A day spent with state House and Senate leaders opened the door for dialogue between business owners and legislators.
Washington’s 2016 Small Business Day at the Capitol
More than 30 NFIB members—in addition to other Washington residents—flooded Olympia on Jan. 27 to attend the annual Small Business Day at the Capitol.
NFIB/Washington State Director Patrick Connor started the morning out with an overview of NFIB’s legislative priorities. That was followed by interactions with a host of state representatives:
- Rep. Liz Pike of the House Environment Committee
- House Finance Committee Chair Kristine Lytton
- Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Vice Chair John Braun and House Labor and Workplace Standards Assistant Ranking Member Graham Hunt, who discussed the continuing battle between big labor and small business
Attendees also heard from small business leaders, including: Kevin Kuhlman, director of NFIB’s Legislative Affairs, and Rose Gundersen, a small business liaison for Labor and Industries.
At the capitol building, small business owners heard from House Republican Leader Dan Kristiansen and House Republican Caucus Chair Shelly Short. They also met with Senate Majority Coalition Caucus Chair Linda Parlette.
“They had a very good dialogue with the attendee members,” NFIB Member Support Manager Stacy Jenkins said. “We definitely kept it moving all day long with lots of questions.”
The day ended with hearings from numerous committees, including the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, the Senate Financial Services and Insurance Committee and the House Healthcare and Wellness Committee.
“We know that not a lot of small business owners can take a full day off of work, and we really appreciate the one’s that can,” Jenkins said. “Taking a full day out of a small business owner’s schedule is pretty difficult.”
The event—sponsored by DeWils Industries, Visiting Angels of Tacoma and Olympia and Capital Business Machines—proved a productive opportunity for small business owners to get their voices heard.
