In late October, the House Labor and Industry Committee voted along party lines to pass H.B. 1234, legislation that would amend the state’s Workers’ Compensation law in response to a state Supreme Court decision known as the Tooey case.
In 2013, the Court ruled in Tooey that employers can potentially be sued in civil court for claims involving alleged occupational diseases filed outside the workers’ compensation eligibility window of 300 weeks (or five and a half years) after employment. This ruling leaves employers at risk for costly civil litigation.
In a memo sent to the committee prior to the vote, the PA Chamber noted that, while our organization does not dispute the Court’s conclusion that individuals in these circumstances ought to have a remedy, as work-related injuries these claims should be directed to workers’ compensation. House Bill 1234 would do just that by providing an additional window of workers’ compensation eligibility following diagnosis of the condition and preventing these cases from proceeding to civil court.
The bill was voted out of the House Labor and Industry Committee by a vote of 15 to 10. It now goes before the full House for further consideration.
http://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpg00Fred Gaffneyhttp://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpgFred Gaffney2019-11-14 11:34:552019-11-11 11:35:18Important Workers' Comp Fix Advances to the House Floor
For their service project this year, Life Skills students at Liberty Valley Intermediate School in the Danville Area School District will be making no-sew tie blankets and donating them to people in need. In support of this project, the program is looking for donations of fleece blanket fabric or money to purchase fabric. Any donation would be greatly appreciated and will go directly toward the student making blankets for the community. All donors will be recognized on a card that will be given to the community along with the blanket. If interested in donating for this project, please submit any donations by this Friday, Nov. 15. Donations can be mailed to or dropped off at the school, located at 175 Liberty Valley Rd., Danville. Donations can also be picked up by calling Elise Truax at 570-271-3268, ext. 3675. For additional information, please see the letter.
MePush, recently welcomed seven new faces to its team over the past five months: Collin Snyder, Adam Gemberling, Josh King, Brian Eyster, Jason Clarke, Brad Duncan and Jenna Helwig. Since its inception 15 years ago, MePush has grown from one employee to 24 full-time IT professionals focused on four key business service areas: cybersecurity, managed services, hosted services and IT support ranging from business interconnection and automation to compliance and customer data security. For photos and bios of all of MePush’s new hires, visit the MePush website.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) will hold a free four-hour seminar on leadership development on Thursday, Dec. 12, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, 725 Front St., Berwick. This program helps individuals become stronger, more impactful leaders. While joining other managers and supervisors to discuss workplace challenges, attendees will explore topics that include Self-Awareness, Power & Authority, Risk & Failure, and Leadership Style. Using self-assessment tools and experiential learning, attendees will examine their strengths and weaknesses while exploring best practices of exceptional leaders. To register, and for a list of other locations of similar seminars, visit NEPIRC’s registration page.
http://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpg00Fred Gaffneyhttp://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpgFred Gaffney2019-11-13 11:32:462019-11-13 11:32:48Member News - November 13, 2019
Berwick: The Next Step (BNS) is excited to announce its first Business Pitch Competition. Partnering with Wilkes University’s Small Business Development Center, BNS brings this unique opportunity to aspiring entrepreneurs interested in opening a new business in downtown Berwick.
Entrepreneurs wishing to compete must submit a letter of intent and application by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. Selected participants will be notified by Jan. 6 and given an opportunity to present their idea to a panel of judges on Jan. 13. Competition finalists will then work with Wilkes University’s Small Business Development Center over the course of six weeks to develop a business plan. That plan will be reviewed for feedback by a panel of judges in March, and final pitches will take place the first week of April.
Competitors will be judged on several criteria, including business innovation. The winner of this competition will receive a prize package valued at more than $20,000 (which will include subsidized rent, access to $10,000 in low-interest loans, a six-month internet credit, a gift card for printing materials, as well as several professional services, including legal and accounting.)
http://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpg00Fred Gaffneyhttp://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpgFred Gaffney2019-11-12 16:46:132019-11-12 15:58:06Berwick: The Next Step and Berwick Businesses to Offer $20K Prize Package to Aspiring Entrepreneur
More than 400 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and our region. Increased membership allows us to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities. The Chamber welcomes its newest member, eXp Realty, to help us fulfill our mission.
eXp Realty was founded in 2009 as the first cloud-based real estate brokerage and currently has locations and agents in all 50 states as well as Canada. Locally, the first eXp Realty location was established earlier this year in Berwick by local veteran realtor Marc Nespoli, and has grown to a few handfuls of agents. eXp Realty – Central Susquehanna Valley is located at 106 East Front St., Berwick, and can be reached at 888-397-7352 or visit their Facebook page.
Representatives of Bloomsburg Town Hall, Public Works, the Fire Department, Police Department, Airport, and Town Council introduced themselves to residents and business people and talked about their goals at a recent public meeting held at the Bloomsburg Fire Hall.
Two meetings held recently in Bloomsburg were organized to bring people together to strengthen communities in the region. Representatives of the Town of Bloomsburg introduced themselves and explained their job responsibilities at a meeting held at the Fire Hall in an effort to improve the dialogue with residents and businesspeople. At a public meeting held at The Greenly Center downtown, an individual with two decades of experience as a professional engineer and land-use planner talked about the value of reinvesting in the heart of a community, rather than promote urban sprawl. Both meetings were held the evening of Nov. 7.
With a number of new people in positions with the Town, representatives felt it a good time to host a public meeting to meet with residents and businesspeople. Mayor Bill Kreisher introduced staff members from Town Hall, Public Works, the Fire Department, Police Department, and the Airport, as well as Town Council members. Following brief remarks by each individual, attendees had the opportunity to ask specific questions. A number of the Town’s representatives expressed a desire to make Bloomsburg more business friendly.
Charles Marohn, author of the book Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, spoke about the value of reinvesting in communities recently at The Greenly Center in downtown Bloomsburg.
Later that evening, Charles Marohn spoke to a full room at The Greenly Center about the economic benefits of concentrating business and residential development within established towns and boroughs. Marohn, who recently wrote the book Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, provided numerous examples from around the country where the centers of communities provide the highest economic benefit compared to surrounding areas with the lowest costs for public services. Following World War II, development expanded rapidly into suburban and rural areas, resulting in significantly higher costs for infrastructure including roads, water, and sewer service. He encourages communities to make it easier for entrepreneurs to establish and grow small businesses and for people to build affordable housing. Business and community leaders, including the Chamber, will be having follow up discussions on Marohn’s presentation to discuss applications in our area.
http://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpg00Fred Gaffneyhttp://columbiamontourchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Chamber-logo-small.jpgFred Gaffney2019-11-10 16:13:222019-11-12 16:21:14Meetings Encourage Community Development
