Governor Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature convened this year with a common focus on jobs. For some, jobs meant passage of a bonding bill and Vikings stadium. The Minnesota Chamber pursued a broader agenda to improve the business climate for all employers and employees in our state. The Minnesota Chamber delivered on several fronts – advancing pro-jobs legislation as well as blocking bills that would increase the cost of doing business in Minnesota. That said, the 2012 session was not without its disappointments, too.

On a positive note, many of our priorities passed the Legislature. Much to our displeasure, however, the Governor either vetoed or blocked key measures important to job creation. That’s disconcerting as these public policy initiatives are essential if Minnesota employers are to compete in today’s global economy. Strengthening the business environment will improve the lives of all Minnesotans.

The dominance of the stadium debate certainly added to the challenges of the session. Though the stadium was not one of our top priorities, we believe the Vikings are an important statewide asset that we need to keep. It was important to resolve this issue now so we can focus on next year’s projected budget deficit, tax reform, workforce development and alignment, and other priorities of the statewide business community.

This Jobs Scorecard is a brief overview of the role that pro-business lawmakers played in advancing your priorities and blocking many “anti-jobs” proposals. We hope our members will use it as a guide for their post-session and pre-election conversations with their legislators. As has been our tradition, the Minnesota Chamber will be publishing and sharing a more detailed Voting Record in the weeks ahead. Our immediate priority is the November 2012 elections; we must maintain our pro-business majorities in the Legislature.

For a link to the Jobs Scorecard, click on http://www.mnchamber.com/priorities/JobsScorecard_2012.pdf