The Salt Lake Chamber has introduced its priorities for the 2020 Utah legislative session that begins this week in Salt Lake City. The announcement was made at the chamber’s Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit. The chamber partnered with the the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to host the summit at the Salt Lake Marriott Hotel.
Chief among the priorities the chamber will pursue is sustaining the business and economic environment that places Utah among the top of America’s best-performing states, strengthening education funding and outcomes, supporting the state’s workforce, closing the housing gap, building transportation infrastructure and investing in diverse energy and environmental quality.
“The chamber’s legislative priorities are all about enabling businesses to succeed and creating an environment where our workforce and their families want to live,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance. “We are committed to a bright future. Through partnerships and collaboration between our business community, government and community organizations, we will continue to grow in a way that will preserve Utah as the best state in America to live and work for the next 20 years.”
In releasing the 2020 legislative priorities, Jacey Skinner, the chamber’s general counsel and executive vice president of public policy, moderated a panel with House Speaker Brad Wilson; Senate President Stuart Adams; Executive Appropriations Committee co-chair Sen. Jerry Stevenson; Majority Assistant Whip Rep. Val Peterson; and managing director of The Cynosure Group, Spencer Eccles, to discuss the chamber’s priorities in relation to other major issues facing the Legislature this next session.
Skinner expressed appreciation for the policymakers and business leaders who have worked together to create one of America’s strongest economies. “We appreciate your leadership,” she told members of the panel. “During a period of unprecedented growth, legislative leaders, together with Gov. [Gary] Herbert, have maintained a focus on our economy and business community that has allowed us to sustain that growth in a positive way. We look forward to working with you during this year, and the next 20 years to plan for and sustain this focus and success.”
A complete copy of the legislative priorities guide can be found on the chamber’s website.