Key Issues

Energy
American economic prosperity is closely tied to the availability of affordable, abundant, and clean energy supplies. If we continue to restrict domestic production and refuse to build new energy infrastructure, jobs will be shipped overseas and America will be less competitive. Energy demand in the United States could grow by as much as one-third between now and 2030 and growing at a faster rate around the globe.

Environmental issues-including global climate change-must be answered with commonsense solutions that harness technologies, promote economic growth, and achieve environmental benefits.

The Chamber believes that climate change should be addressed as part of an overall energy strategy that balances a number of issues, including sustaining a healthy economy.

• Efficiency: Encourage stronger action by energy consumers and producers to use fuel and power more efficiently by improving building designs and appliance standards and by improving our electricity and transportation infrastructure. 
• Technology: Encourage government and businesses to promote, investment in, and use new technologies that expand alternative energy and use traditional sources more efficiently and cleanly.
• Global Action: Encourage the United States to exert strong, inclusive global leadership to conclude a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol that emphasizes technology, efficiency, and flexibility and includes all greenhouse gas emitters.

Infrastructure
Electricity demand has increased by 25% since 1990, while construction of transmission facilities has decreased by 30% (U.S. Department of Energy). One third of the nation’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition (American Society for Civil Engineers), and one-fourth of our nation’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (Federal Highway Administration). Information traveling on our nation's information superhighway is expected to increase 50-fold by 2015, requiring broadband service providers to invest more than $100 billion in network infrastructure over the next five years (Progress & Freedom Foundation).  The Chamber endorses a strategic long-term strategy that will strengthen our competitiveness and benefit all Americans. 

Tax Reform
The Chamber endorses pro-growth tax policies that preserve America's global competitiveness.  We oppose tax increases that take money away from consumers and businesses that could have been invested in new technologies, products, equipment, and employees. Increasing the tax burden fundamentally undermines America's commitment to free enterprise.

Health Care
Skyrocketing health care costs are stifling the economy and financially devastating hardworking Americans.

A healthy workforce is the backbone of a strong economy, but spiraling health care costs curb the competitiveness of U.S. businesses and constrain tight family budgets. Unless we deal with this problem, more companies and families will be forced into dropping coverage.

A government-run or single-payer health care system with government mandates is the wrong answer to our health care problems. The Chamber believes that employers drive innovation in health benefits, thereby making market-driven health reforms the best approach to reducing costs, while promoting efficiency, wellness, and quality of care. To reignite and sustain economic growth, we must increase access to affordable health care coverage, improve efficiency, and realign the system to focus on keeping people healthy.

The Chamber encourages comprehensive reform of the current health care system that incorporates the following five main elements:

• Increased Access: Strengthen employer-sponsored health insurance and make it more available-and affordable-to every worker. We support leveling the playing field for individual consumers, families, and small businesses to purchase coverage while protecting the benefits of a uniform federal regulatory system (ERISA).
• Health Information Technology (IT): Promoting and ensuring widespread adoption of interoperable Health IT-including electronic prescriptions and use of computerized systems to store medical records-will improve quality, lower costs, reduce medical errors, and help patients and doctors make better medical decisions.
• Prevention and Wellness: Incentivizing individuals and businesses to live healthier lifestyles could avert millions of cases of chronic diseases and reduce health care costs.
• Consumer-Focused Health Care: Congress should make account-based plans more attractive to small businesses by increasing flexibility and improving the transparency of cost and quality data so that Americans can shop smart for the best care.
• Medical Liability Reform: The Chamber supports health courts and other medical liability reforms that ensure fair damage awards, eliminate frivolous lawsuits, and lower the costs of health care.

Labor

An emboldened labor movement is pushing an aggressive activist agenda that would impose new and costly regulations on businesses, disrupt the way businesses are run, and stifle the U.S. economy. This agenda is bad for U.S. competitiveness, bad for our economy, and bad for American workers.

The Chamber opposes the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as card check. This measure would do away with the fundamental democratic protection of private ballots in union organizing elections.  Card check would expose workers to union intimidation and put employers at the mercy of federally appointed arbitrators who would dictate their first union contracts if the employer didn't cave in to union demands within a government-imposed time limit.

The Chamber strongly supports the right of workers to voluntarily join unions under fair and democratic rules. We encourage efforts to work closely with unions on issues such as infrastructure, energy, and immigration.

Work Force

American companies can compete and win in a worldwide economy with well-educated and well-trained workers. The Chamber believes that the best foundation for a competitive economy starts with an education and training system that gives workers the skills they need for the jobs of the 21st Century.

 We endorse the following fundamental components:

• Changes to the way that educators are trained, paid and evaluated. Pay for performance and incentive pay should be the rule.
• The bureaucratic culture that stifles learning in too many public schools should be improved upon with a spirit of innovation through programs such as expanded learning time, early enrollment in high school settings for college-level courses, online learning programs, and increase alternative educational environments, i.e., charter schools.
• Lifetime learning and training of American workers will ensure a productive and successful workforce.
• Legislation that promises to double the number of graduating scientists and engineers within 10 years.

In addition America must have a comprehensive, rational, and balanced immigration policy that secures the borders, while welcoming legal immigrants who want to work towards the American dream and realistically addresses the undocumented workers already in the United States.

The Chamber supports the continued push for comprehensive national immigration reform that:

• increases security;
• has an earned pathway to legalization for undocumented workers already contributing to our economy, provided that they are law-abiding and prepared to embrace the obligations and values of our society; and
• creates a carefully monitored guest or essential worker programs to fill the growing gaps in America's workforce recognizing that, in some cases, permanent immigrants will be needed to fill these gaps; and refrains from unduly burdening employers with worker verification systems that are underfunded or unworkable.

The Chamber supports the continuity and expansion of H-1B, L-1, and EB visas for professionals and highly valued workers.

The Chamber supports reform measures that will reform the current system to enable seasonal and small businesses to continue to use the H-2B temporary visa.

The Chamber urges Congress and the administration to address delays, backlogs, and disruptions in our immigration and border management systems that impede the movement of legitimate cargo and travelers across U.S. borders.

Transportation

America’s transportation and infrastructure system has been stretched beyond its capacity and

has fallen into disrepair. A decaying transportation system costs our economy more than $78 billion annually in lost time and fuel. The Chamber advocates for a comprehensive approach to solving the nation's looming transportation infrastructure crisis. Specifically, the Chamber believes that a multi-modal and inter-modal vision must be a major component of any improved strategy  for the expressed outcome of increasing capacity, reducing congestion, reducing emissions and improving the efficient, safe and sustainable movement of goods and people throughout the country.