5 Reasons NFIB Supports Gov. Bruce Rauner's TurnAround Agenda

Date: July 14, 2015

A long-simmering fiscal and economic crisis in Illinois may soon erupt in a wrenching  government shutdown that could finally force the state to confront its bankrupt business climate after decades of dysfunction.

After months of wrangling with entrenched lawmakers over a package of reforms that would deliver a booster shot to the state’s anemic business environment and reign in public spending, NFIB-backed Gov. Bruce Rauner is underscoring his commitment to small business owners across the state by not giving up on his TurnAround Agenda.

At stake for small business owners: Much-needed reforms to the state’s workers’ compensation system, streamlining a labyrinthine state regulatory system and cleaning up an unemployment insurance system that’s currently stacked against employers.

Here are five reasons NFIB/Illinois supports Rauner’s TurnAround agenda, according to State Director Kim Clarke Maisch.

1. The state’s finances are abysmal.

“We have to make big decisions,” Rauner said recently. “The state is in dire financial straits. Chicago is in big, big challenges. And everybody’s a little bit on edge.”

Indeed. Not only does Illinois have the worst funded pension system in the nation, but it also has the largest budget deficit. All told, the state stares down a $111 billion in pension debt and a $4 billion budget hole.

“Gov. Rauner has been committed to cutting state government,” Maisch says. “He has also been clear: No new taxes until his economic reforms are passed. We must support the governor and his fight to get Illinois’ economy moving again.”

2. Illinois small business owners desperately need sweeping changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system.

Illinois has the 7th highest workers’ compensation costs in the nation.

Rauner wants to make Illinois a “primary cause” state, meaning the workplace is at least 50 percent responsible for the worker’s injury. At present, the workplace only needs to be 1 percent responsible for the injury to be compensable under our workers’ compensation law.

“It’s time we join 29 other states who have changed their causation standard to ensure the workplace is the primary cause of the injury,” Maisch says.

3. Illinois taxpayers are paying more for state and local projects—and small business owners are losing out on contracts.

“The high cost and regulatory burden of prevailing wage has left many small business owners unable to bid on state and local work,” Maisch says. “Gov. Rauner’s plan to give local governments more flexibility when it comes to determining their prevailing wage will significantly help small business. The way prevailing wage is calculated today, it is simply union scale and doesn’t reflect the local wages being paid.”

4. Small business owners are one lawsuit away from being put out of business.  

Rauner is pushing for lawsuit reform so the high paid trial lawyers can no longer shop around for the friendliest venue or drag businesses into a lawsuit looking for the deepest pockets, Maisch says.

5. Still digging out of the recession, small employers continue to feel the sting from high unemployment insurance costs and other mandates.

While the Illinois Senate’s Committee of the Whole busies itself with hearings on mandated sick leave and minimum wage hikes—all while largely ignoring the testimony of small business owners—Rauner wants to improve the state’s business climate.

“Gov. Rauner wants to change the state’s misconduct definition so employers are not paying UI benefits for those workers who violated company policy or were derelict in their duties,” Maisch says.

Why do you support Gov. Bruce Rauner’s TurnAround Agenda? Tell us in the comments section below or tweet us at @nfib_il and use the hashtag #ILturnaround

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