This year’s session of the Legislature officially gets underway today (Jan. 14) in Phoenix and business organizations have put together their lists of priorities for what needs to get accomplished.

Some are concerned over what the projected $970 million state budget deficit might do to the business climate in Arizona.

"We’re concerned about how the fiscal challenges will affect the business community," said Laura Shaw, senior vice president of corporate and community affairs for Tucson Regional Economic Opportunties (TREO). "We know we’re in challenging times."

Among the items on TREO’s list for the Legislature are: support for foreign direct investment in the state, continue work-force training grants, protect commerce and economic development funding and support for Science Foundation Arizona.

"Those are the tools we have when we talk to companies that are either looking to come into the region or expand in the region," Shaw said. "They’re very common economic development tools that other states we compete with have. We need to keep those in the budget."

David Welsh, senior vice president of TREO, said by supporting these initiatives, the organization hopes to create higher-paying jobs in better working conditions for Tucson citizens.

"That’s a win-win for us because that’s dollars that come from elsewhere and usually result in the kind of jobs we’re looking for," Welsh said.

TREO is looking to accomplish its goals by working with other organizations’ lobbyists.

"There are some concerns that runs across all of our constituencies," Welsh said. "We just would like to be better coordination amongst us all."

The Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is still working on the details of its legislative agenda. Paul Parisi, vice president of governmental affairs for the chamber, said goals include supporting the state budget stabilization fund and the elimination of the business personal property tax or raising the threshold rate to exempt more small businesses.

The state Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry has set nine goals for this session.

"We think that because of the budget situation that we’re going into we’re going to have to pick our issues carefully," said Ann Seiden, the vice president of communications for the chamber of commerce and industry. "I would say the top one is eliminating the State Equalization Rate. It’s slated to return in 2009 if that happens we’re looking at one of if not the largest property tax increase in the state."

Another priority is making "tweaks" to the state’s employer sanctions law to eliminate the anonymous complaint provision. While some of the state’s county attorneys – including Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall – have said they will not pursue anonymously filed complaints, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has said his office will.

"What we would like to see is a law that has certain safeguards in it to protect legitimate law abiding business," Seiden said. "That, we feel like, places a tremendous burden on legitimate businesses who somebody feels like there are too many Hispanics working there."

As long as employers are using the E-Verify system and filling out I-9 forms, it should offer some form of protection, Seiden said.

"If companies are doing their due diligence and in good faith ... it’s not fair to subject them to unfair investigation and prosecution that could harm their business," Seiden said.

Details of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s goals are onlinie at http://www.azchamber.com/pdfs/Final_2008_Business_Agenda.pdf