State Director Dawn Starns McVea said NFIB is closely watching efforts to short up Louisiana’s unemployment trust fund, which has been impacted by the pandemic.

“We are working to ensure that the voice of small business is heard on the HCR 36 Task Force, which was created to look at the dealing with unemployment trust fund following the impact from COVID-19,” McVea said.

“The task force is looking at a number of unemployment policy issues including replenishing the depleted trust fund, repaying the funds borrowed from the federal government, the current level of payroll taxes on small business owners and the current level of benefits,” McVea said.

She said the task force also is looking at programs such as the Incumbent Worker Training Program. NFIB has asked for statistics on the number and type of employers who utilize the program, she said.