NFIB Texas, job creators urge Senate Business & Commerce Committee to support SB 814 / HB 2127
AUSTIN (April 4, 2023) – “This is a tool for small businesses right now that have faced a lot of uncertainty,” NFIB State Director Annie Spilman said before a Senate Business & Commerce Committee hearing in support of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act (SB 814 / HB 2127). “You go another two years without this protection– we just don’t know what cities might propose next. And that uncertainty of a business owner trying to figure out if they can comply or pay for the next thing that’s coming from the bottom, and the middle, and the top, in the middle of a supply chain crisis, inflation, and facing a recession – it’s a lot.”
College Station small business owner and NFIB member Tom Kenney also appeared before the Senate panel and urged lawmakers to pass the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, saying:
“Anybody that runs a business, is going to operate the business and take care of their people. I can tell you the businesspeople I work with and talk to, the guys that own air conditioning companies, plumbing businesses that go from town to town, that have multiple workers, wonder, ‘what rules do they apply to their workforce?’ This law is the right thing to do. This law will help bring consistency and be applied fairly. We have multiple municipalities passing multiple bills that have a major impact on how we operate our business. I strongly urge encourage the passing of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act.”
Describing some of the burdensome regulations passed by Texas cities in recent years, Spilman noted that the hidden subpoena powers included in the ordinances are frightening to small business owners:
“Back in 2018, the cities of Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio passed paid sick leave ordinances that had subpoena power,” Spilman said. “Under these ordinances, if there was even an allegation of violation, the city would have subpoena power over the employers’ records and the employees’ records. I just don’t know why a city ordinance would have something in there like that. That’s very frightening to a small business owner, with no compliance officers.”
Ahead of the Senate hearing, Spilman appeared on the ‘Let People Prosper Show’ podcast, where she described the governing powers cities would retain under the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act. CLICK HERE for the full interview.
READ: Fact Check: Local Control Is Alive and Well in Texas
Background:
For the past several years, NFIB and members of the business community have sought to prohibit cities and counties from implementing policies that exceed or conflict with federal or state law related to employment leave, hiring practices, employment benefits, or scheduling practices.
NFIB is a member of The Alliance for Securing and Strengthening the Economy in Texas (ASSET), a coalition of business organizations, formed to advance policies that foster economic growth and allow the free market to operate without heavy government interference in business decisions.
Other partner organizations include: Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas, Texas Association of Builders, Texas Society of Human Resource Management, Texas Association of Staffing, Texas Construction Association, Central Texas Subcontractors Association, Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, Texas Restaurant Association, Texas Retailers Association, Texas Association of Business, Hispanic Contractors Association, Texas Food & Fuel Association, Texas Apartment Association, Associated General Contractors- Texas Building Branch, Real Estate Councils of Texas, Texas Travel Alliance, Texas Nursery & Landscape Association, and the Theater Owners of Mid-America.
