Governor Dayton and legislative leadership chose the path of doing business as usual.

Despite our efforts to prioritize, reform and redesign operations and services, the result is more government at higher cost.

We can do better!

Click Here for more information about the results of the 2013 Legislative Session.

WHY 2013

Commentary: Leveling the playing field for Main Street retailers

Posted: 2:32 pm Mon, May 13, 2013
By Sen. Al Franken and Michael NorbyFinance and Commerce
Tags: Al Franken, Amazon tax, Marketplace Fairness Act, Michael Norby, online sales tax
2:32 pm Mon, May 13, 2013

Al Franken

Editor’s note: Al Franken represents Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. Michael Norby is president of Norby’s Department Store in Detroit Lakes. The opinions expressed in this guest column are those of the authors.

One of us — Michael Norby — is a conservative businessman from Detroit Lakes. The other — Al Franken — is a Democratic U.S. senator representing Minnesota. While we may not agree on everything, we both believe that businesses in Minnesota and across the country should be able to compete on a level playing field.

In Minnesota, the retail industry supports almost 800,000 workers — more than one in four jobs in our great state. That includes huge retailers like Target and Best Buy, but also much smaller Main Street businesses that serve as the economic backbone of their local communities. All of these retailers — big and small alike — need to compete on price, and on service, every single day.

Click here to read the full article

Here is the position we have taken:

Before the Minnesota Legislature asks for one more cent from taxpayers, they need to go line-by-line through Minnesota’s budget to ensure that it’s as effective and efficient as possible. We should not raise taxes until we have cut out the waste.

Rather than increasing taxes and spending by more than $2 billion, our elected officials should focus on spending existing revenue better.

Local business leaders, Gordy Adamek -Mercury MN, Trevor Putrah-KGP Logistics, and Jay Valentyn-Cedar Lake Electric increased the VOLUME of the VOICE OF BUSINESS, by participating in this campaign.

Click here to see what Gordy, Jay and Trevor  have to say about the cost of doing business in Minnesota!

http://unitedforjobsmn.com/testimonials/

Time is running out!    Contact our elected officials this weekend.

Senator Jensen – Saturday, May 11 – 1pm-2pm – The Coffee Shop – 313 Central Avenue N., Faribault

Vicki Jensen   (651) 296-9457    sen.vicki.jensen@senate.mn     Home #  (507) 456-8165

Representative Fritz   (requested an opportunity to meet with her over the weekend – will alert you if we get an appointment)

Patti Fritz   (651) 296-8237     rep.patti.fritz@house.mn    home # (507) 332-8143)

Here is a brief update provided by the Chamber Federation and MN Chamber:

Tax proposals:  Historic and out of this world.   The cumulative effect is detrimental to business survival – and certainly will challenge our efforts to support growth and prosperity.

Minimum Wage:  The House bill raises the minimum wage, by 2015, for large employers (gross sales over 500,000) to $9.50 an hour and for small employers to $8.50 an hour.  After 2016, the wage will be adjusted higher by the Consumer Price Index.  It also requires overtime pay on all work over 40 hours, rather than current law which is 48 hours.  The Senate bill raises the minimum wage to $7.75 an hour by 2015, and small businesses continue to pay $5.25 an hour.  Our position has been to support federal conformity, $7.25 an hour, so we prefer the Senate bill.  We’d like to see the overtime requirement remain at 48 hours.

Education:  With all the talk about workforce, we’re incredibly disheartened that the Legislature is moving the wrong direction.  There are proposals to delay teacher evaluation and eliminate graduation requirements.  These provisions erode quality.  The Legislature is also considering re-introducing the general Education levy.

Energy: Mandates, cross subsidies, higher costs and less reliability will be the result if the omnibus energy bills are passed.  Please remind your legislators that Minnesota is losing its competitive edge on energy costs.

Health Care Costs:  In addition to the cost increases businesses can expect from the Affordable Care Act, and the health care exchange, there are provisions under consideration that will further increase costs.

MA surcharge: Part of the House HHS Omnibus Bill, the Medical Assistance (MA) Surcharge alters the way the state reimburses providers for Medicaid and generates more than $40 million in revenue for the state.  The surcharge also creates winners and losers.

