SAHCC 2024 Federal Legislative agenda

THE SAN ANTONIO HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 

1. Supports legislation that would reduce the burden of taxes and regulations on businesses.
2. Supports comprehensive immigration reform to help businesses meet their critical workforce needs and encourage economic growth, including lawful, permanent status for DACA Participants.
3. Supports investments and positive policy, rules, and regulations in industry driven workforce programs and wraparound support services that help all learners persist and complete their education and training.
4. Supports all actions to address supply chain constraints and encourage the free flow of goods and services with U.S. Trading Partners.
5. Supports annual appropriations requests for surface transportation funding (highways, transit, etc.) consistent with the provisions of the surface transportation reauthorization contained in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act/Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL).
6. Supports the receipt of federal funds approved by Inflation Reduction Act, and other appropriations legislation to expand and improve transportation, transit, aviation, military, and other infrastructure necessary to meet the continued growth of San Antonio and enhance the resiliency and sustainability of the San Antonio region.
7. Supports legislation to expand access and improve quality for comprehensive mental health services and substance use disorder treatments.
   

Access to Capital

• Supports enhancing access to capital in the form of grants for small businesses to be used for business services that will help them grow.

Innovation, Research & Development 

• Supports increased funding for federal government programs, such as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, that drive innovation and foster economic growth.

Minority, Women and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses

• Supports efforts to strengthen the minority business community, including:
• Expanding federal contracting opportunities for minority, women and veteran-owned small businesses.
• Efforts to increase the number of minority, women and veteran-owned small businesses.
• Efforts to integrate Hispanic businesses into the global economy.
• Supports financial support for incubation and acceleration programs assisting small business with capacity building and job creation programs especially in HUBZones.

Taxes & Regulations

• Opposes legislation or proposal that attempts to sacrifice the privacy of business owners. 
• Opposes legislation regulating a private business’s daily operations and or employment practices.
  

Aviation

• Supports grants and other funding to facilitate the Terminal Development Plan for San Antonio International Airport.
• Supports legislation that allows for a nonstop flight from San Antonio – Military City USA – to Reagan National (DCA).
• Supports FAA funding for consolidated facilities and critical infrastructure improvements within the civil portions of Kelly Field.
• Supports the inclusion of regulatory, workforce education, and infrastructure support for Urban Air Mobility/Advanced Air Mobility industry as part of the FAA reauthorization.

Broadband

• Encourages Public Private Partnerships between broadband providers and local organizations for the best product in construction, service, upgrades, and security. 
• Encourages utilization of Federally funded affordability programs in areas where cost concerns are high. 
• Supports digital literacy and online safety programing for communities. 
• Supports the FCC definition of broadband to equal upload speed of 100 megabits per second and download speed of 20 megabits per second. 
• Supports the continuation of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), facilitating internet access by alleviating the cost of internet service plans for qualifying households for at home internet service. 

Business Expansion

• Supports protecting and strengthening The Opportunity Zone Program.
  

Energy

• Supports reforms to federal laws that currently slow the process of obtaining necessary permits for critical infrastructure.
• Encourages the Department of Energy to withdraw proposed energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers.
• Supports additional federal funding for programs such as the Low-Income Home Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as it provides invaluable support and financial assistance to our San Antonio community members unable to pay their energy bills.

Housing

• Supports increasing and/or maintaining funding for programs used to increase multifamily and single-family housing production, as well as homeownership. Programs include but are not limited to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Tax Exempt Bonds, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), CHOICE Neighborhoods and Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME).
• Supports tax incentives to encourage the conversion of underutilization of commercial real estate to residential housing. 

Healthcare

• Supports eliminating/delaying cuts to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program scheduled to be cut by $8 billion on Oct. 1, 2023.
• Supports value-based care policies that promote ways hospitals and health systems can address non-medical drivers of health, and ensure certain flexibilities made possible by the public health emergency (PHE) declaration are made permanent to continue the transformation of care delivery and improve maternal and child health outcomes, with a particular focus on eliminating disparities.
• Supports enacting policies to support today’s health care workforce and ensure a future pipeline of health care professionals to meet the nation’s demands for care, including: 
• Enhancing workplace safety for all team members, including enacting federal protections for health care workers against violence and intimidation.   
• Continuing to increase the number of residency slots eligible for Medicare funding to address physician shortages, including shortages of behavioral health providers.
• Addressing nursing shortages, including by advancing solutions to nursing faculty shortages that constrain the ability to meet future nursing needs.
• Making changes to National Health Service Corps loan repayment programs to ensure doctors and nurses may practice where the need is and not be completely restricted to certain facilities or geographic locations. 
• Supports alternative options for affordable and high-quality health insurance plans available to small business owners and their employees.
• Supports adjustments and appropriations to enhance the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).
• Supports legislation to expand access and improve quality, comprehensive mental health services/substance use disorder treatments, ensures telehealth flexibilities remain after the PHE ends, and enforce full parity for behavioral health services in PPACA.
• Opposes CMS planned budget/pay cuts to ancillary medical providers.

Immigration

• Supports increased allotment of H1-B visas for high-skilled immigrants to meet the needs of businesses.
• Support the effective use of modern technology and policies for enhanced practical, and effective immigration processes.

