NFIB state Legislative Director Tim Nungesser spoke at a Restore Economic Strength through Employment & Tourism (RESET) task force meeting on Friday, Dec. 4, about the need for COVID-19 liability protections for small businesses.
Thank you @nfib_fl’s Tim Nungesser for giving an update on the state of small businesses in Florida at the Florida Business Forum. @FRLAnews @FloridaRetail pic.twitter.com/wjV7KuTZ5A
— Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) (@VoiceofFLBiz) December 4, 2020
Nungesser said lawmakers need to treat all businesses equally when it comes to COVID-19 liability protections. There has been discussion of providing greater protections to so-called essential businesses, he said, but “I’ve never met a small business owner who thought their business was non-essential. I’ve also never met any employee of a small business who thought their paycheck was non-essential.”
Lawmakers need to pass liability protections quickly to help small businesses struggling to remain open because of the decline in business caused by the pandemic, Nungesser said. “The last thing they can afford right now is a COVID lawsuit.”
He also talked about NFIB’s support for additional federal assistance to help small businesses survive the current economic crisis and about the urgent need to rein in attorneys’ fees in workers’ comp cases because it appears many COVID-19 claims in Florida will go through the state’s workers’ comp system.
