FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ANNAPOLIS (Feb. 1, 2023) – Gov. Wes Moore delivered his first State of the State address today, and National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) State Director Mike O’Halloran issued the following statement in reaction:
“The Governor laid out a very ambitious agenda in his first State of the State, paying particularly close attention to state government and state service. Maryland’s small business community will be very interested, and frankly nervous, to see what their part in it will be. An agenda that includes an accelerated minimum wage increase tied to inflation and perhaps an aggressive, likely unaffordable, climate plan means small business owners will play an outsized role and not in a good way.
“These policies and others like them continue to squeeze job creators and make it less affordable to do business in Maryland. Small business owners cannot afford a continuation of policies that raise the cost of doing business, stretch limited resources further, and add regulatory burdens. NFIB members are committed to helping the Moore administration connect job seekers with employers but not if it means bankrupting themselves in the process. We will continue to press the fact that small businesses are the backbone of our economy and create 2 out of every 3 jobs.”
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For nearly 80 years, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has been the voice of small business, advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit www.NFIB.com.
