Skip to content

NFIB Goes to Bat for the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act

NFIB Goes to Bat for the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act

September 6, 2023

Small business owners should not be deterred from availing themselves of their rights under the new regulatory law.

NFIB Goes to Bat for the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act

For five years, NFIB Texas has fought on behalf of small business owners against the patchwork of regulations that make it more difficult for Texas employers to operate their businesses. Together, we got the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act to Governor Abbott’s desk for signature.

Unfortunately, this new law is under attack by a handful of misguided city officials and politically motivated labor groups.

Our fight continues.

As a member of the Alliance for Securing and Strengthening the Economy in Texas (ASSET), we filed an amicus brief in defense of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act. Despite the Travis County District Court’s ruling, small business owners should not be deterred from availing themselves of their rights under the new law, which took effect on Friday, September 1, 2023.

While appearing on the “Beyond the Bite” podcast NFIB State Director Annie Spilman reminded listeners why small business owners support the new law, saying:

“In 2018 we started to see first the City of Austin trying to regulate private employment practices in the way of mandating paid sick leave in a very authoritarian manner. It wasn’t just to provide paid sick leave for their employees. What the ordinance would do was create subpoena power for the city. It’s very scary. And if a mere allegation was made against a small business employer, who doesn’t have in-house compliance officers, doesn’t have attorneys, these folks truly don’t even know that a new ordinance has been passed until they’re slapped with a fine, but if an allegation has been made that they’re not in compliance with this new local ordinance, and again they may not even live in Austin, now the city has subpoena power over their records.”

LISTEN: Small Business Owners Are The Face of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act

NFIB small business owner member Lisa Fullerton celebrated the law, noting that some local mandates would make it harder for her to take care of her employees. In an interview with San Antonio’s Mariza Mendoza, Fullerton said:

We’ve offered great benefits. We’ve had sick, vacation, paid time off, we’ve had insurance benefits. […] I had employees with six figures in their 401k plans, that I don’t think they would have had if I was forced to have a paid sick leave.”

Questions about the new law? Reach out to Spilman at annie.spilman@nfib.org.

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Receive our newsletter and email notification
Knowledge is power. Let us help you stay informed with breaking legislative news, regulatory updates, business tips, and more.

Related Articles

February 14, 2025
Join Us in Austin for Small Business Day 2025!
Join us in Austin on March 20th to strengthen the voice of small businesses…
Read More
February 14, 2025
ICYMI: NFIB Minnesota Testifies to Delay Paid Family Leave
NFIB Minnesota’s Jon Boesche and Steve Gilbertson Testify in Support of D…
Read More
February 14, 2025
Bipartisan Deal Struck to Save Tipped Wages – Earned Sick Tim…
ESTA and tipped wages legislative update
Read More
February 13, 2025
NFIB Applauds SC House for Passing Retail Theft Protection Bill
The measure would increase penalties and help protect small businesses from…
Read More

© 2001 - 2025 National Federation of Independent Business. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Accessibility