Collaboration On Capitol Hill Is The Key To Success.

• Author: Miller, Derek

Utah's "secret sauce" when it comes to economic growth, job creation, and security for our families has been the collaboration between the public and private sectors--particularly when it comes to our legislators at home and in Washington, DC. With that in mind, we have formally requested the assistance of Utah's federal delegation and expertise in advancing common-sense legislation on key priorities that are important to our business community. They are namely, immigration, trade, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Immigration reform

As a nation built by immigrants, the United States should always be a place that welcomes people of goodwill who want to contribute to our communities. Immigration is a key component of keeping our economy strong, strengthening our communities, and ensuring a bright and prosperous future for our children, but our current broken immigration system will lead to economic uncertainty. We urge Utah's federal delegation to lead the way in advancing comprehensive immigration reform consistent with the principles included in the Utah Compact.

Immigrants make up one in nine members of our state's workforce, and limiting legal immigration would reduce Utah's GDP growth by $686 million in 2028. Immigration reform will ensure that our business community has the skilled workforce necessary to compete. As such, we urge Utah's federal delegation to advance comprehensive immigration reform consistent with the Utah Compact principles and to advance the Hl-B Visa reform legislation.

Trade

With more than 3,500 Utah companies competing in the global market, trade is critical to Utah's economy and essential to the success of our state's small businesses. Exports contributed 8 percent to Utah's GDP in 2018 and supported 22 percent of all Utah jobs. Global trade does more than just create and support jobs; it also helps retain a skilled workforce through competitively higher wages.

Utah businesses need free markets and fair trading practices built on balanced agreements that sustain economic growth through stable and predictable relationships. We ask Congress to ratify the United States, Mexico, and Canada trade agreement and use its available means to accelerate the development of trade agreements with the European Union and China, among others.

Health and entitlement reform

Currently, our healthcare systems and entitlement programs are falling short when it comes to providing simple, affordable, accessible, and high-quality services...