01/31/2008
CONTACT: Candace Daly, 801-599-8519 or Tony Malandra, 415-664-9685
Entrepreneurs divided over giving state and local governments immigration powers
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- A poll of small business owners released today by their leading representative group, the National Federation of Independent Business, throws a damper over the idea to create a Health Insurance Exchange while also showing a remarkable division on giving state and local governments more power to curb illegal immigration.
Each year, NFIB/Utah polls its members on issues vital to entrepreneurial survival. Results from the polls are communicated to policymakers, many of whom consider them the official voice of small business.
When asked if the state should establish a not-for-profit corporation called the Utah Health Insurance Exchange and require all small businesses and individuals to purchase medical coverage from it, 78 percent of respondents said 'No;' 10 percent supported the idea; and 12 percent were undecided. In a related question on the four-question poll, 54 percent of NFIB-member, small business owners favored legislative approval allowing health insurers to offer plans that do not include all the current mandates; 27 percent opposed the idea; and 19 percent were undecided.
Perhaps the most startling result came from a question asking if state or local governments should have the power to revoke the business license of an employer who has been found guilty of hiring illegal immigrants. A plurality, 47 percent, favored granting local governments that power; 44 percent opposed the idea; 9 percent were undecided. Rounding out the poll, 67 percent opposed the idea of establishing toll roads or toll lanes to help finance transportation projects; 23 percent would do so; 10 percent were undecided.
"I'm not too surprised by the response to our health care questions," said Candace Daly, NFIB/Utah state director. "Health care has been small business' No. 1 issue for the past two decades, and we know real reform will have to come from the state level and not Washington, D.C., so I think small business owners are excited about the State getting more involved and working toward a solution. The response to the illegal immigration was a bit surprising. Previous NFIB polling has shown small business owners very concerned about illegal immigration and believe something should be done about it, but entrepreneurs are ill-equipped and ill-suited to be immigration officials, so they generally shy away from wanting even the remotest involvement in it. While there is no conclusiveness to the response, it does show an increasing worry over the situation."
