s family-owned businesses.  This year's winners are listed below.

TwoMedicine Health & Financial Fitness of Bozeman – Very Small Business Category (fewer than 10 employees)

Red Rock Power, Inc. of Havre – Small Business Category (10-30 employees)

Montana Merchandising, Inc. of Great Falls – Medium Business Category (30-50 employees)

BioScience Laboratories, Inc. of Bozeman – Large Business Category (more than 50 employees)

Teton Banks of Fairfield – Old Business Category (operating at least 50 years)

Agri-Best Feeds, Inc. of Billings – New Business Category (operating 10 years or less)

For info about the event, contact Audrey Lee, MSU College of Business at 406-994-7026 or audrey.lee@montana.edu

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ANNUAL MEETING

                Mark your calendar and save the date!  The Montana Chamber will hold its 79^th Annual Meeting in Billings October 6, 2011!

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REHBERG TOUTS TRADE

Thanks to U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg for a very informative and motivational talk on international trade last Tuesday, August 24 in Missoula.  The Montana Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event to push for more action on trade issues, including three pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.  Rehberg commented on the need to be pro-active through organizations like the Montana Chamber.  Co-sponsors for the luncheon included the Montana World Trade Center, Montana District Export Council, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center, and TradeRoots, the international trade arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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Keep up the good work!