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Learn About the New Overtime Pay Changes Over Lunch

After 12 years with no change, President Obama announced profound changes to the minimum salary threshold for employees to be considered exempt from overtime pay. This new threshold has caused concern for many employers and employees across the country. Ranging from the cost of basic compliance to the emotional reaction by employees on company morale,…

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Bloomsburg Council Seeks Further Input on Parking Requirements

On Monday, Bloomsburg Town Council voted to send a proposed ordinance that would require off-street parking for downtown development back to committee for further review. The Chamber, Downtown Bloomsburg Inc., and others had expressed concerns about the potential impact of the proposed requirements on downtown development. The Town’s Community and Economic Development Committee is seeking…

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Parking Requirement Could Deter Business Growth

Bloomsburg Town Council is considering an ordinance that would require that any new development in the downtown commercial district provide off-street parking. This requirement could also apply to existing buildings with a change of use, such as if an office space became a retail store. The intent of this change is to keep public parking…

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Chamber Supports Local Enforcement of Licensed Establishments

On Tuesday, the Chamber issued a statement supporting Berwick Borough’s request to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) to monitor noise from establishments with liquor licenses. State statute prohibits any amplified music or entertainment from being heard beyond the property line of a licensed establishment. The Borough’s request is an attempt to support local establishments…

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Autoneum and Former Windsor Foods Protected from Flooding

From SEDA-Council of Governments A major industry and employer in Bloomsburg is now protected from flooding, thanks to the Columbia County Flood Risk Management project.   An Aug. 5 inspection of the U-shaped flood wall that surrounds Autoneum North America Inc. and the former Windsor Foods site showed that both places would be protected if…

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Chamber Asks for Additional Study on Downtown Parking

Bloomsburg Town Council has advanced a recommendation from its Parking Sub-Committee to extend enforcement of metered parking spaces in the downtown to include Saturdays. The thinking behind the expansion is to deter people from “warehousing” vehicles in public parking spaces, keeping parking available for customers. With limited data, the Chamber is requesting additional study to…

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Businesses Share Views on Block Party

The annual Block Party held in mid-April each year in Bloomsburg has a significant impact on the Town, particularly the downtown. In a recent poll of businesses in the Bloomsburg area, the majority of respondents indicated that the event is a negative both for businesses and the Town. The results of the poll are being…

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Educational Tax Credit Program Expanded

As part of the final budget legislation passed last week, House Bill 1606 increases the amount of tax credits available in the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program by $25 million, providing a total of $175 million in both the EITC and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. The EITC program provides tax credits to…

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General Appropriations Bill Becomes Law

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry Last Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf had a press conference announcing that he was going to let the General Appropriations bill that the General Assembly had sent him on June 30 become law without his signature. While Act 16A of 2016 was officially enacted at midnight on July 12,…

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Budget Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk Absent Revenue Package

Last week, in the days leading up to the end of the 2015-16 Fiscal Year, the House and Senate engaged in a back-and-forth with S.B. 1073 – the General Fund budget bill. First, the House voted 132-68 on a $31.55 billion spending plan that represented a 4.8 percent increase in spending, which House Republicans proposed…

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