Business Advocacy

Leading the Fight for New Jersey Employers

The NJ Chamber of Commerce’s Government Relations team represents all-sized companies when advocating for pro-business and economic growth policies designed to make New Jersey a favorable place to operate companies that can provides jobs and create economic opportunities for employees.

The chamber staff meets regularly with policymakers from the Governor's Office and various state agencies, members of the state Assembly and Senate and their staffs, as well as local and county officials who develop and enact countless laws and regulations impacting employers and employees.

The primary focus areas of the chamber are Transportation, Economic Development/State Budget, Healthcare, Education & Workforce Development, Environment/Energy and Government Reform – and they consult regularly on these topics with chamber members and other subject matter experts. Members are updated regularly on key issues through timely webinars, events, briefings and regular communications, such as Trenton Watch.

Our Payne Scholar Program is a highly esteemed fellowship program for young graduates seeking to enter and learn about the New Jersey political sphere. Many have gone on to prestigious jobs within government and the private sector.

2024 Legislative Priorities

We are pressing the governor and legislative leaders to:

Replenish the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund, as many states have done, instead of relying on payroll tax increases on employers to replenish it;
Create a significant grant fund that would provide working capital to entrepreneurs and business owners who are dealing with inflation, a credit crunch and the prospect of a recession;
Reenergize the state’s Government Efficiency and Regulatory Review Commission to identify inefficiencies and overly burdensome regulations that hurt businesses and stifle economic growth;
Ensure there are more public contract opportunities awarded to minority-owned businesses and more career opportunities for minority workers at all levels. We are partnering with diverse chambers of commerce on this priority;

Create an Economic Council that meets on a regular basis comprised of members of the business community, the state Legislature and the Governor’s Office to discuss economic issues, including workforce development initiatives that will help solve the acute job opening situation we are currently facing; and
Encourage continual civil discourse among politicians, government officials and all those debating policy, so that partisan disagreements do not stifle economic growth.

Click here to learn more about our priorities

NJ Chamber Government Relations Leadership

Michael Egenton

Michael Egenton
Executive Vice President, Government Relations

Michael Egenton is executive vice president, Government Relations for the N.J. Chamber of Commerce. He is the Chamber's chief lobbyist and focuses on environmental, transportation, energy, labor, and government reform issues.

Michael sits on several advisory councils and committees including the New Jersey Clean Air Council -- a group appointed by the governor that makes recommendations on matters pertaining to air pollution control.

Prior to coming to the N.J. Chamber, Michael worked at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), analyzing environmental statutes, rules and regulations. He also was the project director and principal author of Modern Forms of Municipal Government, a report published by the New Jersey State Commission on County and Municipal Government.

A native of Plainfield, Union County, Michael is a graduate of Seton Hall University and has a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Kean University. Michael and his family reside in Voorhees Township, Camden County.

Contact Michael

Amirah Hussain

Amirah Hussain
Director, Government Relations

Amirah Hussain joined the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce in August 2022 and is Director of Government Relations. She advocates on behalf of the state’s business community, primarily in the areas of health care, economic development and taxation. Amirah reports to Michael Egenton, executive vice president of government relations.

From 2020 to 2022, worked in the office of Assemblyman Herb Conaway, where, as Deputy Chief of Staff, she focused on policy research and overseeing daily office operations. She was also previously Director of Policy and Director of Constituent Relations and Outreach.

Amirah has a health care background having worked from 2018 to 2020 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerset as a Patient Access Representative.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in 2018 and a Master’s degree in 2020 in Healthcare Administration from Rutgers University.

Contact Amirah