Minnsights Blog

Environmental regulations: Lawmakers passed several policies that impacted environmental regulation this session.

Lawmakers focused heavily on decarbonization this session, passing policies that force individuals and companies to take steps toward sustainability, regardless of cost. The Minnesota Chamber’s ongoing goal is to ensure policymakers understand the price that businesses are paying for power and seek to maintain reliable and cost-effective power at competitive prices.

Lawmakers focused heavily on decarbonization this session, passing policies that force individuals and companies to take steps toward sustainability, regardless of cost. The Minnesota Chamber’s ongoing goal is to ensure policymakers understand the price that businesses are paying for power and seek to maintain reliable and cost-effective power at competitive prices.

The Minnesota Chamber advocates for health care policies that ensure quality health care is affordable and accessible to all Minnesotans and that enhances and supports the ability of employers to provide coverage to their employees. Unfortunately, in the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed policies that will increase costs and jeopardize access to doctors, hospitals and treatments.

The Legislature provided significant, ongoing increases in annual funding for our transportation infrastructure this session – totaling $3.8 billion in just the next four years – roughly $1 billion per year. While the Chamber has long-advocated for increased investment in our transportation system, it’s disappointing that the Legislature chose to make these investments largely through increased taxes and fees. With a nearly $18 billion surplus at its disposal, the resources were available to make needed investments without raising taxes. Instead, Minnesotans will pay more to register, purchase and fuel up their vehicles, and they’ll pay more when they make purchases in the metro or online.