NFIB

Making it count for each member
Before Thanksgiving, a member in the Sparta-McMinnville area called our state office to express concern about two federal bills that could hurt his business through excessive regulation and fines. Our Nashville office called our federal team, which responded quickly to the member. We agreed with this member that these bad business bills could open the door to other excessive regulations and confirmed we are fighting to scuttle the legislation. The member also agreed to testify in Washington, D.C., if there is such an opportunity. We're glad this member spoke up. We are a member-driven organization, and our team is most effective when you, our members, vote the NFIB Ballots, engage your elected officials and simply alert us, as our Middle Tennessee member recently did. We're here to solve your small-business challenges by promoting and protecting your right to own, operate and grow your business!

State tax revenues falling short
Media reports show Tennessee revenues missed projections by $100 million in October. Read the Associated Press article. Small-business owners are wary that a shortfall in tax collections, if the trend continues, could lead to new and higher fees imposed on them. We testified last month on this very issue to the Joint Study Committee of Small Business Development and Retention. Entrepreneurs are often the first target of new fees because they're viewed as the easiest. We will continue to watch this issue closely on behalf of our members.

State director testifies again on health care
On Nov. 14, NFIB/Tennessee State Director Jim Brown testified a second time this fall to the Joint Study Committee on Small Business Development and Retention. Brown was invited back by the committee to present data on health-care mandates and share what other states are doing to address the lack of access to affordable health insurance for small business. Brown underscored that NFIB is in the process of balloting our membership on several key health-care questions, which will serve as a guiding light for your 2008 agenda in Nashville. Please be sure to vote your state Ballot when you receive on or around Dec. 1! Brown's testimony can be viewed by visiting www.legislature.state.tn.us/, clicking "Joint Committees," then "Video Archives," and then "11-14-07" under the Small Business Development and Retention dropdown. NFIB's testimony, which begins around minute 19, and the resulting Q&A run approximately 40 minutes.

Employment law seminars now online
Nearly 500 NFIB members recently participated in a series of employment law seminars hosted by the NFIB Legal Foundation. The three interactive seminars consisted of Web presentations and teleconferences and were available at no cost as part of your NFIB membership. They covered the essentials of employment law and HR management from hiring to firing. Content from each seminar is now available to download.

New I-9 Form available
On Nov. 7, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a new Form I-9 -- the document all employers must complete to verify employees' employment eligibility. Employers should download the new form, note the form's changes (noted below) and begin using the new form immediately. The revised form reduces the number of documents employers can accept to verify eligibility. According to USCIS, "The revised Form I-9 is a further step in USCIS' ongoing work toward reducing the number of documents used to confirm identity and work eligibility." The government eliminated five documents because they lacked security features necessary to deter counterfeiting, tampering and fraud. Read additional information and download the new form.

Did you know?
Last month according the government statistics, small business added 113,000 new jobs across our country. Overall monthly job creation was slightly lower at 106,000, as large businesses pulled back, shedding 7,000 net jobs. Our takeaway: You, the small-business owner, continue to be the engine of our economy!

Your feedback on regulations needed!
As small-business owners, you understand being overburdened with excessive regulations telling you how you to run your business. NFIB has teamed up with the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy to urge small-business owners to nominate federal regulations for review. Please e-mail Valerie.Nagoshiner@nfib.org or call 615-872-5331 if you know of any regulations that should be included on this list.

Small-business news you can use
Berke defeats Brock in 10th District race
Workers' comp can apply at home
AT&T still wants statewide franchises
Belmont will host presidential debate
Fewer small firms offer health insurance

Sincerely,
Jim Brown
NFIB/Tennessee State Director
(615) 874-5288
jim.brown@nfib.org