Military, Veterans & Spouses 

Mission Sustainment/Enhancement

• Supports sustaining and enhancing Joint Base San Antonio’s (JBSA) and Texas National Guard’s mission readiness and ensure the long-term protections of the region’s military installations by helping to preserve, protect and grow military missions in the region.
• We will advocate for all missions, but our focus will be on cyber, intelligence, military medicine, military research, aviation, space, and training ecosystems.
• Continue advocacy for the establishment of a Trauma Center of Excellence in San Antonio
• Supports sustaining and increasing Public-Public, Public-Private (P4) partnerships with region’s military; and, pursuing funding through the National Defense and Authorizations Act (NDAA) and appropriations process to resource both on- and off-base projects and other programs.
• Leverage proven avenues of approach:
• Air Force Community Partnership Program
• Engagement/coordination with Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC)
• Military Installation Resilience Review (MIRR) grant
• Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP)
• Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP)
• Decades of regional expertise and efficiency -- ensures continued military readiness and long-term cost savings to the United States government and taxpayers.
• Establish a Department of Defense (DoD)/United States Air Force (USAF) partnership with Port San Antonio to build a new, consolidated campus for the 16th Air Force (related units)
• Addresses critical USAF facilities need, and further strengthens and leverages San Antonio’s regional cyber and defense capabilities.
• Supports an Increase in appropriations to improve DoD military readiness rates and reduce the maintenance backlog in aviation and infrastructure for military units in the region.
• Advocates for the DoD to name San Antonio as the host city/location for future years’ Warrior Games, beginning in 2026.

Military Family Quality of Life (QoL)

• Supports strengthening and growing quality of life programs that benefit military families and veterans such as housing, spouse employment, education, childcare, and special needs.
• Implement policies that facilitate long-term and meaningful employment for military spouses.
• Expand the Work Occupancy Tax Credit to incorporate military spouses.
• Advance childcare solutions for military service members and families to include:
• Fully funding Fee Assistance programs
• Resolve staffing and capacity challenges.
• Commission in-depth study on impact of childcare challenges on recruiting/readiness/retention
• Strengthen military service members’ and families’ resilience by addressing housing challenges.
• Advocate for reform of Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) calculations process such as restoring 100% BAH% -- ensures adequate housing support payments.
• Supports fully funding Impact Aid to offset costs incurred by districts educating large numbers of military children.

Veterans

• Supports the efforts of Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the DoD to reduce military and veteran suicide.

Surface & Public Transportation

• Supports increased funding opportunities for operations and capital expenses in collaboration with local partners to advance multimodal transportation options as identified and supported by locally driven processes.
• Supports a multi-year extension of the Alternative Fuels Tax Credit.
• Supports legislative language for the usage of alternative fuels as a transition toward a higher usage of electric vehicles as technology demonstrates usable range and capability.

Water

• Support for more research on the blind catfish in the Edwards Aquifer before listing them as Endangered Species.
• Supports increased Federal investment in water and wastewater infrastructure to help utilities address pressing needs.
• Supports laws and regulations that provide a stable and equitable framework for managing water utilities. 
• Supports ongoing water conservation efforts, such as improving water use efficiency and the reduction of water loss.
• Supports Water and Wastewater Emergency Assistance Program.
  

Academic Health Centers

• Supports enhanced FY25 funding for academic health centers through a full appropriations package to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and related agencies. Increased funding opportunities for academic medicine research and development, workforce development, and direct services through investments in federal grant opportunities, along with potential funding through Congressionally Directed Spending/Community Project Funding, will continue to provide vital resources for our communities throughout San Antonio and the South Texas border region.

Higher Education

• Supports preserving and enhancing the Federal Pell Grant Program by:
• extending eligibility to short-term/workforce training programs.
• increasing the annual maximum amount.
• expanding eligibility to DACA students.
• increasing lifetime eligibility to 14 semesters.
• Supports strengthening under-resourced institutions & student support programs by investing in:
• Strengthening Institutions (Title III-A of the HEA);
• Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions;
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
• TRIO; and
• GEAR UP

Public Education

• Supports full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) by increasing the percentage funded to what was intended when originally enacted.
• Supports maintaining Title 1 funding that addresses barriers to educational success by providing additional resources to schools serving high concentrations of students from low-income homes.
• Supports efforts to strengthen the teacher pipeline, including incentives toward entering the teaching profession, creating a system for transferability of certifications between states, and continuing to improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
• Supports increasing funding for federal Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) education programs and initiatives that help expand the STEM workforce.
• Supports amending under the ESSA, Title II, Part A of the Higher Education Act to expand the Teacher Quality Partnership Program.

Workforce Development

• Supports implementing policies, rules, and regulations that allow for the investment in successful and employer led workforce development programs such as:
• Federal incentives to businesses that offer internships, apprenticeships, and OJT opportunities;
• Perkins Career & Technical Education;
• Dual credit;
• Adult education and training including GED/HSE programs;
• Veterans training; and
• Educator development and training.
  

• Supports regulatory and legislative measures that facilitate international trade with both borders such as the capital increase of the North American Development Bank (NAD) Bank).
• Supports continued implementation of the Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act program allowing communities and private sector to provide for alternative financing arrangements for certain services and for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure at land ports of entry and for other purposes.
• Supports modernization of the U.S. Tax Code to allow U.S. businesses to effectively participate in the global economy and repatriate profits earned abroad.
• Supports a capital increase for the North American Development Banks to fulfill its mission of improving environmental infrastructure and the quality of life on both sides of the border.
• Supports strengthening the political and business relationships with governments from across the world to promote trade, strengthen global supply chains with strategic partners and foreign direct investment.
• Supports the US to stabilize and honor existing agreements and advocate for trade partners to do the same, through the provisions and channels established in the existing legal framework.