FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Federation of Independent Business/California
Contact: Shawn Lewis (916) 342-9315; [email protected]
NFIB Urges Governor Brown
to Veto Senate Bill 3
$15 minimum wage deal lacks
transparency and input from small business
SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 1,
2016 – Following the expedited legislative passage of Senate Bill 3 (Leno),
which raises the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, NFIB strongly urges
Governor Brown to veto this legislation.
“There is no
question that a $15 minimum wage would have devastating impacts on small
businesses in California. Over 90% of our 22,000 small businesses across the
state have told us in no uncertain terms that an increase in the minimum wage will
negatively affect their ability to operate, and potentially put them at risk of
closing their doors permanently,” said NFIB/CA
State Executive Director Tom Scott. “Ignoring the voices and concerns of
the vast majority of job creators in this state is deeply concerning and
illustrates why many feel Sacramento is broken.”
“Transparency
matters. Thorough legislative analysis matters. Senate Bill 3 has made a
mockery of the legislative process, being crafted in the dark and jammed
through the Legislature in under 48 hours. Just one committee hearing is
nowhere near sufficient to fully analyze and vet such sweeping state public
policy. NFIB and our 22,000 members are actively urging Governor Brown to veto
Senate Bill 3.”
Governor Brown,
big labor, and Democratic legislative leadership privately crafted the deal
reflected in Senate Bill 3 with no input or perspective from small business
organizations. Since minimum wage is one of the most significant public
policies affecting small businesses, it is troubling their voices fell on deaf
ears with the majority party in the Legislature. It is our hope the Governor
can return SB 3 without his signature so that there can be a more open,
transparent discussion with input from all affected parties.
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For more than 70 years, the National
Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking
the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state
legislatures. NFIB has 350,000 dues-paying members nationally, with over 22,000
in California. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues
vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of
jobs. To learn more visit www.NFIB.com/california
