* Improve our region's business climate through corporate tax relief and legislative policies that promote our business competitiveness.

* Sustain efforts to continue the phase-out of the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax and address the state's uncompetitive Corporate Net Income Tax through steps to increase the cap on net operating loss carryforwards and to shift to a single sales factor. Monitor state tax revenues in the coming fiscal year and continue to discourage consideration of Mandatory Unitary Combined Reporting and other tax policy changes that target specific industry segments or threaten business expansion and attraction efforts.

* Advocate reform of the public education system to promote workforce development. Support investment in early childhood education, programs that improve the work readiness of high school graduates, and efforts to retain the young people educated in the region's colleges and universities.

* Work to ensure the implementation of Pennsylvania's new transportation investment strategy to provide adequate funding for roads, bridges and transit systems. Promote consideration of new funding alternatives such as Public-Private Partnerships to advance capital projects and address changing regional needs.

* Advance the business community's efforts to curb violence in Philadelphia through Working Solutions, the Chamber's youth internship initiative and continued support of measures that would: 1) provide a youth employment incentive tax credit; and 2) offer cities like Philadelphia the flexibility to deal with unique problems and such grave issues as escalating gun violence.

* Monitor the implementation of legalized gaming in Pennsylvania with particular attention to promised property and wage tax relief.

* Work to stabilize health care costs so that quality medical care will remain affordable and available to Pennsylvania employers and their workers. Seek legislative support for "small group reform" to enable employers to continue to offer health care benefits to their employees. Monitor action on health care reform proposals to assess the impact on providers, employers and business owners.

* Promote energy and environmental policies that do not exceed federal requirements and do not hinder the competitiveness of businesses in the region.

* Urge perseverance in efforts to end lawsuit abuse and create a uniform legal standard to bring fairness and balance to Pennsylvania's entire civil justice system.

* Work to advance legislative proposals that address needed unemployment and workers' compensation reforms.

* Urge continued state investment in agencies and projects critical to the economic growth of our region.