Advocacy & Public Policy Issues
The Chamber represents business interests to local, state and federal representatives. We advocate for the business issues that are critical to the future of our community. We advocate on behalf of all businesses. Please review the sections below to learn more about our positions.

Chamber Advocacy Involvement
Together with the Chamber Advocacy Council and member input, the Chamber is currently involved in the following advocacy issues:

• Downtown Parking Forum
  Please join us for a jointly hosted meeting to reflect on downtown parking issues on Tuesday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fountain Square Ballroom. This forum is hosted by the City of Bloomington, Downtown Bloomington, Inc. and The Chamber. Please RSVP to Pat Bailey at 336-6381 if you plan to attend.
  
  
• Bloomington Commission on Sustainability Meetings
  The Bloomington Commission on Sustainability (BCOS) is holding four focus groups to gather input from the community for its first annual Sustainability Assessment. They are seeking community input to help identify specific indicators to benchmark Bloomington and measure progress toward sustainability in our community and the Chamber staff is attending these meetings.
  
  
• I-69/Major Moves
  The Chamber has issued the following position statement on this issue:
  
  The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce reaffirms its support for the completion of I-69 through the legislation contained in HB 1008 (Major Moves). We urge Governor Daniels and the Indiana General Assembly to move forward in bi-partisan fashion to identify the appropriate funding plan for building the highway to bring the project to reality. Transportation and access are essential components of sustainable economic development and we applaud the Governor and the Indiana General Assembly for their focus in this area.
  
  
• MPO-CAC Involvement
  On behalf of the MPO-CAC group, we distributed a questionnaire to our membership as a public outreach effort so that they may maximize citizen involvement in the development of the Year 2030 Transportation Plan. For more information about this survey or the plan please contact:

  City of Bloomington Planning Department
  401 N. Morton Street, Suite 160
  PO Box 100
  Bloomington, IN 47402
  planning@bloomington.in.gov
  Phone: (812) 349-3423
  Fax: (812) 439-3535

• CRANE
  The Chamber participated in the D.C. trip in support for growing CRANE. Members of the BEDC’s Growing Crane Committee reported that this was a productive trip. We were provided with excellent strategy suggestions and the contacts made during the trip exceeded expectations. Additionally, it was important for the Chamber to be represented and show support for CRANE, a most critical regional asset.

• Other Issues
  The Chamber continues to weigh in on the proposed sign ordinance changes, and the current Postal Service Changes in Bloomington among other local issues.

We Want to Hear from You!
Let us know how you feel about local issues that affect your business. Please call Christy Steele, President and CEO, at (812) 336-6381.

Other Chamber Advocacy Initiatives:

Chamber High 5 Initiatives

Economic Development

Human Development & Education

Planning & Relationship Development

Transportation & Infrastructure Development