03/10/2006
Sign up for the 2006 NFIB Small-Business Summit, "Take it to the Hill"
Hundreds of the nation's small-business owners are expected to descend on Washington for the 2006 NFIB National Small-Business Summit June 18-20 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. for NFIB's first-ever "Take it to the Hill" event. The Summit will give small-business leaders the opportunity to gather and meet face to face with their senators and representatives on Capitol Hill. Together, NFIB members will share their experiences of how Washington decisions affect small businesses everywhere. Business and political speakers also include Charlie Cook, Stuart Rothenberg, Newt Gingrich and Tony Snow.
Member alert! Urge your lawmaker to vote on bill to reduce lawsuit abuse
Urge your lawmaker to vote on legislation to reduce lawsuit abuse. Please contact your lawmaker and urge them to vote for SB 435.
Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee approved Senate Bill 435, legislation sponsored by Sen. Jake Corman (Centre) that will reinstate the Fair Share Act of 2002, which seeks to repeal Pennsylvania's unfair doctrine of joint and several liability.
Under the doctrine of joint and several liability, a defendant that is found only 1 percent liable in a lawsuit can be forced to pay for 100 percent of damages. Small-business owners often are caught in these costly lawsuits, as personal injury attorneys cast vast nets in search of a defendant with the deep pocket. The Fair Share Act replaces joint and several liability with "comparative responsibility," which requires a defendant to pay damages based on their proportionate share of responsibility. If a business owner is 10 percent liable, he or she would be required to pay 10 percent of the damages awarded.
Lawsuit abuse reform continues to be among the highest priorities for the small-business community this year. NFIB is working diligently with members of the state House to reenact the original Fair Share Act.
Bill to make HSAs free from state income tax to have committee hearing
The Allentown Morning Call is reporting that many Pennsylvanians who signed up for health savings accounts may be in for a surprise as they prepare their income taxes and realize that the contributions they made to their HSAs are not free from Pennsylvania income tax. HSAs in Pennsylvania were originally to be shielded from both federal and state taxes, however; the provisions making contributions free from Pennsylvania income tax were stripped out of the final HSA legislation that was approved last year.
NFIB views tax-free HSAs as an important component in making health insurance affordable to small businesses and is supporting several bills that would make these contributions free from Pennsylvania taxes. Next week, the House Insurance Committee will hold a hearing on legislation sponsored by Sen. Gib Armstrong (Lancaster) that would amend the Health Savings Account Act to address this issue.
This hearing comes on the heels of action in the House Health and Human Services Committee that reported a similar bill, Rep. John Payne's (Dauphin) House Bill 2125, to the full House for consideration.
HSAs are personal savings accounts whose funds can be used to help pay for qualified medical expenses incurred by individuals, their spouses or dependents. HSAs were established as part of the Medicare Reform Act signed into law by President Bush in December of 2003.
Any individual under age 65 who is covered by a high-deductible health insurance plan may opt to open an HSA. The annual deductible of the individual's health insurance plan must be at least $1,000 for an individual or $2,000 for a family. The maximum annual out-of-pocket expenses allowed are $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for a family.
Act now! Next generation business owners can get school help with NFIB scholarship
Business owners sought for sponsorships
America's largest small-business group wants to help tomorrow's businessmen and businesswomen get a head start in their entrepreneurial life by offering them one of the most exciting scholarship awards in the nation. NFIB is seeking small-business members who are willing to talk with and endorse the applications of students applying for the scholarships. All applications must be signed by an NFIB small-business owner.
High-school seniors planning to attend a two- or four-year who have demonstrated entrepreneurial initiative are eligible for the $1,000 scholarships. The deadline for applications is March 19, but students can get a head start today by logging on to www.NFIB.com/YEF.
Since 2003, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation has awarded more than 700 scholarships nationwide thanks to the financial support of numerous small-business leaders and corporate and foundation supporters. Corporate sponsor is VISA USA, has donated $100,000 to the national program, including four $5,000 regional winners and one $10,000 Youth Entrepreneur of the Year winner.
Election filing deadline shows many contested races this year, including 30 open races
This week's petition filing deadline for the May primary elections revealed that there will be many contested races in the Pennsylvania House. Of the 203 seats in the House of Representative, 160 seats or 79 percent will be contested in the primary and general elections. There will also be a total of 30 open seats in the November general election as a result of legislative retirements.
NFIB will be conducting interviews of all legislative candidates in districts with open seats in the coming months to decide the direction of our grassroots efforts for the November election and determine which candidates will best represent the interests of Pennsylvania's small-business community.
Retiring lawmakers include:
| Office | District | Retiring Legislator | Party |
| Senate | 10 | Joe Conti | R |
| Senate | 20 | Charles D. Lemmond, Jr. | R |
| Senate | 36 | Noah Wenger | R |
| House | 07 | Michael Gruitza | D |
| House | 30 | Jeffery Habay | R |
| House | 46 | Victor John Lescovitz | D |
| House | 51 | Larry Roberts | D |
| House | 52 | James Shaner | D |
| House | 70 | John W. Fichter | R |
| House | 77 | Lynn B. Herman | R |
| House | 81 | Larry O. Sather | R |
| House | 84 | Brett Feese | R |
| House | 92 | Bruce Smith | R |
| House | 104 | Mark S. McNaughton | R |
| House | 113 | Gaynor Cawley | D |
| House | 117 | George Hasay | R |
| House | 118 | Thomas M. Tigue | D |
| House | 121 | Kevin Blaum | D |
| House | 129 | Sheila Miller | R |
| House | 133 | T.J. Rooney | D |
| House | 139 | Jerry Birmelin | R |
| House | 140 | Thomas C. Corrigan, Sr. | D |
| House | 147 | Raymond Bunt, Jr. | R |
| House | 150 | Jacqueline R. Crahalla | R |
| House | 156 | Elinor Z. Taylor | R |
| House | 167 | Robert L. Flick | R |
| House | 174 | Alan Butkovitz | D |
| House | 175 | Mark A. Lederer | D |
| House | 179 | William W. Rieger | D |
Conference will offer an opportunity to learn about Pennsylvania's workers' compensation laws, policies and procedures
The Bureau of Workers' Compensation has announced that its fifth annual Workers' Compensation Conference will be held June 12, 13 and 14 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pa.
The conference promises to offer participants insights from experts in the field of workers' compensation. Representatives from the Bureau of Workers' Compensation, the insurance industry, employers, claimant and defense counsel, labor and the health-care industry will come together to share their knowledge and experience on the workers' compensation system. The conference registration fee is $225 per person.
To register, complete the registration form and mail to Bureau of Workers' Compensation, 1171 S. Cameron Street, Room 324-A, Harrisburg, PA 71104-2501 no later than June 2.
