JCI and Politics

There is some concern with some Junior Chamber groups about involvement in politics and maintaining a reasonable distance as is required by a 501(c) organization. Unfortunately, many members mistake government involvement for getting involved in politics and the voice of young leaders are lost for fear of organizational recrimination.

According to the Urban Institutes' National Center for Charitable Statistics
"Many of the most visible and politically active nonprofit organizations in the United States are classified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as 501(c)(4) social welfare groups. The National Rifle Association, the National Organization for Women, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Sierra Club, for example, are classified as 501(c)(4) organizations and are active participants in the nation’s public policy process. They lobby for and against legislation, get issues on policymakers’ radar screens, and educate and mobilize the public around election time."

That is why in New York State, we are hosting our very own Government Affairs Leadership Seminar in the state capital of Albany the first week of March 2008, but we hope to offer new and on-going opportunities to let the voice of young talent be heard in New York.

Starting this week, the New York State Junior Chamber has been asked to take part in State Budget Hearings to voice our concerns over state spending and revenue streams. This might be a good time to make suggestions like a statewide college-loan break incentive for living and working in New York, as well as some other more creative ideas on increasing disposable income for young adults.

“We need to balance the need for Government to do more with the ability of taxpayers to bear the tax burden and for businesses to remain competitive.” Governor Eliot Spitzer, October 2007

New York State Division of the Budget

Public Hearings in Preparation for the 2008-09 Budget

New York State faces a difficult budget challenge in the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2008. The Division of the Budget has projected a significant budget deficit because of weakness in tax revenues resulting in part from problems on Wall Street. Governor Eliot Spitzer has asked the Division of the Budget to conduct a series of public hearings to present the challenges the State faces in the 2008-09 budget and get public input on spending needs and priorities to assist in making budget decisions.

The New York State Director of the Budget, along with other decision makers responsible for crafting the Executive Budget that the Governor will present to the Legislature in January, is inviting testimony from residents of various areas of the State at the following locations and times:

Buffalo	Saturday, November 17 10-1	Buffalo Museumof Science
Rochester	Saturday, November 17 3-6	University of Rochester Medical Center
Syracuse	Tuesday, November 27 1 -4	Common Council Chambers
Utica	Tuesday, November 27 6-9	SUNY IT, Marcy
Long Island	Friday, November 30 10-1	H. Lee Dennison Office Building, Hauppauge

Those interested in offering testimony at the event are asked to please register in advance. Participants wishing to comment who are not pre-registered will be accommodated, as time allows, on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information visit http://www.budget.state.ny.us/ or call 518-473-3885