WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 11, 2024) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, commends the U.S. Senate for passing two pieces of bipartisan legislation, the Employer Reporting Improvement Act and the Paperwork Burden Reduction Act, that would alleviate administrative burdens and red tape for small businesses. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed companion legislation in 2023.

“This relief from red tape is a breath of fresh air that small businesses desperately need,” said Josselin Castillo, NFIB Principal of Federal Government Relations. “These measures represent an important step toward reducing administrative burdens for small businesses. By allowing electronic filing of essential documents and promoting flexibility, this legislation slices through bureaucratic barriers, protecting small businesses from being overly exposed to unwarranted fines. We are pleased lawmakers in the House and Senate passed these two measures to provide relief for Main Street.”

Small business owners consistently rank “unreasonable government regulations” as a top business concern. The Employer Reporting Improvement Act will ease compliance burdens, protect employee privacy and modernize communication by electronically filing certain documents. The Paperwork Burden Reduction Act would reduce the number of physical forms employers must mail to employees every year. Eliminating paperwork burdens and streamlining reporting and compliance requirements will give time back to small business owners without impacting healthcare coverage for their employees.

We applaud the bipartisan group of legislators who championed this critical legislation: Representatives Adrian Smith (R-NE), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO); and we commend the Senate for their recent passage with special thanks to Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), John Thune (R-SD), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Their leadership and dedication have been instrumental in advancing these measures, promising significant relief from paperwork burdens for small businesses nationwide.

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For 80 years, NFIB has been 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 nfib.com.