NFIB's Duggan: Our Small Business Challenge Brings Lawmakers Straight to You

Date: April 05, 2018

NFIB Members,

With Tax Day 2018 right around the corner, those of you who file as individuals will close the books on 2017 and focus on the present. And according to NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index, it’s a good time to be a small business owner.

Small business owners are showing unprecedented confidence in the economy. The historically high Optimism Index readings indicate that policy changes–lower taxes and fewer regulations–are transformative for small businesses. After years of standing on the sidelines and not benefiting from the so-called recovery, Main Street is on fire again.

Many of you have told us that with the money saved by tax reform, you’re reinvesting in your business—hiring more people, expanding your operation, and buying new equipment.

We hear you. And we’re making sure lawmakers hear you, too. NFIB works exclusively for small business owners, bringing your voice to each statehouse and Capitol Hill. We also bring lawmakers straight to you. After all, there’s no better way for someone to understand a small business than to spend a day working beside the owner.

That’s what the NFIB Small Business Challenge is about. Lawmakers work at an NFIB member business to see what the experience is really like. They quickly learn that a small business owner takes on nearly every role at the company, and that a small business isn’t just a smaller version of a big corporation.  

The Small Business Challenge began in 2013 when Michigan Congressman Tim Walberg visited an NFIB business in Jackson, MI. The program was initially to last through the 2013-2014 legislative session, but it was so successful in connecting our members with their lawmakers, that it’s going strong five years later.        

Just last week, NFIB members Utah Metal Works hosted Senator Orrin Hatch and Lima Pallet hosted Ohio Senator Rob Portman at their businesses. In February, Rep. Darin LaHood visited Ace Sign Co. in Illinois to take the challenge. Last October, House Speaker Paul Ryan visited Royal Basket Trucks Inc. in Wisconsin. To date, more than 25 lawmakers have accepted the challenge, seeing first-hand how the decisions they make in Washington, D.C., affect job creators back home. 

This is just one of the ways NFIB ensures that your voice, the voice of small business, is heard by policymakers. Advocating for your independence is our sole purpose—it’s what we’ve done for 75 years, and it’s what we’ll continue to do for the next 75 and beyond.

Thank you for your membership.

Sincerely,

Juanita D. Duggan, NFIB President and CEO

 

NFIB members: Would you like to host an event at your business? Or get involved in other ways? Please update your member preferences by logging in to NFIB.com and clicking on MyNFIB and then Get Involved.

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