Regional Policy Meeting with the MN Chamber

While the headlines this summer focused on the stand off over the state budget shortfall, the Minnesota Chamber continued to achieve results for its members on a number of fronts. And our goal, with your help, is to build on that success in 2012. The Fergus Falls Area Chamber is hosting a meeting to learn more about the Minnesota Chamber’s tentative priorities and provide input and feedback as the policies are finalized for the 2012 Session.

Priorities and policies are developed based on members’ input, focus groups, polling and these late fall meetings. This is your opportunity to share your views and shape the policies before they are finalized by the Minnesota Chamber Board of Directors.

Last year, Minnesota Chamber leadership paved the way for bipartisan support and passage of alternative teacher licensure legislation along with a bill to accelerate the environmental review and permitting process. Your voice was heard by state leaders and they responded by holding the line on general fund tax increases. But the progress on each of these issues only represents the beginning of our work.

As we prepare for 2012, we will continue to advocate for an outcome based budgeting process, focusing on the redesign of public services so they provide more value for every dollar spent as well as the structure of public employee compensation and benefits. Additional work on K-12 education reform is aimed at building teacher quality, reinstituting math GRAD test requirements and a new look at the role of Minnesota’s higher education system. We will continue our leadership on expediting the permitting process and advocate for the formation of a Minnesota health insurance exchange. Energy costs remain a priority as we will continue to lobby for cost based rates and the inclusion of nuclear and coal based power as future sources of generation in Minnesota.

We also want your input on tax reform. While our immediate priority is on the spending side of the budget, many believe we must also look at how the government generates revenue. Provide your input on the possibility of tax reform in Minnesota and how we can establish a more competitive, stable and certain source of revenue moving forward.

Please join us!