Legislative Issues

Dakota County Regional Chamber Legislative Issues

The following policies remain our priorities for the upcoming Legislative Session. Additional policies will be added as they are approved by the Board of Directors.

 

No to EFCA: Protect Secret Ballot Elections for America's Workers
Union leaders want to change the rules of how unions are recognized by encouraging legislators to do away with the proven practice of holding free and fair secret ballot elections.

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would undermine long standing principles of workplace democracy and fairness and result in employees having less ability to determine if they wish to be represented by a union. It does so by allowing unions to collect employee signatures in public-or so-called "card check"-and do away with the secret ballot process.

While EFCA is being promoted by organized labor as labor law reform to level the playing field, it does not represent "reform" in any sense of the word. Rather, the legislation will radically restructure 60 years of carefully crafted labor law balances that have served both unions and employers well for many decades.

Tell your Senators and Member of Congress to vote NO on the Employee Free Choice Act.

 

Broadband Policy

It is increasingly important for the employees of our largest employers to access and use the same applications in their homes that they use at the workplace. This is one of the reasons why we consider the availability of ultra high speed broadband service to the home to be an essential service. It is a key factor when businesses consider building or expansion of facilities. It is why DCR supported the creation of the Ultra High Speed Broadband Task Force. It makes sense for Minnesota. It makes sense for Dakota County. And it makes sense for small and home-based businesses, two important sectors of the DCR membership and strong Minnesota Economy.

Equal access at home and the office allows employers to offer alternate work schedules. From a transportation view, alternate work schedules take cars of the road as well as diminish peak traffic loads on our overtaxed infrastructure. Futhermore, as elder and child care continue to be a challenge for many, alternate work schedules permit needed flexibility. This translates into a better workplace for employees, helps businesses attract the best and brightest and saves businesses money through increased employee retention.

Read the entire Broadband Policy

 

Robert Street Corridor

The Robert Street Corridor is defined by a corridor that extends from Downtown St Paul to the City of Farmington on the south and is bounded by highway 35 E on the west and the Mississippi River on the east. It includes the cities of Saint Paul, West St. Paul, South St. Paul, Lilydale, Sunfish Lake, Inver Grove Heights, and portions of Mendota, Mendota Heights, Rosemount, and Eagan. We believe that Farmington and adjoining townships should also be included in the corridor.

Projected population increases indicate that transportation congestion will increase incrementally in the next 20 years, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation has no highway expansion planned in the corridor before the year 2025.

The Robert Street study results will indentify existing and future transit and transportation issues and opportunities, costs, benefits, and impacts of potential transit alternatives that may provide remedies for mobility issues identified within the corridor. The results are expected in May 2008. A technical advisory committee and a steering committee have been established notably with little business input or membership. It is important going forward that the business take a leadership role in promoting and developing the Robert Street Corridor.

It is clear that the potential for the Robert Street Corridor and the selected alternative transit options, will have significant impact on the economic development within the

Dakota County region. The business community will play a critical role in the process of determining the successful funding and development of the corridor.

Understanding that this project will span a decade or two, it is imperative that the businesses community through chambers of commerce in the region be actively involved as a coalition to advocate for the funding and development of the Robert Street Corridor in Dakota County.

The entire policy will be available soon.

 

Health Care

The DCR Chamber supports numerous reforms on the insurance side of health care. A functioning individual insurance market would provide employers with a choice of offering specific insurance programs for their employees to help with recruitment and retention of employees, or help employees purchase coverage in the individual market through compensation and administrative supports.

The Chamber supports: Comparable insurance coverage and tax fairness for individuals; Reforming the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association, the state high-risk pool through a variety of reforms; Mandatory quality reporting by health plans using a common tool; Reviewing mandated benefits and other regulatory requirements; Reforming medical malpractice laws; Identifying and prioritizing opportunities to eliminate inefficient administrative functions that add costs but do not support competition; and Eliminating regulatory requirements that discourage insurance products innovations and delivery.

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Minnesota Chamber Federation

The DCR Chamber is a part of the Minnesota Chamber Federation and has endorsed the following broad policy statements on five priority areas.

Health Care

Make health care more affordable and higher quality. We advocate policies that will create a functioning health care market.

State Budget: Living Within Our Means

Ensure that government lives within existing general fund tax revenues.

Transportation Funding

Advance reforms for the funding formula and efficiencies in delivery of transportation projects.

Workers' Compensation

Develop consensus legislation to address rising medical costs in the workers' compensation system.

Energy

Eliminate Minnesota's ban on new nuclear power plants as one means of reducing green house gas emissions.

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2008 Legislative Session Results

See a summary of business related priorities

 

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