Enough Local Government Over-Reach

While the state has been making progress in rolling back over-reaching and needless regulations, local governments are charting new territory in burdensome ordinances and rules on small business. Recent efforts by local governments to create their own minimum wage and paid leave laws were thwarted by NFIB efforts that resulted in the passage of state legislation that prohibits them from passing wage and benefit mandates at the local level. However, local governments continue to strike out in new directions with local mandates and regulations on economic activity that are hurting small businesses in their jurisdiction. Recent actions include trying to ban plastic bags and setting up their own truck inspections. As if this were not bad enough, legislation has been introduced in both the Senate and the House that would grant the treasury departments of cities that have a local income tax sweeping powers to require that employers police their workers to be sure they are paying city income taxes. NFIB will be working to pass legislation at the state level to keep local governments from creating their own “city-states” of regulation that duplicate laws already existing at the state and federal level.