(February 4, 2009) The California Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business Issues and Legislative Guide is now available at www.calchamber.com/businessissues.

The policies outlined here, based on the program of work approved in December by the CalChamber Board of Directors, can help California begin "Leading the Nation Out of the Recession." CalChamber continues to press lawmakers to keep economic impacts in mind when acting on subjects ranging from taxes and climate change to meal and rest period requirements, overtime reform and workers' compensation, among others.

Policy discussions often move quickly, so we will bring you updates regularly via the CalChamber Alert newsletter and our website. You also can sign up for our free e-newsletters: Daily Headlines brings you a CalChamber top story of the day and general news updates five times a week while the weekly Trade Update focuses on international affairs.

In addition, CalChamber has gathered in one web location the tools businesses need to stay informed and get involved. Just visit our grassroots web center: www.calchambervotes.com. Here you'll find the latest news, easy-to-edit letters to elected representatives and updates on the status of legislation.

Because policy guidance and leadership from employers will be critical this year, we invite you to help the CalChamber keep the employer perspective before policymakers. Please communicate your views to legislators loudly and regularly -- and encourage your business colleagues to do the same. With your active participation, we can continue to make progress to keep California competitive in a global economy.

A PDF version of the Business Issues and Legislative Guide is available at the CalChamber website by visiting www.calchamber.com/businessissues and clicking on the “See index to entire Business Issues and Legislative Guide” link.