“Creating Community Connections and Growing Businesses”
STATE AGENDA 2025
Creating Community Connections and Growing Businesses
OBJECTIVES
To help facilitate business success in the City of Madison
To overcome barriers for future economic development
To be a positive catalyst for our future workforce
To advocate on the state and local level for business owners
Each policy objective is placed in one of the following categories:
L - Local | S - State
*Note – Each objective may be placed in one or both categories
INFRASTRUCTURE
S - The Chamber supports a dedicated state funding mechanism for the improvement of local infrastructure.
L - The Chamber encourages municipal support of equitable and comprehensive public transportation.
S - The Chamber supports the expansion and improvement of equitable and reliable broadband connectivity across Madison to promote increased economic development, higher economic mobility, and improved quality of life for residents.
SL - The Chamber supports adequate, equitable, and responsible investments in local development and infrastructure improvements that will improve Madison roads and bridges without adversely impacting quality of life.
SL - The Chamber supports continued transparency in operations of the Planning Commission and efforts to improve working relations among local government, state legislators, state Departments of Transportation, and the private sector in support of identified priority transportation projects in the region.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
S - The Chamber supports continued efforts toward the state’s incentive program to assist in retaining, recruiting, and attracting both new and existing industries and businesses in Madison.
S - The Chamber supports efforts to increase the transparency of the state’s incentive program, such as the Transparency in Initiatives Act.
S - The Chamber supports policies and funding to encourage small business development, entrepreneurship, and business lending programs throughout Alabama.
L - The Chamber supports existing economic development agencies, including but not limited to TARCOG and other regional partners that focus on economic development in North Alabama.
SL - The Chamber supports ensuring a healthy and thriving economy through efforts to recruit large-scale advanced manufacturing companies to the city of Madison and Madison/Limestone counties.
WORKFORCE
S - The Chamber supports the Alabama Childcare Coalition’s efforts to promote and enhance a star-based quality system and to advocate for subsidies, so childcare centers can make the necessary improvements to meet higher standards.
S - The Chamber encourages the state legislature to enact tax credits for businesses that provide childcare benefits to their employees.
S - The Chamber encourages the Madison County legislative delegation to enact state funding for projects and programs that will provide the highest standards of education for students in Madison. These include but are not limited to: pre-employment classes to equip students with technical skills, auto shop classes, additional funding for arts education, and funding to establish full career centers in Madison City high schools to prepare Madison students for the future workforce.
S - The Chamber supports the continuance of funding for programs aimed at increasing the level of highly skilled, highly trained individuals.
BIOSCIENCE
• The Chamber supports collaborative and individual efforts of private companies, universities and research institutions, and businesses in North Alabama and the city of Madison to advance our country’s position as a world leader in Biosciences.
TAXES
STATE PUBLIC POLICY:
• The Chamber supports efforts to create a fair and simple tax structure in the state.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• The Chamber supports placing an emphasis on workforce development efforts to increase the number of trained and credentialed job candidates to support new and existing businesses in the city of Madison.
AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE
• The Chamber supports the continued growth and development of all federal agencies, including but not limited to: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal, and the FBI.
HEALTHCARE, HOSPITALITY, ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE
S - The Chamber encourages the state legislature to expand Medicaid coverage and utilize available federal funds to improve health outcomes for newly covered citizens and support Alabama’s rural hospitals.
S - The Chamber supports policy solutions to reduce or curb the increasing cost of prescription drug coverage and the burden that it poses to Alabama’s employers and employees.
S - The Chamber supports state funds to renovate and update state attractions and parks.
L - The Chamber supports that Huntsville/Madison County is on a Standard Rate (CONUS Rate) rather than establishing a local rate like other cities in the state of Alabama.
S - The Chamber supports federal and state funding for projects, initiatives, programs, and agencies that enhance all aspects of the quality of life for residents of the city of Madison.
SL - The Chamber supports growth, development and infrastructure processes that allow efficiency for businesses that do not cause undue environmental impact.
SL - The Chamber supports hospitality workforce development programs.
SL - The Chamber supports funding efforts to support mental health services in communities throughout North Alabama and additional funding for school counselors to provide mental health services for North Alabama students.
SL - The Chamber supports advocating for and adopting voluntary codes, policies, and guidelines that promote physical and mental health for people of all ages, abilities, and income.
EDUCATION
S - The Chamber supports state funding for high-quality early education opportunities (including head start, Pre-K, early education, professional development for personnel, etc.) with full funding for local authority in implementation.
S - The Chamber supports and encourages the state legislature to appropriate sufficient funding of summer programs to comply with the Literacy Act & the Numeracy Act for K-5 children who do not meet mathematics and reading benchmark requirements.
S - The Chamber supports and encourages the state legislature to lower the divisors for grades 4-8, so schools have smaller class sizes and pupils are afforded more personalized attention.
S - The Chamber supports the Business Education Alliance (BEA) and its mission of providing tools and training to prepare Alabama’s public school students for the 21st Century workforce.
S - The Chamber encourages the state legislature to revisit the allocation and division of the online sales tax, or simplified sellers use tax (SSUT), funds. The growth of the SSUT has exceeded expectations and has resulted in a drop in local sales tax, negatively affecting public school revenue.
SL - The Chamber supports any organization offering internships for high school and college students.
SL - The Chamber supports additional funding for Madison City Schools to accommodate an increasing number of pupils and growing demands on facilities from economic and development growth in North Alabama due to expansion of Redstone and other manufacturing developments.
EDUCATION (CONTINUED)
Prioritization of Public-School Funding: Before allocating funds to private institutions, the Chamber encourages lawmakers to support public schools and fully fund essential services and programs such as school transportation, EL teachers, health services, school safety officers, and mental health and special education resources.
Equity in Education: The Chamber believes that private schools receiving public funds should admit all students and comply with the same standards of accountability and transparency as public schools, including:
Uniform Standards and Assessments: Such schools should adhere to the Literacy and Numeracy Acts, participate in required standardized testing (ACAP, Pre-ACT, ACT), and meet the same graduation requirements as public schools.
Teacher and Curriculum Standards: They should follow the same teacher tenure laws, qualifications, and engage in a clearly explained curriculum and textbook adoption processes.
Participation in State Accountability Systems: Private schools must participate in state accountability systems, including NAEP, to provide transparency in educational outcomes and enable fair comparison with public schools.
MICHELLE EPLING President