HELENA, Mont., Feb. 10, 2014— In one result from an annual survey released today of its Montana members, the nation’s largest and leading small-business association found a big resistance to erecting state barriers against fracking technology.
“The very best of citizens, small-business owners are second to none in wanting and working for a better environment,” said Riley Johnson, Montana state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, “so when they give their approval to fracking technology, you can be sure it was with considerable thought behind it. The very nature of running a small business is the daily exercise of weighing and balancing all variables before deciding on a course of action.”
Every year NFIB polls its members on state and national issues vital to their ability to own, operate and grow their enterprises. Results from the poll center NFIB’s lobbying positions in Washington, D.C. and in Helena. NFIB has about 6,000 members in Montana and releases its annual results after a statistically valid sample is reached. The 2014 NFIB State Member Ballot asked four questions:
Should employers be prohibited from considering an applicant’s criminal history until after the interview process has concluded?
Yes 6 percent
No 91 percent
Und. 3 percent
Should NFIB support legislation that would make a portion of net business income from a pass-through entity deductible from state taxes?
Yes 68 percent
No 10 percent
Und. 22 percent
Should Montana impose prohibitions on the use of fracking technology in the development of energy resources?
Yes 8 percent
No 80 percent
Und. 12 percent
Should Montana implement a parental leave policy that would provide employees with additional time off to attend their children’s school activities and meetings?
Yes 12 percent
No 83 percent
Und. 5 percent
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Montana
491 South Park Ave.
Helena, MT 59601
406-443-3797
