The Voice for Business

The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is the state's largest and premier business advocacy organization. As the statewide voice of business, the Chamber represents more than 2,400 businesses of all types and sizes across Minnesota. The Minnesota Chamber excels at offering private-sector solutions to public-sector problems.

Chamber Vision: Working together to make Minnesota the best place for business.

Chamber Mission: The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is committed to advancing public policy and job growth strategies that create an environment for businesses statewide to prosper.

A Century of Accomplishment

The business community's priorities focus on policies that will protect the interests of all companies. We are preparing to advance another member-driven agenda in 2009 with confidence that we represent the interests of all types and sizes of businesses throughout Greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities. Protecting the bottom line of businesses is integral to ensuring a vital state economy. Our policy sessions across the state are the beginning of an exhaustive process that ensures our agenda reflects our members' priorities.

Our priority issues for the 2009 Legislature are:

Stage Budget
Priority: Balance the state budget without a general fund tax increase.

Workforce
Priority: Ensure that businesses have an adequate supply of skilled workers to compete in today's global economy by advancing reforms in the K-12 public education system.

Transportation Efficiency
Priority: Ensure that taxpayers receive the greatest value for every dollar spent on the state's infrastructure system.

Climate Change
Priority: Climate change legislation should be addressed on the national - and international - levels. State lawmakers should not pass any state or regional cap-and-trade policy due to the negative economic impact on businesses and families, and the extremely high probability that a state-specific program will not solve or even reduce the problem.

Nuclear Power
Priority: Change the existing state law so nuclear power is an option for generation of additional and necessary base-load power.

The Minnesota Chamber's strength is our consensus agenda. Your feedback is necessary and valuable as we work together to maintain a vibrant business climate in Minnesota. Please direct comments on your priorities to Jennifer Byers at (651) 292-4673 or jbyers@mnchamber.com.

When the Minnesota Chamber speaks, policy-makers listen. Founded in 1909, the Chamber has been a trademark for accomplishments on behalf of the business community. Groundbreaking workers' compensation and property tax reform are hallmarks of Chamber-led efforts.

The Minnesota Chamber delivered noteworthy results in 2008, including:

• Guaranteed that the state budget shortfall was resolved without a general fund tax increase
• Blocked two separate measures that would have increased the statewide property tax for commercial/industrial properties
• Blocked increase in corporate income taxes for businesses receiving tax-increment financing or tax abatements
• Blocked the repeal of the foreign operating deduction and the repeal of research and development credits
• Supported legislation, effective September 2010, so individual consumers and purchasers will have access to information on providers' cost and quality and how the data compare with their peers
• Supported creation of "health care homes" so individuals have a relationship with a health care provider or team of providers to help navigate the health care system
• Supported legislation, effective 2012, so providers will have the ability to establish a package price for "baskets of care," thus providing pricing that is meaningful and understandable for consumers
• Blocked proposal to take money from nonprofit health plan reserves - money paid by the fully insured market and individuals - to balance the state's budget
• Achieved long-term funding for roads, bridges and transit
• Reduced the Twin Cities metro sales tax for transit from one-half cent to one-quarter cent
• Ensured that a study will be completed to determine the economic impact and potential revenue for a regional cap-and-trade system before any plan is implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Restored half the dollars that were originally cut from Q Comp, the alternative compensation system that bases a portion of teachers' salary increases on performance
• Defeated a proposal to let students receive a high school diploma without passing the state-required GRAD test - Minnesota Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma
• Blocked double-dipping for benefits by allowing terminated employees to collect severance pay and unemployment benefits
• Defeated new criteria for extending unemployment benefits that would like deplete the Unemployment Insurance fund by 2010
• Defeated extending unemployment benefits for specific groups of employees that do not meet existing criteria

Solving problems for your business

• Grow Minnesota! - We help you stay and expand in Minnesota.
• BusinessConnection - We connect your business to Minnesota resources.
• Minnesota Waste Wise - We save you money by identifying ways to reduce waste.
• Minnesota Energy Smart - We are an energy efficiency business assistance program.
• Business Services - We improve your bottom line by securing better rates on life and disability insurance and assisting in administering employee benefits.
• Minnesota Business Gives - We provide local recognition for business philanthropy and contributions.
• Leadership Minnesota - We give business leaders an exclusive look at what makes the state's economy tick.
• Courts/regulatory agencies - We intervene and advocate on behalf of statewide business interests.
• Leadership Fund PAC - An affiliate of the Minnesota Chamber that supports legislative candidates who support business issues.