K-12 education reforms and pro-growth tax reform policies are among the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s top five priorities for the upcoming 2017 legislative session that begins on April 10.
BRAC released its legislative priorities this morning, saying they fit into three broad areas: The economy, transportation infrastructure and education and workforce.
Along with education and tax reform, BRAC wants the Legislature to secure transportation funding for the Capital Region, defend the state’s economic development toolkit and improve strategies for innovation and economic diversification. The chamber is opposed to the dismantling of education standards as well as the state’s accountability system.
“We consider our legislative priorities as necessary to maintain and build upon the economic development momentum the Capital Region has experienced for the last several years,” BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp says in a statement. “But more specifically, our investors have consistently cited traffic congestion as the largest obstacle to business growth, and for that reason we cannot miss out on this opportunity to increase our investment in transportation infrastructure.”
BRAC says it will continue to push for more funding to solve Capital Region’s transportation issues and that securing dollars for a new bridge over the Mississippi River is a high priority.
A transportation funding bill must also protect new revenue by preventing transportation dollars from being diverted to non-transportation uses or additional agency administrative costs, the chamber says.
