Government Affairs

Legislative Agenda & Priorities

2011 Legislative Priorities

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce supports the following 2010 legislative priorities to promote an environment in which business can develop, grow and prosper:

Economic Development

Establish a 150-day maximum goal for issuing permits at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources. A similar guideline is in place at the Department of Agriculture.
Require that the appeal of an environmental review decision be brought directly to the Court of Appeals not the District Court.
Eliminate the corporate income tax. Research shows that high tax rates have negative effects on investment, entrepreneurial activity and productivity.
Require that any state tax increase incorporate a sunset requirement.
Support the right of Rochester citizens to vote to extend Rochester’s local option sales tax. The tax would be used to fund higher education, transportation and economic development all of which will the region.
Eliminate the provider tax. Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center currently pay millions of dollars per year in provider taxes. This affects Minnesota healthcare organizations’ ability to compete nationally.

Education & Workforce Development

Require that students are reading at required grade-level by the time they leave third grade.
Create alternative pathways to achieve teaching licensure.
Reinstate the math GRAD requirement for high school graduation.

Energy

Eliminate the ban on consideration of additional nuclear power plants and coal distribution.
Increase the base load energy supply in SE Minnesota. Where new generation of energy is needed to continue economic growth, permit generation and distribution of electricity from a variety of fuel sources, technologies and power producers as long as there is no reduction in reliability and the retail price is competitive.

Fiscal Policy

Adopt the following to create more effective and efficient public-sector spending:
- Ensure public employee compensation and benefits closely align with the private sector.
- Eliminate automatic budget increases for state departments.
- Eliminate maintenance of effort requirements and unfunded mandates for local governments.
- Encourage local bodies of government to create more efficient and effective programs with the same amount or less resources.

Health Care

Reward doctors and hospitals for value rather than volume of services provided. Our health care system should pay based on results and outcomes, not just the number of procedures performed.
Oppose an increase in the hospital Medicaid surcharge to finance health care programs.
Oppose state mandatory hospital nursing staffing ratios.
Eliminate or reduce ineffective or unnecessary mandates.
Require analysis of health and human service programs to result in increased efficiency and effectiveness.

Transportation

Support a Rochester to Twin Cities High Speed Passenger Rail Corridor as identified in MNDOT’s Comprehensive Statewide Freight & Passenger Rail Plan.

Staff Contact: Julie Fiesel

Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce | 220 South Broadway, Suite 100 | Rochester, MN 55904

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