2026 Pro-Business Agenda

GUIDING STATEMENT
The Lancaster Chamber is committed to fostering a positive business climate that enables all businesses in Lancaster County to thrive. We advocate for our members at the local, state, and federal levels on business issues that have the greatest impact on the community.

WE ADVOCATE FOR YOU BY:

• Working with elected officials, staff and stakeholders to advance pro-business policies;
• Sharing the impacts of policy or legislative proposals on businesses with elected officials;
• Testifying at public meetings and hearings;
• Monitoring, reviewing and taking positions on proposed legislation and regulations with member input and guidance from the Advocacy Committee and Board of Trustees;
• Representing the business voice on committees and task forces; and,
• Supporting business interests in the media.

WORKFORCE

• Meet Workforce Demands
  • Support efforts to increase effective workforce training and development programs that align community talent with employer needs, ensuring job seekers have the skills required for essential and in-demand roles.
  • Support public and private investments in high-growth, high-value industry sectors to maintain local supply chains and maximize opportunities for workers to obtain family-sustaining jobs.
• Strengthen the Future Workforce
  • Support legislative measures that appropriate adequate long-term, sustainable K-12 funding to ensure equitable access to high-quality education.
  • Strengthen partnerships between post-secondary institutions and the employer community to support workforce preparedness and retain students in our community.
• Expand Current Workforce Opportunities
  • Promote workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion and support equal access to workforce opportunities.
  • Remove barriers to employment for qualified workers, including English-language learners or re-entrants, without adding mandates to employers.
• Modernize the Immigration System
  • Institute employment verification reforms and increase visa limits in seasonal, temporary, and high skilled work visa categories to ease labor shortages without imposing new or excessive costs on employers.
  • Address outdated asylum laws and increase resources at ports of entry to ensure a streamlined, efficient process for legal immigration that enables economic growth and accountability.
  • Promote expanded legal immigration, clear pathways to legal status, and stable, work-permit practices to strengthen the workforce across all industry sectors.

TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE & COMMUNITY PLANNING

• Connect Employers and Employees
  • Support new housing development that meets the current and future population needs by prioritizing a variety of housing stock, mixed-use, and re-development.
  • Contribute to the public narrative on workforce and affordable housing projects that create access to safe, quality housing options near job centers.
  • Identify and advance transportation infrastructure improvements, including roadway and mass transit, to address maintenance needs and last-mile connectivity issues.
• Advocate for Smart Growth
  • Promote public and private partnerships, municipal agreements, and collaboration to enhance economic development projects and navigate zoning challenges that stifle business and workforce growth.
  • Collaborate with community partners and local government to facilitate development in urban growth areas, thereby ensuring the protection of farmland, outdoor recreation, and key heritage sites that make Lancaster an attractive place for residents and visitors.

REGULATIONS, TAXES, & BUDGETING

• Improve Competitiveness by Creating a Business-Friendly Tax & Regulatory Environment
  • Support legislative measures that improve our business climate and strengthen our ability to create, attract, retain, and expand jobs.
  • Ensure the continued reduction and advocate for the acceleration of the reduction of the Corporate Net Income Tax.
  • Advocate for a regulatory environment that is balanced and not burdensome for business.
  • Inform businesses on employment law changes and impacts on their business.
• Encourage Responsible Stewardship of State & Local Finances
  • Support structurally sound, transparent, and on-time budgets, as Constitutionally mandated, to prevent recurring budget impasses, protect essential state programs, and avoid placing undue burdens on non-profit, education, municipal, and business communities.
  • Advocate for a two-year budget cycle and zero-based budgeting to promote long-term fiscal discipline, minimize the risk of future budget stalemates, and ensure consistent funding stability.

TIMELY ISSUES

• Advance Reliable, Affordable, and Sustainable Energy Solutions
  • Encourage diverse, affordable, and sustainable energy development and investments in generation, transmission, and grid modernization to meet rising business and technology demands.
• Promote Responsible Approaches to Artificial Intelligence
  • Support an innovation-friendly approach to AI policy that balances safety, transparency, and privacy with economic opportunity.
  • Expand workforce initiatives that prepare local talent for new energy and technology jobs through expanded training in data infrastructure, automation, and related trades.
  • Ensure Lancaster County benefits equitably from investments in AI and energy by promoting local hiring, community engagement, and business participation.
• Address Business Uncertainty
  • Support policies that provide predictable regulations and clear long-term commitments to allow employers to plan and invest with confidence.
  • Advocate for stability in the policymaking process, recognizing that continual shifts, delays, and unclear direction can be more harmful to businesses than the policies themselves.
  • Encourage predictable international trade policies, grounded in verified economic data, that implement free and fair international trade practices for both exports and imports.

Approved by the Advocacy Committee on 1.8.2026.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 1.20.2026.

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