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Legislative Priorities

This agenda is shaped through a comprehensive and collaborative process that includes direct input from Chamber members, industry leaders, community partners, and policy advisors across both states. This engagement ensures our priorities accurately reflect the opportunities and challenges facing employers throughout the Bristol region. Member insights guide our advocacy and help define a policy platform that strengthens economic vitality, supports workforce readiness, and promotes long-term growth.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

To ensure economic growth and vitality, the Bristol TN/VA Chamber of Commerce supports the long standing Right to Work policy of VA and TN. Right to Work laws provide VA and TN employees with the opportunity to choose whether they want to organize, thereby empowering employees to make their own determination.

  • Encourage policy efforts to enhance the growth of IT related industries and advanced manufacturing to strengthen the business climate and stimulate diversification
  • Promote a progressive environment for successful economic development that expands our economy to maintain top rankings as the best area in the nation to start, expand, or relocate a business.
  • Promote policies that help the region create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship to foster economic wealth and growth.
  • Promote efforts that identify and enhance innovative economic opportunities and minimize challenges to improve the economic prosperity for SWVA and NETN.

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing activity produces significant economic benefits. We support proposals to continue growing Virginia and Tennessee’s strong manufacturing sector. Efforts to onshore, reshore, upskill, and modernize manufacturing in Virginia and Tennessee should be promoted.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP / INNOVATION

Advance entrepreneurship and start-up growth by expanding access to early-stage capital, streamlining regulations, strengthening technical assistance for founders and creating innovation pilot programs that allow emerging technologies to be tested and scaled.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

  • Support the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) by modernizing government services, improving business productivity and advancing workforce readiness through ethical, transparent and secure AI use.
  • Promote cohesive regulatory frameworks, strengthen data privacy protection and expand education and training - from K-12 through higher education and incumbent worker programs - to ensure employers, employees and students are prepared to succeed in an AI-enabled economy.

WORKFORCE, EDUCATION & CHILDCARE

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

  • Promote affordable talent pathways for in-demand jobs through internships, apprenticeships, credentialing, and other work-based learning opportunities
  • Advocate for workforce opportunities and removal of barriers for all, including justice-involved individuals, people with disabilities and individuals in recovery
  • Encourage intentional collaboration between industry, government and educational institutions on all workforce initiatives

EDUCATION

Recognize the importance of both traditional public and private education, support and promote higher education (4 year, community college, technical/certificate programs and skilled labor training) to make it more accessible and affordable, and advocate for adequate funding of K-12 education, teacher salaries, and high-quality early childhood development programs to build a strong foundation from the beginning.

CHILDCARE

Encourage policies and strategies that support access to high-quality, affordable early learning and childcare for families, essential for a thriving economy.

BUSINESS CLIMATE

ENVIRONMENTAL

Encourage the adoption of reasonable standards which protect the environment and foster business and industrial growth.

LEGAL & REGULATORY CLIMATE

  • Firmly support the concept of local control and the principle that all branches of state government should focus their efforts on issues with statewide implications.
  • Recognize the need for smart regulations to ensure workplace safety and protect public health, but support a regulatory system that is fair for everyone and evaluates the impact new regulations will have on jobs and small businesses.
  • Strongly support the individual’s right to “Employment at Will” while receiving fair and equal compensation for work performed.
  • Specific pay and benefit decisions should be left to individual companies without mandates from the state/federal government; well defined and fair State/Federal programs including Unemployment Compensation, Workers Compensation, and Federal Minimum Wage should be administered ensuring states remain competitive in the economic development area.
  • Advocate for more streamlined and efficient permitting processes to position Virginia and Tennessee to be more competitive in the global economy.

TAX

  • Committed to pro-growth, pro-job tax policies at both the local and state level to preserve our states’ competitiveness while opposing narrow business taxes which impose excessive burdens on specific industries or individuals.
  • Support approaches that improve Virginia and Tennessee’s business tax climate index rankings.

INFRASTRUCTURE: ADEQUATE & RELIABLE FUNDING

TRANSPORTATION

  • Support the expansion of AMTRAK to and through Bristol, supporting funding and planning efforts to develop this expansion. Promote the connectivity of VA and TN in Bristol as a critical development for passenger rail along the entire eastern seaboard.
  • Support the reliable funding of a safe and efficient transportation system that effectively moves people and goods and fosters economic growth for a competitive economy while recognizing that new forms of revenue, increases in revenue, and elimination of wasteful spending may be needed to provide this funding.

BROADBAND, HOUSING & UTILITIES

  • Support investments in our state’s broadband, airport, electricity, transit and housing infrastructure to meet current and future demands and enhance resiliency, and advocate for legislation that streamlines processes to be more efficient and business friendly.
  • Address affordability across all income levels and all housing types by expanding and preserving the existing housing supply.
  • Providing adequate water/wastewater infrastructure is paramount to the continued success of our region. Extending public water supply to areas that are currently underserved will allow for the development of new areas for affordable housing.

ENERGY

Strengthen energy security by modernizing the electric grid through a balanced and diverse energy portfolio, expedited infrastructure development, expanded baseload generation, advanced storage solutions and resilient systems that ensure reliable, affordable and uninterrupted power for our growing economy.

HEALTHCARE: GOOD HEALTH IS GOOD BUSINESS

  • Prioritize access & affordability
  • Support reforms that lead to more value-based, quality-focused and coordinated care.
  • Advocate for innovative solutions to expand healthcare coverage that reduce healthcare costs for Virginia and Tennessee’s business community
  • Advocate for growth in the healthcare talent supply
  • Support regulatory mechanism to control costs, restrict duplicative services and protect safety net providers.
  • Support increasing access to behavioral health care (including community-based care), improving quality, expanding crisis care, growing the behavioral health workforce and addressing the needs of our most vulnerable.
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