The Business & Industry Association is excited to embark on our inaugural DC Fly-in this week, joining approximately 20 of our members to bring top business-related concerns to the nation’s capital.

The Fly-In, sponsored by Eversource, on Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14, will expand on the longtime partnership between BIA and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s NH Business Day Luncheon and Experience NH Reception by adding an additional day of programming that will give attendees exclusive access to policy briefings and networking with government officials and federal policy experts.

BIA is New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading nonpartisan business advocate. While we focus on state issues affecting Granite State employers, we know federal legislation impacts our nearly 400 members and thousands of other businesses and nonprofits in New Hampshire. And we’re thankful to have valuable partners like the U.S. Chamber, National Association of Manufacturers and American Petroleum Institute.

The Fly-In opens Tuesday with a lunch-and-learn session with the U.S. Chamber. The chamber continues to work on crucial business issues at the federal level, including reauthorization and modernization of the U.S. Small Business Administration, last formally reauthorized over two decades ago. According to the U.S. Chamber, roughly 33 million small businesses make up 99.9% of all U.S. firms and represent 43.5% of America’s GDP. Seventy-four percent of BIA’s members employ 100 or fewer employees and 35% employ 10 or fewer.

The U.S. Chamber is also working with business and trade associations nationwide to reverse a tax change that threatens jobs and innovation. A Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 provision requires businesses to amortize or deduct research and development expenses over a period of five years when they previously could fully deduct qualified R&D expenses each year.

Tuesday’s session includes an immigration reform presentation. BIA last month joined over 430 business associations from every state in supporting the U.S. Chamber’s LIBERTY Campaign that calls on Congress to enact measures this year to secure our borders and modernize our legal immigration system. Key goals include significantly increasing annual quotas for employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, and creating new visa options for international students, entrepreneurs and high-demand workers to meet critical workforce needs.

The chamber will also detail ongoing efforts to reform federal permitting to help the nation and states more effectively modernize our roads, bridges, ports, broadband networks, water and energy infrastructure.

Tuesday’s agenda concludes with networking with the American Petroleum Institute, a BIA member. Energy is a top concern for New Hampshire businesses, especially large users like manufacturers and corporate and college campuses.

The Granite State’s 21.09 cents per kilowatt hour average cost of electricity dwarfs the national average of 12.49 cents and is lower than only Massachusetts (21.47), California (22.48) and Hawaii (39.85). North Carolina, a booming state for business, has an average of 11.07 cents. BIA supports an “all of the above” market-driven strategy to sustainably lower costs and increase reliability.

While the transition to clean energy is well underway and a key to our energy future, oil and natural gas remain an integral part of the “all of the above” fuel mix that our region relies on, and their economic impact is vast. API reports over 33,600 jobs are supported by New Hampshire’s natural gas and oil industry and it contributes $4.5 million to the state’s economy.

BIA is the longtime New Hampshire affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, which will host our group Wednesday for a policy briefing. BIA was founded as the New Hampshire Manufacturers’ Association in 1913, and while our name changed in 1970 to reflect our diversified membership, manufacturing remains an indispensable part of BIA’s membership and the New Hampshire economy. NAM reports Granite State manufacturers in 2021 employed 10% of our workforce with an average annual compensation of $93,581 and had a total output of $9.99 billion.

The NH Business Day Luncheon on Wednesday, hosted by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, will wrap-up BIA’s Fly-In programming and allow attendees to interact with top government officials and key congressional leaders about federal programs and issues impacting our state. Events conclude with the Experience NH Reception, which brings together businesses, organizations and policymakers to showcase many great small businesses and products from the Granite State. BIA is grateful to Sen. Shaheen for coordinating such a high-quality program and for the continued engagement and partnership of our state’s congressional delegation.

By bringing the concerns and perspective of New Hampshire businesses to our nation’s capital, BIA is committed to expanding our impact and providing an even greater service to our members and all New Hampshire employers. For more information about the Fly-In, email Lora McMahon at lmcmahon@biaofnh.com.

Michael Skelton is president and CEO of the Business & Industry Association. Visit BIAofNH.com.

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