NFIB/Louisiana was recently involved in killing two proposed commerce bills that would have made life more difficult for small business owners. Here’s an update on these two victories.
House Bill 679
HB 679, which would have created a new set of elevator regulations and bureaucracy for small businesses, was defeated in the House Commerce Committee on April 28. The proposal mandated that business owners contact the state fire marshal within two hours of an injury or death in an elevator and would have closed down a business upon injury or death. The bill also imposed fines for violation of the two-hour notification window.
“This bill would have created a potential new cause of action against small business owners,” says Dawn Starns, NFIB/Louisiana state director. “The legislation was poorly written, creating a number of issues like the undefined nature of the word ‘injury’ and the time limits for notification being completely unreasonable.”
NFIB/Louisiana led lobbyist efforts on killing this bill and worked with the chairman of the House Commerce Committee and pro-business committee members. Starns testified against the legislation in committee as well.
Senate Bill 77
SB 77 was defeated in the Senate Commerce Committee on April 29. The bill would have mandated auto body shop owners make a second disclosure to customers if they aren’t using original equipment manufacturer parts in auto repairs. Under the new mandate, customers would have had to sign the notification form and business owners would have been penalized with a $1,000 fee if it wasn’t done.
“This legislation is unnecessary because the law already states that a consumer must be notified of use of these parts in repairs,” Starns says. “This legislation takes away a business owner’s and consumer’s right to choose what parts they would like used on repairing their vehicle.”
NFIB/Louisiana coordinated with the Louisiana Retailers Association and the insurance lobby in opposing this bill. NFIB/Louisiana worked with the Senate Commerce Committee chairman and secured the votes against the bill when it was heard in committee. An NFIB/Louisiana member also testified against the bill.