Oklahoma small-business owners surveyed by the state office of the National Federation of Independent Business shows overwhelming support for legislation that would increase the penalties for individuals found guilty of unemployment fraud.
The survey shows 94.9 percent of respondents think the penalties for unemployment fraud should be similiar to those for workers’ comp fraud, said Jerrod Shouse, state director of NFIB/Oklahoma.
“Unlike most business groups, NFIB bases its public-policy positions solely on the input of its members, and our Member Ballot is a critical part of that process,” Shouse said. “When we asked about increasing the penalty for unemployment fraud, the answer from our members was loud and clear. We simply can’t afford for a handful of individuals to cheat the system.”
In other issues:
- 88.6 percent of respondents oppose so-called ban-the-box legislation, which would prohibit employers from asking about job applicants’ criminal history until well into the interview process. Only 5 percent of respondants support ban-the-box legislation, while 6.3 percent are undecided. “Our members believe this would be a burden of added expense and wasted time by preventing them from weeding out applicants with criminal records early in the hiring process,” Shouse said.
- 76.8 percent of respondents support the idea of Oklahoma joining the call for a constitutional convention to vote on a balanced budget amendemnt. Five-point-five percent are opposed, while 17.7 percent are undecided. “Our members believe Congress could learn a thing or two from small business,” Shouse said. “Small businesses have to stick to budget. They can’t spend money they don’t have. Our members believe it’s time Washington did the same.”
NFIB/Oklahoma is the state’s leading small-business association, with over 4,000 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy. Learn more at www.NFIB.com/OK or follow @NFIB_OK on Twitter.
