Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele said when he was a legislator transportation issues were studied to death until Rell and the legislature did something about it last year. The same thing is true of education, Fedele said. He said had the “chutzpa” to do something about it. He said the longer the state prolongs funding things like transportation and education the bigger the bill.

Fedele said finding a skilled workforce in the state is something that’s important to the business community.

But so is the cost of health care and the rising cost of energy in the state. How does the business community prioritize these demands?

Bonnie Stewart, vice president of government affairs for CBIA, said an educated workforce has been a major concern for our members for a long time. Also important to the business community is health care and energy. While Stewart didn’t prioritize the three: education, health care, and energy, she did say that this is the first time she remembers everyone being on the same page. She said since the beginning of session everyone from the legislators to the governor started out talking about the same three priorities.