National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB)/Texas, the state’s leading small business association, along with 15
small business owners from Texas will attend NFIB’s annual fly-in on June
22-23, 2016 to share their stories and concerns of how federal regulations are
making it nearly impossible to hire, grow, and remain competitive.
“In Texas, a vast majority of legislators
understand that small business is the economic backbone of the state accounting
for two-thirds to three-fourths of all net new jobs over the last 20 years,”
said NFIB/Texas Executive Director Will Newton. “However, with as much
federal overreach as business owners are experiencing these days, our visit to
Washington D.C. and our voice being heard is more important than ever.”
Each summer, NFIB hosts its members
from all over the country in Washington, D.C.
This year, 15 will be traveling from Texas.
Members will arrive on Wednesday,
June 22, and will meet with representatives from Congress and their staff on
Thursday, June 23. NFIB members will be focusing on three major regulatory
issues: the Obama administration’s controversial overtime rule, which almost
doubles the salary threshold of employees who are eligible for time-and-a-half
pay; legislation to prevent an onslaught of regulations issued by the President
during his last few months in office; and legislation that would protect small
business owners from a heavy IRS penalty for reimbursing their employees for
health care costs.
According to NFIB’s month Index of
Small Business Optimism, owners have cited regulations and red tape as one of
their top two “Single Most Important Business Problems” for the past 42
consecutive months.
NFIB/Texas has 21,000 dues-paying members representing a
cross-section of the state’s economy from agriculture, construction, and
manufacturing to wholesale, retail, and services. Additionally, NFIB/Texas
membership is 96 percent comprised of businesses who have 40 employees or less
and is the largest association advocating for small business in the Capitol.
