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Chamber Chatter
For news and events for the business community, check out Chamber Chatter each week!Tuesday, March 5, 2019The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today, that due to a steady decrease of activity, the Business Recovery Center located in Newport, Rhode Island will cease operations on Thur., March 7 at 4 p.m. The temporary office was opened as a result of the recent Gas Outage. Read more(0) CommentsTuesday, February 26, 2019The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking applicants for the 2019 Emerging Leaders Program. “The basis of the Emerging Leaders initiative is to instill within them the knowledge they need to take the next step forward in their small business cycle,” said SBA District Director, Mark S. Hayward. “This will be our fifth year of hosting the program here in Rhode Island and seeing how our past graduates have been able to elevate their businesses to new heights is the true measuring stick of the program’s success,” Hayward added. Read more(0) CommentsFriday, February 1, 2019An Update from the State House What’s in the Governor’s Budget Read more(0) CommentsFriday, January 25, 2019Many small business owners in Newport County are among the 7,000+ people affected by the gas outage that is expected to last 7 days. The Rhode Island Capital Access Program (RI CAP) can offer these community businesses financial options and accessible capital as they work towards recovery. For businesses in Newport and Middletown, RI CAP is a great option for those who may need increased capital or credit lines due to their businesses being shut down or impacted. Businesses looking for this assistance can go directly to any local bank or credit union participating in the RI CAP program. Read more(0) CommentsThursday, January 24, 2019If you are an employee of a business that is closed due to the gas outage, or if you are a business owner that has been unable to have employees come to work due to the gas outage, here is important information from the Department of Labor and Training about what you can do. Read more(0) CommentsFriday, January 18, 2019Governor Sets Her Agenda in State of the State Address Last Tuesday, Governor Gina Raimondo gave her Annual State of the State Address and provided a small insight into her budget that was released later that week. Highlighting her past four years as Governor, Raimondo pointed out that Rhode Island has “more jobs today than at any time in our state’s history.” She said, “We won’t stop until every one of our Rhode Islander’s has a shot at a good job. Later in her speech the Governor went on to say that three of four jobs lost during the last recession were ones where the employee only had to obtain a high school diploma. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of all jobs created since the last recession require some credential past high school. Governor Raimondo also stated that government must “make it easier and cheaper to do business in Rhode Island.” Read more(0) CommentsFriday, January 11, 2019House Committee Passes Rules The House Committee on Rules passed proposed rules for the 2019-20 legislative years. Historically, few people outside the state house paid much attention to the rules, but this year was different. Over two hours of testimony was presented at a hearing. The bill that will go before the House floor this week contains two significant changes: 1. A required 24- hour public posting of committee substitute bills prior to committee votes; and 2. The creation of a Committee on Conduct. The 24 hour posting requirement will not apply to the budget, which makes sense. The budget is different from every other bill in that is must sit on the House floor for 7 days prior to a full house vote - giving plenty of time for legislators and the public to review the Substitute bill passed by the House Finance Committee. Read more(0) CommentsFriday, January 4, 2019January 1, 2019, rang in a new year and a new legislative session. Rep. Nicholas Mattiello was elected Speaker of the House and Sen. Dominick Ruggerio was elected Senate President. In the coming weeks, committee assignments will be made, new committee chairs will be named, legislation will be filed, and hearings will be held. During the upcoming year, the Chamber may ask you to contact your legislators when the need arises. Please go to the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s web page, https://vote.sos.ri.gov/ and enter your information as requested (if you live in Rhode Island), so that you will know who represents you as a State Representative and a State Senator. Thank you for your help! Read more(0) CommentsCategories