Business Forward

Business Forward welcomed Doug Rand, Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and Innovation Initiative at the Federation of American Scientists, and co-founder of Boundless. Rand discussed the Department of Homeland Security's "public charge rule" that will go into effect next week. He talked about the rule's negative impact on businesses and how it reduces the talent pool availability to U.S. employers, imposes substantial paperwork burdens on immigrants and their employers, and overall financial burden to the American economy.

Business Forward is joined by Franz Litz, Principal at Litz Energy Strategies, LLC, for a webinar on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the market-based CO2 reduction program run by Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Litz explains how RGGI works, how states and local businesses benefit, how falling wind and solar prices are helping, and which states are likely to join.

On Tuesday, September 17, Business Forward welcomed Montana Governor Steve Bullock for a Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President conference call. Governor Bullock discussed his 2020 agenda for growing our economy and improving economic opportunity.

On Tuesday, July 16, Business Forward welcomed Michael S. Barr, Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan for a Solutions 2020 Policy Working Group call on small business.This is the second of the Solutions 2020 Small Business Policy Working Group series. This call focused on consumer protection for small businesses.

On Tuesday, June 25, Business Forward welcomed Al Fitzpayne, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative, and Massachusetts State Senator Eric Lesser, for a Solutions 2020 Policy Working Group call on the future of work.This is the second of the Solutions 2020 Future of Work Policy Working Group series. On this working group call, policy experts and business leaders outlined the future of work challenges facing our country and begin discussing policy solutions. This webinar focused on designing portable benefits to bring financial security to workers in a changing economy.

On Tuesday, June 18, Business Forward welcomed Laura Rosenberger, Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and Senior Fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, for a Solutions 2020 Policy Working Group call on foreign policy.

On Friday, June 14, Business Forward welcomed Congressman Seth Moulton for our seventh Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President conference call.

On Thursday, June 13, Business Forward welcomed former Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, and former Assistant Secretary of Transportation Carlos Monje for our second Solutions 2020 Infrastructure Working Group. On this working group call, policy experts and business leaders discussed the state of play on the $2 trillion infrastructure package being discussed in Washington and the different infrastructure proposals outlined by the 2020 presidential candidates. The group focused on areas of agreement and disagreement between the proposals, including how to pay for them.

On Tuesday, June 4, Business Forward welcomed Christy Goldfuss, Senior Vice President of Energy and Environment Policy at the Center for American Progress, for a Solutions 2020 Policy Working group call on climate and clean energy.

On Thursday, May 30, Business Forward welcomed Lanae Erickson, Senior Vice President for the Social Policy and Politics Program at Third Way, for a webinar on higher education. This is the first in our Solutions 2020 Education Policy Working Group series. This working group call discussed the cost of wasted taxpayer dollars at low-performing higher education institutions.

On Wednesday, May 22, Business Forward welcomed Congressman Ron Kind (WI-03) and Phil Waldeck, President of Prudential Retirement, for a conference call on the bipartisan effort to increase access to retirement savings.

Business Forward welcomed Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01), for a conference call on protecting and supporting a health care system that reflects the needs of working women and their reproductive rights.

On Monday, May 20, Business Forward welcomed South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg for our sixth Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President conference call.

On Thursday, May 9, Business Forward welcomed Al Fitzpayne from the Aspen Institute and Massachusetts State Senator Eric Lesser for a conference call on the Future of Work.

On Thursday, May 2, Business Forward welcomed Michael Barr, Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and former Assistant Secretary of Treasury, and Marie Johns, Managing Member of Leftwich LLC, former Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, for a conference call on small business policy.

On Tuesday, April 30, Business Forward welcomed Jake Sullivan, Co-Chair at National Security Action for a conference call on foreign policy.

On Thursday, April 18, Business Forward welcomed former Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, and former Assistant Secretary of Transportation Carlos Monje for a conference call to kick off the Solutions 2020 Infrastructure Working Group.

The fifth installment in our Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the Next President.

On Thursday, March 21, Business Forward welcomed Tom Steyer, noted investor, philanthropist, and activist, for our latest Solutions 2020 briefing. Steyer focused on the cost of the Trump presidency to our global economic competitiveness. He discussed fiscal policy, clean energy, and national security. Tom offers an extraordinary perspective on these topics, and is interested in working with local business leaders on solutions.

The third installment in our Solutions 2020: Real-world Recommendations for the New Congress and the Next President