Advocating for strategic infrastructure investments

To ensure we have the system we need, our goal on behalf of the business community is to secure sustained and strategic investments in our state’s infrastructure.

The Minnesota Chamber supports increased funding for transportation – roads, bridges, and transit. But the funding source is important in keeping Minnesota an affordable place to raise a family or grow a business. That’s why we were surprised to see proposals for a 20-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase. As the Chamber’s Bentley Graves explains, businesses can’t view this tax increase in a vacuum; it’s part of many factors that could make our state unaffordable. 

Through our work, we were able to ensure much needed transportation investments were made through the use of existing, transportation-related revenue sources, WITHOUT a gas increase that would have cost Minnesotans $4 billion. In addition, we: 

• Helped pass a “hands-free while driving” law, keeping us all safer on the roads
• Supported increased funding to alleviate looming budget shortfalls in metro area transit funding
• Passed legislation to ensure the state’s transportation department is held accountable for the efficient use of taxpayers’ investments in the state’s transportation infrastructure

The debate about sustained, dedicated funding will continue next session and beyond. We will continue to pursue increased transportation and infrastructure investment in a way that recognizes the already significant tax burden on the business community.