Our Legislative Agenda

1. We support state investment in infrastructure. Specifically, the state and local governments must invest in transportation systems that promote tourism and enable businesses to move people, goods, and products; education systems that improve our workforce; utility systems to support growth; and technology platforms that enable businesses to interact seamlessly with government.
2. We support legislation that recognizes the needs of both our growing communities and those that are economically challenged, and that both communities can exist within the same county.
3. We oppose unfunded mandates on local governments, including school systems, and the creation of programs without recurring funding.
4. We recognize that the current health insurance system is unaffordable for many small businesses and support efforts at all levels of government to address this burden on our small businesses.
5. Regulations on the business community must have a clearly articulated policy objective, be fairly enforced, and be a cost-effective means of achieving that objective.

• Address multi-faceted issues that restrict access to childcare for workers with programs such as:
  • Minimizing financial barriers to quality childcare by offering tax credits to businesses that support employee childcare, raising subsidy income limits to promote career growth, and adjusting subsidy rates to reflect actual childcare costs. Continue to provide stopgap funding to alleviate childcare workforce shortages and support families as long-term solutions are developed.
  • Developing and launching pilot programs that test innovative, scalable approaches to address the childcare shortage, creating models that meet community needs, and building a sustainable support system for working families.
• Enhance early childhood educational resources by offering additional tools and accessible online curricula, ensuring all children have the foundational skills needed to succeed in school and the future workforce.
• Support state and local planning and investment in school facilities and dual enrollment programs to strengthen workforce readiness by ensuring students have access to quality Career and Technical Education and dual enrollment opportunities. These initiatives equip students with advanced skills and knowledge, preparing them effectively for the demands of the local workforce.
• Encourage federal reforms to increase the availability of work visas, particularly H1B visas for highly trained individuals, focusing on sectors with labor shortages to boost economic growth. Strengthen the integrity of our immigration system, ensuring rigorous vetting and guarding against the displacement of American workers while avoiding the economic disruption of broad enforcement actions.

• Modernize transportation funding with a sustainable, sufficient revenue stream that ensures all road users pay their fair share of costs.
• Encourage fast-track permitting for future construction of water and wastewater treatment facilities, and support additional allocations for small-business openings and expansions.

• Revise the school report card system to recognize achievement, growth, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) credentialing so that businesses have a better understanding of the performance of their local schools. Specifically, we support a system that:
  • Focuses on growth in early grades.
  • Focuses on achievement in later grades.
  • Measures achievement through both tests and credentials earned through CTE concentrators.
• Support long-term solutions to promote the recruitment and retention of public school teachers.
• Support modernization of the Community College funding model to align investments with labor market needs, promote job training, and support enrollment growth as proposed by the Community College system through Propel NC.

• Provide economic development support based on census block-level data so that economically distressed areas in prosperous counties are eligible for support.
• Continue local investment in economic development at the county and municipal levels, including funding the economic development corporation.

• In order to create more options for small businesses and reduce healthcare costs, support any additional legislative or rulemaking action needed at either the state or federal level for the implementation of association health plans.
• Preserve Medicaid expansion to maintain affordable healthcare access for workers and families.

• Support energy policy that controls carbon emissions, modernizes the grid, and keeps energy prices as affordable as possible to support continued economic development.
• Advocate for tax policies that keep rates low for small businesses to foster economic stability and growth, particularly in light of potential federal tax adjustments.
• Oppose the imposition of unfunded mandates on states by the federal government and on local governments by the state.

Approved on February 19, 2026, by The Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus Board of Directors.