This news release reacting to the Governor's veto was sent to reporters
Small Business Applauds Gov. Sununu for Veto of Unsustainable Family Leave Bill
It would have been an additional tax on everyone in the Granite State
CONCORD, May 9, 2019 – NFIB, an association that advocates on behalf of small businesses across New Hampshire, is pleased that Governor Chris Sununu vetoed SB 1, which would have created a new mandatory payroll tax and new state program. The family and medical leave insurance bill would have in essence been an income tax on all workers in New Hampshire, and a very significant administrative and employee relations burden on all small businesses. The following comments are attributable to Bruce Berke, state director of NFIB in New Hampshire:
“This family leave bill was an all-encompassing mandate, taxing peoples’ incomes even if they would never use this new state benefit. That is like requiring car insurance when you don’t even own a car. Many questions about financial sustainability of the legislation, impact on small businesses who would have to keep the person’s job open for 12 weeks and no limitations on the number of employees who could be out on leave at the same time.”
“This FMLI proposal put the state at financial risk, cost the employees a benefit they may never use, and impacted employers both financially and administratively.”
“NFIB-NH applauds Gov. Sununu for vetoing the bill because it would have been such a burden on small businesses. Allowing up to 12-weeks of leave would have made it very difficult to get the daily workload done. And in a small business with only five employees, two people going out on leave at the same time would impact 40% of its workforce. That’s untenable if you consider the challenges of temporarily filling a vacancy, particularly if the job required special training or safety certifications, to avoid a work shutdown. Then if a replacement is hired, and the employee on leave returns, the replacement would unfairly lose their job. Overall, it would have been a costly nightmare and negatively impacted employee relations in multiple ways.”
Contact:
Bruce Berke
State Director of NFIB in New Hampshire
[email protected]
603-496-8092
