Federal
REGIONAL ISSUES
- Support federal funding for the deepening of the Savannah River Harbor as well as providing assistance from the various federal agencies to support the swift development of the joint South Carolina/Georgia combined Jasper Port Terminal.
- Support immigration reform that will provide a long term solution that includes a meaningful guest worker program to meet labor shortages in certain markets. In the short term, we strongly encourage the House and Senate to pass legislation that will increase the caps to the current H-2B Visa program (S. 988/H.R. 1843).
- Support dedicated and additional federal resources to improve our regional highway arteries as well as regional public transportation needs. In particular, we encourage federal participation in the much needed Interstate 95 widening and improvements in South Carolina.
- Support the passage of the Travel Promotion Act (S. 1661/H.R. 3232) which would establish an independent, non-profit corporation to operate a nationally coordinated, public-private effort to increase international tourism.
- Support having the Hilton Head Island region included in the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
SAVANNAH-CHATHAM AREA ISSUES
- Support federal funding that will support Savannah’s Safety Net Program that allows health care access to uninsured patients.
- As the Army adds troops and assets to its in-strength posture, the Chamber supports positioning these additions at Ft. Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield.
- Support S.406 and H.R. 734, The Transit System Flexibility Protection Act, which addresses the problem of eroding federal operating assistance for small transit systems.
- Support federal funding for the Cyber Security Education and Training Center at Armstrong Atlantic State University.
HILTON HEAD AREA ISSUES
- Support the extension of Highway 278 to Route 321, west of I-95, to provide a significant improvement for coastal emergency evacuation.
- Support creation of a new Exit 3 on I-95 that connects to Highway 278(a) to alleviate congestion in the region and provide for greater emergency evacuation capacity.
- Simplify the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program including the appraisal process for acquiring property, request for proposal, surveying, and income verification requirements to make the program less cumbersome for local governments to administer.
- Support federal funding for protection for the May River and other local waterways.
