The Indy Chamber represents the Central Indiana business community by taking a stance on policy issues that affect the business climate and economic development. Many Chamber members sit on several councils and committees that monitor policy matters, recommend Chamber positions and complement our professional lobbyists as advocates and liaisons to government officials. The following public policy committees meet quarterly:
Business Advocacy Committee
The Business Advocacy Committee is an independent political action committee that supports, on a non-partisan basis, candidates and elected officials that endorse limited government, free enterprise and a pro-business, pro-economic growth environment. BACPAC, as it is known, is actively involved in fundraising to support pro-business candidates and business-friendly issues.
To learn more about the BACPAC, click here.
Economic Growth Council
The Economic Growth Council is the Chamber’s primary advisory group on local and state policies that affect all aspects of economic competitiveness in Central Indiana. Economic cycles are a law of nature, but action by government at all levels, and the resulting reactions by business and other members of the community, can spur or impede economic growth.
The Chamber’s Economic Growth Council is dedicated to establishing Central Indiana as a place where businesses can grow and prosper and where new companies – both those moving from elsewhere and startups – can take seed and flourish.
The council seeks to establish and build on certain assets that are fundamental to a business growth climate in Indianapolis: A strong urban core, a solid tax base and a skilled workforce. Through a strong relationship with city officials, this council stays on the forefront of new city development.
Transportation, Infrastructure and Environment Committee
The council’s Transportation, Infrastructure and Environment Committee delves even more deeply into these important issues. This committee follows issues that affect Central Indiana’s economic development and quality of life. It reports and makes recommendations to the Economic Growth Council. The Chamber partners with CICP and CICF to fund the Central Indiana Transit Task Force, which seeks to bring a comprehensive mass transit plan to Indianapolis. The committee is also working to improve highways, address environmental issues and establish a mass transit system worthy of the nation’s 11th largest city.
The Chamber has been a strong advocate for significant investment in our communities’ basic infrastructure.
Our leading issues include mass transit; assessing Central Indiana’s growing water needs, and fixing the century-old problem of continuous sewer overflows.
Indy Connect: Central Indiana’s Transportation Initiative
Learn more about our Green Business Initiative.
Fiscal Policy Council
The Fiscal Policy Council monitors the spending of state and local governments and analyzes how it will affect economic development in the Greater Indianapolis area. The Fiscal Policy Council is responsible for researching, analyzing and developing policy positions on issues pertaining to local and state government structural and financing issues that are critical to keeping Central Indiana competitive and healthy for business growth, such as government modernization.
Education Workforce Council
The Education Workforce Council identifies and advocates the Chamber’s position on local, state and federal issues that affect education and the workforce in Central Indiana.
The council also:
-
Develops a network with other business advocacy organizations to support education and workforce issues that affect the business climate in Central Indiana.
-
Helps other organizations address issues of mutual interest.
The Education Workforce Council of the Indy Chamber has long considered various K-12 and workforce development needs. Recently, the Chamber established an Education Coalition as a means to inform the community about the status of education in our city and encourage involvement and support for education reform.
The Education Coalition is comprised of 40 community partners and local businesses working to address the education crisis in Indianapolis. The framework for the coalition includes: Effective Teachers and Principals, Educational Options, College and Career-Ready Students, Governance, and Familial Involvement. For more information on the coalition, visit http://indyeducation911.com. This website was created as a place where families, teachers, principals and students can go to get information on critical issues like education reform, legislative history and updates, school interventions, and best practices.
Another way the Chamber has worked to improve the state of education is through the implementation of Common Goal, a program aimed at increasing high school graduation rates, that ran from 2008-2011. The program is currently operating in its last year, providing a mentor and guest speaker program for at-risk youths.
The Common Goal Task Force seeks to improve the graduation rate in all Marion County high schools. It is comprised of Marion County public school superintendents and other community stakeholders who are working to improve graduation rates in Marion County. Below are some accomplishments from Common Goal:
-
Overall county-wide graduation rate increased from 70% in the 2007-2008 school year, to 81.2% for the 2009-2010 school year, marking a 12% increase since the Indy Chamber began the initiative in 2007.
-
Through contributions made by the community, Common Goal has provided graduation coaches, mentoring, credit recovery and summer internships to youths at risk of dropping out.
To learn how you can become a Common Goal mentor, click here.
Workforce Committee
Also under the Education Workforce Council, the Workforce Committee works on legislation such as right to work, immigration, workforce re-entry, and workforce incentives. The Workforce Committee also works to strengthen human capital to expand the manufacturing and logistics sectors in the region.
Green Business Initiative
The mission of the Green Business Initiative is to promote the interests of businesses that are committed and engaged in environmentally responsible operations and practices, also known as “green” business practices. Click here to learn more about how you can join the ranks of our Green Member businesses, or view a listing of current members here.
Hispanic Business Council
The Hispanic Business Council works to better assist the Hispanic business community, by offering connecting events to engage the community and help grow business. As part of the HBC’s commitment to growing Hispanic business enterprises, the Mentor-Protégé Program was developed. The Mentor-Protégé Program encourages the development of Hispanic-owned business by pairing them with larger, successful mentor firms. The Indianapolis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce merged with the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in 2005, creating the Hispanic Business Council.
Membership/Marketing Council
The Membership/Marketing Council exists to explore, develop, and implement programs that increase membership sales and retention; produce non-dues revenue and market chamber products, programs and services to satisfy the needs of current and prospective members.
Chamber Action
Chamber Action exists to support the goals and objectives of the Indy Chamber in the areas of membership retention, recruitment, and community representation.
For more information on the Chamber’s Councils/Committees, including information on roles and responsibilities, our position on involvement on advocacy issues and social issues, or how to get involved, click here.