The 114th General Assembly kicked into high gear last week. Committee calendars are full, and some House chairs plan to close their subcommittees very soon. Senate and House leaders are hoping to adjourn before Easter, but it remains to be seen if that can be achieved with so many bills still to be debated.

Some highlights and notes for small business at this juncture:

• An effort to double the caps on non-economic damages in civil cases from $750,000 to $1.5 million appears to have stalled in a House subcommittee, thanks to activism from NFIB members and others. HB 5 by Rep. Gino Bulso would lead to increased insurance costs for all and higher settlement demands from plaintiffs’ attorneys.
• An effort to ban a statewide property tax through a constitutional amendment vote in 2026 continues to move forward in the Senate and is being debated in a House subcommittee this week. This legislation is an NFIB priority.
• An effort to lower the e-Verify mandate threshold from 35 employees to five appears to have stalled. The last drop in the threshold (50 employees to 35 in 2023) already subjects these small employers to automatic fines of at least $18,000 and posting their business on the state’s labor website, even if they have never hired an illegal immigrant. Lowering the threshold further would lead to huge fines (no state warning) at many unsuspecting, honest small businesses.
• Many harmful labor and regulatory mandates have been defeated, and more are on committee calendars the next few weeks. NFIB will continue to oppose excessive new burdens on your business.

Questions? Please contact State Director Jim Brown at jim.brown@NFIB.org or 615-874-5288.