Governor Steve Bullock will speak at the Lawmaker Appreciation Banquet during Business Days at the Capitol 2016. The talk is scheduled at the end of the first day of Montana’s business organization’s premier event, Wednesday, January 13th and Thursday the 14th. “We’re thankful Governor Bullock is taking time out of his busy schedule to address the Treasure State’s leading business people,” said Webb Brown, President/CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce. “With the opening of campaign filing season the next day, he’ll also have lots of candidates in town to hear what he has to say.”
Brown will present the “State of Business” address at the opening luncheon earlier that day on January 13th. The afternoon will feature sessions on infrastructure and regulations. The Reception begins at 6pm and the Banquet immediately afterward will conclude the first day. The popular “Eggs and Issues” breakfast, with comments from the Montana State Legislative leadership, will open the second day of Business Days, January 14th. Morning sessions will focus on workforce, labor law, entrepreneurship, and exports. Montana’s US Representative Ryan Zinke will have “The Last Word” at the concluding luncheon of the 2016 Annual Business Days at the Capitol. The Montana Chamber’s largest event will be held at the Best Western Premier Helena Great Northern Hotel. The Montana Chamber of Commerce encourages early registration and room reservations to secure space. Sponsor opportunities are available and sponsors may reserve full tables for the luncheons, banquet, and breakfast. To register, visit events.MontanaChamber.com/?ee=121/.
The 16th Annual Business Days at the Capitol of the Montana Chamber of Commerce will feature panels of experts on two issues critical to the business community and Montana’s economy–infrastructure investment and compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon emission rule. “One of the benefits of Business Days is the opportunity to hear from policy experts on hot-button business issues,” emphasized Glenn Oppel, Government Relations Director for the Montana Chamber. “It’s important for business owners to better understand how issues such as infrastructure funding and federal environmental regulations will affect their prospects for the future. That way, they can partner with the State Chamber to effectively communicate the business position to our congressional delegation and state lawmakers.” The infrastructure panel, “How to Build Montana’s Infrastructure,” will include a lead-off presentation on the state of Montana’s infrastructure from Christopher “Shoots” Veis with the Montana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Following Veis, State Senator John Brenden (Senate District 17–Scobey) will visit about his experience sponsoring supplemental infrastructure funding legislation during the 2015 Legislature. Lastly, Lane Beattie, President & CEO of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce, will highlight their coalition efforts to successfully boost funding sources for infrastructure investment in Utah. The second panel will address how the so-called Clean Power Plan–the EPA’s carbon emission rule–will impact Montana’s economy and, further, what options Montana has to comply with the rule. Pat Barkey, Director of the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research, will lead off with a presentation outlining BBER’s recently-released study on the potential economic impact of the rule.
He will be followed by Todd O’Hair, Senior Vice President of Government Relations with Cloud Peak Energy, who will discuss the future of coal mining under the Clean Power Plan. Dave Klemp with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality will outline what options Montana has to comply with the rule. Visit montanachamber.com/ for more information. •