The Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition is a national collective of chambers of commerce across the Great Lakes region that jointly advocate on core policy issues, including water quality, immigration reform, trade, and transportation and infrastructure. Since its founding in 2008, the coalition has become a leading and effective voice on federal policy impacting the Great Lakes region.
A safe and reliable multi-modal transportation system – including public transit, roads and highways, inland waterways and river navigation – is critical to the economy and quality of life in the Great Lakes region. In its 2019-2020 Infrastructure Priorities, the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition (GLMCC) highlights the region’s most critical projects that our members are helping to advance. The GLMCC supports major investments that infuse new, innovative ideas and resources into how regions can bolster transportation and infrastructure while maintaining focus on existing federal programs that need ongoing support. As Congress and the Administration consider transportation and infrastructure policy, GLMCC encourages support for:
Attracting and retaining the best talent is a top priority of the businesses represented by the GLMCC. Employer-driven short and long-term strategies developed in partnership with the public sector are needed to bolster job training and talent attraction through federal and regional policies. Long-term immigration reform is also needed to enhance the role that immigrants play in strengthening the quality of the talent pipeline, growing the population, contributing to the local tax base, and creating new businesses across the Great Lakes region. GLMCC will advocate for:
One of the world's greatest natural resources is in our region – the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are a major economic force, with the existence of more than 1.5 million jobs due to activities in the region. As the core of what binds this coalition together, the GLMCC will continue to advocate for:
Communities across the Great Lakes are investing in a variety of energy sources including wind, solar and fossil energy. GLMCC supports and will advocate for federal policies that encourage innovation and development in the energy sector which will lead to job growth, balanced costs, and electricity reliability. GLMCC will also continue its advocacy efforts on:
Thoughtful and balanced trade policies are needed to support business growth in the Great Lakes states and the commercial relationships our region shares with the rest of the world. As trade policy discussions continue in Washington, GLMCC will support our members in advocating for legislation and trade deals that provide stability and predictability in the cost of doing business. GLMCC also will support our members in educating government officials regarding the impact of trade agreements and actions – including tariffs and quotas – on member companies and the Great Lakes region. Facilitating secure and efficient trading between the United States and Canada also is a priority, and GLMCC will continue to advocate for fast and reliable border crossing and clearance procedures.
There are important federal and defense assets across the Great Lakes region that play a critical role in the nation’s security and represent significant economic impact for their respective communities. GLMCC is uniquely positioned to play a leadership role in highlighting the economic importance of federal and defense assets across the Great Lakes region to guard them against a future Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process and federal budget cuts, as well as jointly advocate for new opportunities for these assets in the National Defense Authorization Act and other federal funding opportunities.
