Key Issues

The business community's priorities focus on policies that will protect the interests of all companies. We will advance another member-driven agenda in 2012 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 ensure that our agenda reflects our members' priorities.

Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
2012 Preliminary Priorities

Budget reform:

• Implement priorities and outcomes-based budgeting.
• Request and receive federal Medicaid waivers that will allow Minnesota’s programs to assign enrollees to a care system and pay for their care based on outcomes.
• Continue to lead and advocate state and local government redesign.
• Continue to advocate for public employee compensation reform.

Education: 

• Improve teacher evaluation by eliminating the “last in-first out” approach to teacher layoffs. Replace it with a system based in part on teachers’ classroom results.
• Reinstate the state’s math requirement for high school graduation.
• Support higher education policies that emphasize producing workers for available jobs and closing the skills gap. (Note: The Minnesota Chamber is currently researching and drafting a new higher education policy. This policy will be ready for the 2013 session.)

Energy: 

• Require that electric rates in Minnesota be based primarily on the cost of serving the customer, i.e. cost-based rates.
• Lift the bans on consideration of additional nuclear power and the development/use of new coal-fired electricity generation.

Environmental permitting:

• Continue to improve the efficiency of and streamline the environmental review and permitting process, including consideration of updating the 30-day notice for completed permit applications and creation of an economic development coordinator to oversee large economic development projects and their permitting needs.

Health care: 

• Design and implement a health insurance exchange that allows Minnesota employers and individuals to shop for coverage based on both the quality and price of care.

New Major Policy Initiative:  Tax reform:

• Research the feasibility of a major tax reform initiative.
• Make the proposal the focal point of the 2013 session.
• A tax reform proposal should:
• Be revenue neutral
• Make the tax system more competitive and stable.
• Use Governor Pawlenty’s 21st Century Tax Reform Commission report as a starting point.

For specifics on our top priorities, click here.

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.

Learn More - Take Action

The Minnesota Chamber has developed several reforms to address this important issues.  To learn more about these reforms, click here.