Public Policy
River Heights Chamber General Policies & Policy Positions
General Policies
The River Heights Chamber of Commerce seeks to safeguard the privacy of our website users. By accessing this website, you agree to the policies as posted herein. Your payment and personal information are always safe. The software used by our credit card processor is the industry standard and among the best software available today for secure commerce transactions.
Consumer Data Privacy Policy
The River Heights Chamber respects our website visitors’ right to privacy online. We will not sell or rent personal information to other companies for use in selling products or services. This chamber uses the information for general purposes such as fulfilling your requests for publications and providing anonymous reporting for internal and external purposes.
We may communicate with website visitors via e-mail or other online delivery devices only if the website visitor agrees to receive those communications.
Visitors who believe they are receiving our communications in error, or no longer desire to receive them, should inform us and we will remove those names from our mailing lists. Visitors may also unsubscribe from any chamber email communications at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link on specific email communications.
Refund Policy:
Membership Dues: Payment of membership dues is due at the time of application or at the beginning of your renewal year. Dues are considered non-refundable.
Event Attendance: Registration fees to attend events where a meal and/or materials are to be provided will be refunded if cancellation is received 72 hours in advance and during normal business hours.
Sponsorship/Advertising: The chamber does not offer refunds on any sponsorship or advertising.
Shipping Policy: There is no shipping method as the nature of our sales are for services rendered, not tangible products; however, in the rare case of a tangible product sold, the chamber will advise the purchaser in advance of applicable shipping costs.
2020 Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Federation Priorities adopted by the River Heights Chamber of Commerce:
Local chambers represent economic vitality in their communities. The Minnesota Chamber Federation unites and amplifies the voice of the River Heights Chamber of Commerce by advocating for policies to advance business in every corner of the state. Federation partners represent more than 43 communities and more than 21,000 businesses. They have worked to promote pro-growth policies to the Legislature for more than a decade, helping ensure that state lawmakers understand the needs and interests of Minnesota’s diverse and successful local business community.
The River Heights Chamber of Commerce prides itself on being the watchdog for the local business community. The 2020 River Heights Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors reviewed and adopted the following legislative priorities set forth by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Federation for the 2020 legislative session.
Federation Priorities: 2020 Legislative Session
Workplace Management
We are committed to providing the best workplaces for employees. This includes sharing employers’ best practices so all businesses are aware of effective approaches to maintaining progressive workplaces to retain and compete for the best employees. Employers adhere to strict labor laws and workplace standards at the state and federal levels to maintain safe, healthy, respectful and inclusive workplaces. They must have flexibility to make staffing decisions and provide appropriate wages, benefits and schedules for their workplace and industry.
We oppose “one size fits all” state mandates that limit employers’ ability to design competitive benefit packages for their employees.
Minnesota has 853 cities and 87 counties. When local-level government bodies pass workplace mandates, it creates an administrative nightmare for employers and could cause unintentional errors subjecting businesses to legal action.
We support state legislation that explicitly prohibits local government labor mandates.
As new laws and regulations are imposed on Minnesota’s employers, enacting technical changes can create onerous compliance concerns.
We will pursue modifications to the 2019 wage theft law that has far-reaching, overly complicated requirements for employers.
Tax Competitiveness
Minnesota’s high taxes continue to rank as a top barrier to economic growth, according to chamber members.
Business taxes are among the highest in the nation in many categories. High taxes negatively impact innovation, entrepreneurship, talent recruitment and investment – the very catalysts needed to foster economic growth. The Minnesota Chamber Federation has a broad tax reform agenda including business property tax relief, personal and corporate rate reductions, estate tax federal conformity and enhancement of the research and development tax credit.
We support tax relief for businesses that pay taxes through their personal tax returns and adopting federal conformity with Section 179 business expensing rules.
Environmental Sustainability
We recognize the scientific consensus that the climate is changing due to human activity. Environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness, if done right, are not mutually exclusive.
We encourage the Legislature to recognize that state policies could result in disruption or discontinuation of business operations in Minnesota, considerably affect state and
local economies, and may only marginally impact global environmental progress.
We support state policymakers pursuing policies that collectively enable a cleaner environment, recognize technological and economic limitations, consider implications to
safety and reliability, support and advance innovation, maintain a secure economy and protect jobs.
We support environmental policies that drive private investment in Minnesota while helping employers reduce environmental impacts.
Health Care
Minnesota already requires health insurance policies to cover more than 60 benefits – one of the longest lists of required benefits in the country. Large employers tend to insure their workers under federal law. As a result, these state mandates negatively impact small employers. Research shows the average mandate increases premiums by .44% to 1.11% annually.
We support requiring a cost-benefit analysis before any proposal to add insurance mandates to state law.
Education and Workforce Development
Minnesota’s education and workforce development efforts must align with employer needs, for our skilled workforce to continue to be a cornerstone of our competitive business climate. Systemic reforms are necessary to raise all student achievement, ensuring every high school graduate is ready for postsecondary education or a career.
We support private-sector initiatives to increase employer engagement in the training of workers in addition to supporting policies that ensure student readiness. Local chambers’ private-sector led “Business Education Network” is connecting employers, students and learning institutions to local job opportunities and needed academic and training preparation for those jobs.
Students are better prepared for the future when they make meaningful career connections during their school years. Postsecondary and dual-credit programs provide high school students with credit toward certificates and degrees from high schools, two-year colleges, and four-year universities, and should be promoted.
We support fostering and encouraging career exploration and hands-on training opportunities for students.
Postsecondary institutions and workforce programs should track and adapt to changes in the labor market and workforce needs. Access to work-based learning and career pathway resources should be expanded with data-driven efforts including workforce supply and demand projections.
We support using data to better understand training needs and high-demand careers. Transparency and accessibility improvements should be made to allow students to make informed decisions on the institutions and programs that best fit their needs.
