http://www.nfib.com/Keep up with the latest news, politics and events for small business in Indiana.en-usEM3 iOnwebmaster@nfib.orghttp://www.nfib.com/object/IO_37092.htmlIn order to preserve and improve the prosperity we have in Indiana, we must keep small business at the forefront of public policy debate. The NFIB/Indiana Elkhart/Kosciusko County Area Action Council invites you to offer suggestions and comments regarding the issues most important to your small business.Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_37090.htmlJust in time for the Indiana primary on May 6, the U.S. Supreme Court has said that our voter ID law is constitutional. The nation's high court issued its decision on Monday morning at 10 a.m., just eight days before the primary. The Supremes determined that Indiana's law requiring voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot is constitutional.Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_37040.htmlThis week the latest copy of the NFIB Small Business Economic Trends hit my desk. This is the monthly report published by the NFIB Research Foundation. Now normally, I read this document rather routinely, without emotion, the way I read the myriad of publications each month that deal with the economy and small business issues. This time I nearly fell off my chair.Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36935.htmlIs it just me, or is the subject of campaign money on everybody's minds and lips these days? Whether it is the race for president, for Congress, for the Indiana General Assembly or for your local county council, talk of campaign money seems to be everywhere. In the media and on Main Street the buzz is money and how much of it has been raised, or not raised, by each candidate. There is constant talk of "war chests" and whose is bigger than whose.Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36923.htmlAttorney and small business advocate Catherine Popp Hoffman was named Indiana Solveras/NFIB Small Business Champion today by America's leading small business association, the National Federation of Independent Business.Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36913.htmlWhen it comes to the presidential primary, "political hotbed" is not the phrase usually used to describe our fair state at this point in the process. "Snooze fest" would be a more appropriate description of our presidential primary in years past. We are usually a lowly afterthought, coming after the "important" state primaries. Indiana has not had a truly contested presidential primary for a long time. It's been so long that I can't even remember a time when we mattered.Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36638.htmlSpecial NFIB member report introducing your new NFIB/Indiana State Director Barbara Quandt and Member Support Manager Brian Christenberry.Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36386.htmlIf anyone ever doubted the grassroots power of small business, those doubts were put to rest last week when nearly 200 small business owners and their families converged on the Indiana Statehouse for "Small Business Day at the Capitol."Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36340.htmlThe National Federation of Independent Business, the nation's leading small business association, has announced that it has endorsed Jon Elrod in the special election for U.S. Representative in Indiana's 7th Congressional District.Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36384.htmlWe knew it would happen. We're just surprised it took this long. House Republicans and Democrats can only make nice for so long. The gloves came off Thursday night when the Republicans cried "foul" over what they call abuse of House rules. SB335, the immigration bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Delph (Indianapolis), is now dead because its committee report was not adopted by the deadline on Thursday. Republicans walked out. The House is adjourned until Monday. Don't expect the gloves to go back on over the weekend. Stay tuned for Round Two this coming week.Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35919.htmlSpecial NFIB member report on small-business issues such as property taxes, activism and the 2008 National Small-Business Summit, February/March 2008 edition.Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35894.htmlRegister today for the 2008 NFIB National Small-Business Summit! NFIB and eBay have joined forces to create an event you won't want to miss. At the Summit, you'll interact with policymakers, business leaders and fellow entrepreneurs while sharing your experiences and finding new ideas to boost your business. Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35770.htmlAmerica's leading small-business association has named a new state director for Indiana, one who is no stranger to the halls of power, nor what it means to own a small business.Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35383.htmlSpecial NFIB member report on small-business issues such as property taxes, getting involved and looking ahead to 2008 in Indiana, December/January 2008 edition.Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35180.htmlThe U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy has compiled the 2007 Small Business Profile for Indiana.Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35162.htmlThe buzz around the Capitol this week focused on the unveiling of Gov. Mitch Daniels' property tax reform plan. Announced to the public during a live television appearance on Tuesday evening, Daniels' plan has already attracted the expected praise and criticism from various stakeholders.Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35127.htmlDespite ill-informed rhetoric that often cites the federal death tax as only affecting wealthy people, this tax affects all Americans, and it strikes no one harder than the small-business community.Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35115.htmlAs the 2008 legislative session grows nearer, anticipation is growing for the unveiling of property tax proposals from both Gov. Mitch Daniels and legislative leaders. Based upon public comments made recently, it is expected that Gov. Daniels will unveil his plan for property tax relief by the end of October. Without going into specific details, the governor has stated that his plan would include a component requiring a change of Indiana's constitution. Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_35102.htmlMore than 80 percent of the nearly 600 small-business owners responding to a recent National Federation of Independent Business/Indiana Member Ballot indicated their property taxes have increased, with 70 percent of the increases ranging from 10 to 50 percent.Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32363.htmlAccess to affordable health care continues to be one of the biggest concerns for small businesses in Indiana. Of the 42 million people uninsured, more than 61 percent are either small-business owners or employees of small businesses. Double-digit premium increases continue, making health care one of the most expensive benefits for small-business owners to provide. One of the suggested remedies to high health-insurance premiums is to create policies that are free from some of the costly, state health-care mandates that small employers are required to cover. "Mandate light" policies include catastrophic coverage along with basic preventive care.Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32364.htmlThis past session a proposal to increase workers' compensation benefits was debated. Proponents of the bill believe that Indiana's benefit levels are substandard even though the legislature in 2006 increased workers' compensation levels thru 2010. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32365.htmlBefore the start of the 2007 legislative session, the members of the Indiana General Assembly declared some form of property tax relief was among their top priorities. With property-tax rates initially expected to increase statewide by an average of 15 percent, momentum was clearly behind making such a change. However, less than two weeks before adjournment, legislative leaders learned the average property tax increase for taxpayers was projected to be 24 percent statewide.Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_32366.htmlA variety of proposals to increase Indiana's minimum wage were introduced during the last legislative session. Some of the proposals would have eliminated the training wage, while others would have provided for annual, inflationary increases of the minimum wage.Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_34855.htmlSpecial NFIB member report on small-business issues such as health care, minimum wage and activism in Indiana, October/November 2007 edition.Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_34829.htmlProperty tax discussions continue to dominate headlines across the state with much of the focus remaining on the work of the Commission on State Tax and Financing Policy, which is being chaired by state Sen. Luke Kenley (Noblesville). Recently, the commission devoted a public hearing to the exploration of what it would take to completely eliminate property taxes. This hearing was highlighted by a presentation given by the Legislative Services Agency (LSA), a non-partisan agency that provides support to the Legislature.Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_34769.htmlNFIB is partnering with SmartBrief, Inc. to publish a daily electronic newsletter, NFIB SmartBrief, a new free service for members and other small- and independent-business owners who want to be in the know on issues, trends and other information critical to helping them run their business.Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_34539.htmlDiscussion in the media this week focused on tax-exempt property, such as churches and other non-profit entities, and whether they should be contributing towards the funding of government services such as police and fire protection. In Marion County, for example, there is $52 billion of gross assessed value in properties countywide. However, approximately $2.7 billion of those properties are tax-exempt, according to an analysis performed by the <I>Indianapolis Star</I>.Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_34524.html"In a few days, many Hoosiers will join Americans across the country to take time to celebrate Labor Day, established by Congress 113 years ago.</br></br>"Each Labor Day, employers and employees take time to be with family and friends and to reflect on a year's worth of hard work. Unfortunately, while Americans are enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, Congress is considering cooking up ideas that would prove costly to small employers and their employees."Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_34362.htmlThe Commission on State Tax and Financing Policy met this past Monday and used the meeting to discuss the nature of tax abatements and tax increment financing. Some individuals have criticized these economic development tools as a contributing factor to increased property taxes, while also questioning their necessity and effectiveness. It was clear, however, from the tone of the meeting that legislators are not exactly ready to turn their backs on these two tools of economic development. Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 PST