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The Virginia Manufacturer - Focusing on Manufacturing Issues of Today and Tomorrow

Virginia Manufacturer's Association
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October 5, 2018

Join thousands of manufacturers nationwide and show the American public modern manufacturing.  This year's goal is to have 100 events on the national register.  They can be as simple as a plant tour for your legislators or as involved as a community open house.   Click here  for details and to register your event.


Virginia Environmental, Health & Safety Conference (VEHS)

September 26th - 27th
Hilton Hotel & Spa
Richmond, VA

This is the 15th annual VEHS Conference and it's at a new venue.  This year will include expanded regulatory best practices, professional development workshops (with continuing education credits), networking and trade show exhibitor opportunities.  It will also continue the popular DEQ and VOSH seminars.  


Follow the VMA on LinkedIn

We constantly strive to stay current in the digital era.  We have expanded our social media presence to connect our members, partners, and allies with VMA member benefits, networking and professional development opportunities, workforce solutions and government affairs resources.  


Follow Us On Facebook


Take a look at the refreshed VMA Facebook page and Like Us.  

Become a friend of Virginia MFG.

VOLUME 7 | Edition 8 | July 2018
Letter from the President & CEO

Dear Members:

This issue of The Virginia Manufacturer includes the 2018 VMA Legislative Wrap Up Report  for your review.   The 2018 Virginia General Assembly session was the most challenging in the last decade despite the VMA's 96% success rate with priority bills and 91% success rate with defensive priority bills. The 2017 elections had a profound effect on public policy priorities due to the one seat Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House. The VMA depends upon legislators to support public policies that assure Virginia is globally competitive, not just as good as its border states. The VMA also prides itself on fiscal restraint and prioritizes public policies that enable the private sector to grow without expanding state government to do so. This has become exceedingly difficult in recent years due to shifting budget priorities and the Commonwealth's economic diversification challenges. 

The 2018 VMA Legislative Wrap Up Report highlights issues and bills along with commentary about their impact on the Commonwealth's manufacturing competitiveness.  For example,  49% of the record-breaking 3,722 bills introduced in the 2018 regular session passed. This is an 11% lower pass rate than 2017. Further, the VMA managed and monitored 374 bills, not including budget bills, and  142 were environmental and energy bills alone.  

Our advocacy for the  VMA 2018 Legislative Agenda
focused on six (6) core public policy priorities:
  • Close the Skills and Career Planning Gaps by 2020
  • Stop Taxing Technology
  • Expand MFG Exports 50% by 2025 and Restructure Economic Development
  • Keep Energy Costs Affordable & Reliable
  • Invest in Productive Infrastructure
  • Maintain Regulatory Balance
We have also added a new section to this year's report - the Virginia Legislative Competitiveness Scorecard.  Transparency is essential to understanding the actions of legislators.  Improving Virginia's competitiveness is essential to the continued growth of the MFG sector.  The Scorecard will better inform members what percentage of the time each legislator votes with the VMA.  This should help members distinguish between the actions and words of the Virginia General Assembly.  This Scorecard will also more directly inform legislators how their votes affect Virginia's manufacturing competitiveness in accordance with our VA MFG Competitiveness Index.

Due to a budget impasse this year over Medicaid expansion to an estimated 400,000 Virginians, the Virginia General Assembly went into an additional Special Session for the 9th time in the last decade.  The VMA is still unpacking details from that budget and will provide more in-depth reporting on legislation and taxes passed through the budget in a separate report.

In closing, we would like to thank the VMA Board of Directors, Energy Resources Committee, EHS&S Committee, Workforce Solutions Committee, Virginia Chemistry Council and the Government Affairs Council for their extraordinary contributions this session.  Their guidance and advocacy turned one of the most challenging years into a successful one.  To read the entire 
 2018 VMA Legislative Wrap Up Report , click here .


Best Wishes,  
Brett  
Brett A. Vassey
President & CEO


Mark Your Calendar - July Webinar
 
July 24
11:30AM-12:15PM
Join us for a special edition of the VMA Webinar Series and welcome members of the Wells Fargo Global Economic and Foreign Currency teams. They will be discussing the global economic outlook and how to manage currency risk when engaging in international business.  
Register here for the July 24th webinar. 


VMA Member Benefit: VITAL

The VMA is a proud member of the Virginia International Trade Alliance (VITAL). The goal of VITAL is to increase exports and establish VITAL as the first public-private partnership for international trade leading to job creation and economic diversification . 
VITAL is a consortium made up of the Commonealth's VEDP-Trade Office, research universities and state trade associations. Through VITAL VMA members have access to many of the subsidized international trade services offered by VEDP-Trade, which are highly subsidized as an incentive to increase manufactured goods exports, with additional savings exclusively for VMA members.  
To learn more about VITAL export services and incentives, contact Ian Ginger, VMA Business Development Director, at [email protected].


VMA Safety Awards & Chairman's Safety Awards - Applications Due August 10

The VMA Safety Awards are presented each year at the Virginia Environmental Health & Safety (VEHS) Conference to manufacturing contractors who exemplify workforce safety. Winners of these awards are contractors who participate in the Manufacturing Skills Institute's (MSI) Industrial Safety Readiness Training (ISRT) Certificate program.  Gold, Silver and Bronze level winners meet the following ISRT Certificate training criterion:
  • Gold Level - 75% of qualified workforce trained
  • Silver Level - 50% of qualified workforce trained
  • Bronze Level - 25% of qualified workforce trained
Companies are evaluated annually by MSI and VMA professional staff and recognized at an awards ceremony at the VEHS Conference.  Participants are also listed in an exclusive cloud-based Contractor's Directory that is marketed to business and industry for contractor selection purposes.

Beginning this year, Gold Level winners of the VMA Safety Awards are eligible to compete for the VMA Chairman's Safety Award.  These manufacturing contractors exemplify the highest level of safety commitment and performance.  

Eligible companies must meet the following criteria:
  • Established Safety Management System
  • ISRT Certificate Requirements:
    • Gold Level Status (75% of total qualified workforce trained)
    • 100% of employees working on host employer locations trained
  • No NOVs from OSHA or VOSH for previous 12 months (exemptions possible based on mitigating circumstances - written explanation required for consideration)
    • Good Injury Trends - OSHA Recordable Rates equal to or lower than industry average and 5 year injury trending is positive
  • VMA Membership
The winner will be announced and recognized on September 26 at the VEHS Conference in Richmond.   If your company would like to be nominated to receive the VMA Chairman's Safety Award, and meets the above requirements, please submit your application using the online form at http://www.vamanufacturers.com/2018-virginia-environmental-health-safety-conference/safetyaward/ by August 10th.
  
Kaufman & Canoles 34th Annual Employment Law Seminar

July 19, 2018
Hampton Roads Convention Center

The 34th Annual Employment Law Update will highlight employment law risks and provide practical suggestions on risk avoidance.  Attendees can earn up to 6 credit hours toward PHR and SPHR re-certification through the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) and 5 PDCs towards the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.  

The party won't end there!  One lucky winner will win a $350 gift card to host his/her own "office party" at one of the Peninsula's hottest party venues, Tradition Brewing.

Click here to view the full schedule, list of speakers and online registration.