06/18/2008
CONTACT: Renee Baker, 225-298-1225 or Todd Pack, 615-872-5897
State's leading small business association concerned over changes to House Bill 368
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The following statement is from Renee Baker, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, Louisiana's leading small business association:
"The state Senate has approved a version of House Bill 368 that is substantially different from the version passed by the House a week ago.
"The National Federation of Independent Business believes the Senate version effectively guts the bill as approved by the House June 9 by a vote of 100-0. The House version of HB 368 would have helped Louisiana's family-owned businesses immensely by requiring state agencies to calculate the cost of new rules and regulations before enacting them. NFIB/Louisiana believes small business owners deserve a chance to comment on proposed regulations that could cost their businesses thousands of dollars a year in compliance and legal fees.
"The House version would have required state agencies to go through an economic impact assessment before enacting any rules and regulations, except in emergencies. The Senate version of the bill, however, was amended to create an exception for 'regulations that protect the health, safety, or welfare of the public.'
"We believe this language is too broad. It would give agencies an out. If the Senate version of the bill were to become law, agencies could simply avoid performing an economic impact analysis for small business by citing this health-and-safety exception for practically every regulation that comes along.
"Regulatory reform and flexibility has been one of the National Federation of Independent Business' top priorities this legislative session. Depending on the industry, a small business may be regulated by the state and every parish and every town where it operates. NFIB has worked closely with the bill's primary author, Rep. Rickey Nowlin, and the Louisiana Department of Economic Development to find a common-sense approach to regulatory reform.
"Small business is the heart and soul of Louisiana's economy. Small business accounts for 98 percent of Louisiana's employer firms and 55 percent of its non-farm private workforce. When you help small business grow and create jobs, you're helping Louisiana's working families."
