The Indiana Chamber of Commerce wants the next governor to prioritize "quality of place" in economic development, and that includes civil rights protections for the LGBT community.
The Chamber's policy priority letters have included a call for preschool expansion, more stringent anti-smoking measures and a long-term infrastructure plan. Its final letter urges a need to focus on "quality of place" within the state's economic development strategy.
Chamber CEO Kevin Brinegar says that's increasingly important because of millennials in the workforce.
"You know, millennials are choosing where they want to live and then saying, ‘I'll find a job when I get there,'" Brinegar says.
As part of that focus, Brinegar says the state should affirm its status as a welcoming place by passing a statewide LGBT non-discrimination law.
Democrat John Gregg is in favor, but Republican Eric Holcomb is not.
Holcomb says it's because he's seen no progress on the issue in the legislature, which Brinegar acknowledges.
"I'm certainly not, unfortunately, picking up much interest or appetite in these issues in the upcoming session," Brinegar says.
Brinegar says a focus on quality of place should also translate to more funding for the Regional Cities Initiative, which both candidates largely support.