More than 80 chamber of chamber professionals and business leaders from across the Commonwealth gathered in Harrisburg last week for the 2022 Chamber Day at the State Capitol.  The annual event, co-hosted by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals, included policy discussions with key public officials and provided an opportunity for chambers to advocate on behalf of the employer community to improve the Commonwealth’s business climate.

“Chamber Day provides an invaluable opportunity for our chamber community partners and local business leaders to come together and collectively advocate for a pro-growth agenda to improve Pennsylvania’s economic climate,” said PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr in a press release. “Chambers of commerce play a critical role representing employers in their respective regions and advocating for policies that will help businesses and communities across the Commonwealth thrive.”

The day opened with welcoming remarks from Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, and proceeded with a series of panel discussions focusing on a range of topics including transportation and infrastructure; workforce development and the 2022 elections.  Attendees were also briefed on the status of state budget negotiations from House Appropriations Committee Democratic Chair Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery and Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, and were provided a state economic overview from PA Independent Fiscal Office Director Matthew Knittel. Additional briefings included an update on state transportation and infrastructure policy by Senator Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria County and chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and Jack Groarke, Gov. Wolf’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Federal Affairs and lead on implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, along with updates on workforce development from executives from several state agencies, a 2022 general election update from political consultant Chris Nicholas, and a federal affairs update from Ryan Gleason with the US Chamber’s Great Lakes Regional Office.

“We value the opportunity to come together as a chamber community each year during the budget process to discuss issues of importance to the business community,” said Fred Gaffney, President of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce and PACP Board Chair. “Thank you to the PA Chamber for their tremendous support and assistance with this annual event.”