HMO Surcharge: The Senate HHS Omnibus Bill contains an $80 million surcharge on HMOs that will be passed along to fully-insured consumers—individuals and small businesses.  This $80 million premium tax comes on top of an up to 1.5 percent exchange premium tax in 2014 and up to 3.5 percent exchange premium tax in 2015, a nearly 2 percent federal premium tax under the ACA, and a 3 percent MCHA assessment in the coming year.

I apologize for all the bad news.  Please contact legislators this week.  It will make a difference.

Kymn Anderson,  President

Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism

The effective VOICE OF BUSINESS promoting growth and prosperity!

507-334-4381

kymn@faribaultmn.org

Normal day to day function for each of us requires many changes.  As humans we go through normal changes every day.  Just look in the mirror!  Yet, changes seem to be a daily challenge for us.  Challenges such as a new neighbor, a new business opening, an old business closing, family change and work change, rock our seemingly normal world.   But there is a solution for businesses as they face these challenges.

Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce is there for business’s facing adversity, those dealing with external or internal change.  The Chamber of Commerce has a myriad of tools for a business chamber member to use as they deal with internal or external change.  BUSINESS ADVOCATES represents businesses at the local, state and federal level.  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT works in cooperation with education providers to meet workforce needs.  AMBASSADORS are the positive face of the Chamber and help with recruiting and retention of members.  TOURISM fulfills the need to promote and market Faribault and the surrounding area to visitors.  Y-PRO is group that targets Young Professionals and offers the tools to advance their careers.  AGRI-BUSINESS helps delineate the ties of Ag to the community.  This group has organized and provided 3^rd graders in Faribault and Medford the opportunity to have a farmer come into their classroom and talk about agriculture.  Each class has also had the opportunity to visit a surrounding farm to achieve a personal experience for the 3^rd graders.  This group also hosts the “Best of the Best in Ag” at the Rice County Fair.  If you know of someone that you think qualifies for this award, stop into the chamber for more information or call 334-4381.  The “I DID IT” program, collaboration with District One Hospital, is ramping up and I encourage everyone to participate.  Again call the Chamber for more information: 334-4381. 

I have shared just a select few of the opportunities available through your membership.  The value of a chamber membership is driven by your involvement.  CHANGE can bring many new opportunities to our NORMAL day! Change it up and become involved.  Dr. Maya Angelou once said: “You shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. 

Kim

Halvorson Farms  & Bio Wood Processing, LLC

More photos from the event:

Business Gives Honorees:

Special Events Committee – Faribault Chamber:

To the Editor,

My company MRG Tool and Die in Faribault was founded in 1979. We currently have 69 employees and 63,000 square feet. Four of our five children work in the business and intend to carry it on. We have worked hard and have been able to maintain the company through the previous recessions, the same as this one, with responsible fiscal policy.

© 2013 Southernminn.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

Tax Day has come and gone. Big tax checks have been written and if Governor Dayton and the Legislature get their way, next year’s checks will be even bigger with little or no increase in the value received for your hard-earned tax dollar. The cost of running state government is mounting, and there appears to be no relief on the horizon.

We are trying to bring some reality to the debates inside the Capitol, and we could really use your help.  Please join the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce in calling on elected officials to spend our hard-earned tax dollars more efficiently and to not raise taxes irresponsibly. You can help reinforce the message through a new, broad-based coalition, United for Jobs – www.unitedforjobsmn.com

One of the best barometers of tax burdens is Tax Freedom Day, the day calculated by the Tax Foundation when Americans have earned enough money to pay off their total tax bill for the year. For 2013, Minnesota taxpayers had to work until April 23 to pay their total tax bill. That is the seventh latest date among all states.

Rest assured, I am an optimistic person. But I am also honest: The prospects for improving our ranking are slim to none under the current tax and spending proposals at the Capitol.

What is puzzling to me is that the economy is growing at a rate of 2 percent and we have a projected SURPLUS of nearly $800 million for 2016-17! Yet lawmakers want to increase spending by 7 percent. The Minnesota House is considering legislation that raises $2.65 billion in new taxes. The Senate is proposing legislation that raises $2 billion in new taxes. The Governor’s proposed budget raises $1.8 billion in new taxes. It’s reasonable to ask: When will it ever be enough?

We can do better. The first step is to focus on efficient and effective spending that addresses statewide priorities. Raising taxes to the tune of $2 billion is wasteful. Government needs to go through the budget line by line. That’s the reasonable approach, and it’s practiced every day by businesses and families.

There are opportunities to slow the growth of state spending and still serve the needs of Minnesotans through reform, realignment and review. For example:

Reform duplication of Medicaid enrollment services by using the new health insurance exchange in place of county services.  Counties administer Medicaid now and may continue in the future as certified assistors. Even if total enrollment increases, counties will have less responsibility due to the exchange. The state should reduce county funding accordingly and where possible, compensate counties with federal funds.

Realign public-sector health care benefits with private-sector benefits: The state currently pays 100% of individual coverage and 85% of dependent coverage for state employees. Ask state employees to contribute more as employees in the private sector have done for years. Empower them as consumers with “defined contribution” health care plans.

Review economic development programs: Minnesota spent more than $112 million in state and local funds on economic development in 2012. These efforts should be coordinated and their performance measured. Duplicative or ineffective funding should be redirected.

The naysayers will say this is all about politics. That’s nonsense. This is about facts and math. We simply are asking legislators to consider the consequences of raising taxes that virtually every other state has rejected because they kill jobs and send businesses to other states.

Please visit the United for Jobs website to find out how you can help. The best story is your story and we need you to share it with your elected officials. The best Minnesota budget policy is one that focuses on spending better, not just spending more.

David Olson is president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce – www.mnchamber.com.

At Farmers Seed, we have depended on the Chamber and local community to support our business throughout our 125 years. Whether we are having an event or are in need of business advocacy, we know that we will have Chamber support and assistance available to us. We are lucky to have such a great resource.

Greg Mews and Becky Richie    Farmers Seed and Nursery

Celebrating 125 years

•  Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
•  Seven Rules for Sustainable  Communities
•  Seven Steps to Mastering  Business Analysis
•  Seven Choices for Success and Significance
•  Seven Languages in Seven Weeks
•  Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
•  Seven Minute Solution

Whew!  My caution barometer rises seven times seven just reading the list.  So, let’s consider an alternative number.  One.  What if it only took one thing to achieve betterment of self and others? Wouldn’t you embrace the concept?  Then here it is.  Here’s the one thing you can do to make yourself, your business, your community, better in just about every way.

Get connected!

Set aside your self-help books and get connected through the Chamber of  Commerce.  The Chamber offers its members fourteen avenues of interest, for making a difference, with a multitude of opportunities branching from each.  Choose one and begin making the difference happen.
Enhanced by incredible social networking resources, engaging in meaningful business and professional relationships both face-to-face and online engenders a strong sense of self, empowering a team effort that ripples to the entire community.
Connect with fellow entrepreneurs, owners and managers in small businesses and large companies to build on each other’s expertise and experiences.
The Chamber’s list of possibilities is sure to meet with one of your interests.

Are you a political pundit?  Consider the Business Advocates committee, relating to all government at all levels, representing businesses individually and collectively.
Does advancing the relationships between farm production and community business leaders inspire you?  The Agribusiness committee, hosting agricultural programs, farm tours, and educational programming for the grade schools, may be for you.

Are you between the ages of 21 and 39 and looking to make contacts to promote your career?  Join Y-Pro!  This young professionals committee is currently busy planning exciting and progressive events for 2013.
And the list continues:  Main Street, GROW Faribault, Workforce, Tourism, Mural Society, Faribault’s Future, HR Peer Groups, Shop Local, Executive Dialogues, Ambassadors, Special Events.

If you’re a current Chamber member, I encourage you to chose one program and
explore your potential for personal growth.  Witness first-hand the amazing ways other connected members bring about positive changes in our community.  Realize the contributions you can offer. If you’re not yet a member, I invite you to become one, and support these program efforts by your membership.

This year’s Chamber theme, the Voice of Business, calls us to increase the volume of our collective voice.  One thing can make a difference:  YOU.