Small Business Day 2023: Small Business Owners and Influential Leaders Converge in State Capitals

May 31, 2023

Keynote speakers included governors, lieutenant governors, a U.S. Senator, and legislative leaders

Small Business Day 2023: Small Business Owners and Influential Leaders Converge in State Capitals

Every year, NFIB hosts a series of Small Business Days, where small business owners are invited to their state capital to meet with one another, as well as lawmakers and other leaders to discuss key issues such as taxes, minimum wage, and paid leave. In 2023, NFIB has hosted Small Business Day events in 35 states with over 900 guests. This year’s Small Business Day series featured big-name guests such as governors, lieutenant governors, legislative leaders, and a U.S. Senator. Plus, three states had their first-ever Small Business Day. “NFIB’s Small Business Day events are true grassroots advocacy, providing small business owners with a platform to directly engage with lawmakers and shape policies that impact their livelihoods. These events highlight how the voice of Main Street is heard in state capitals nationwide,” said NFIB Vice President of State Government Relations Tim Goodrich on the event series. New York: Over 70 NFIB members tuned in to the virtual event to hear presentations from state leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Robb Ortt, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, Senate Small Business Committee Chair Sean Ryan, and Assembly Small Business Committee Chair Al Stirpe. “NFIB’s Small Business Days continued to grow and evolve in 2023, offering our members activism opportunities to engage state policymakers across the country on the unique issues keeping small business owners awake at night,” said Greg Biryla, Regional Director who helped organize the New York event. “In New York, for example, nearly 80 small business owners and small business supporters joined a 90-minute virtual session with key Albany Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to discuss the state’s minimum wage, energy policy, and leave mandates. The robust and frank discussion, complemented by ongoing lobbying strategies, caused the legislature to abandon their initial ambitions to adopt a highest-in-the-nation minimum wage of $21.25 in the Empire State.” Texas: Governor Greg Abbott was the Keynote speaker at this event where the main topics covered were an inventory tax cut and regulatory consistency legislation. For the past several years, NFIB and members of the business community have tried to prohibit cities and counties in Texas from implementing policies that exceed or conflict with federal or state law related to employment leave, hiring practices, employment benefits, or scheduling practices. “Returning to in-person events has been a great way to reengage our members in the post-pandemic world. It gave them an opportunity to engage with elected officials and hear from Brad Close about the state of NFIB. Having Governor Abbott join us as the keynote speaker for Texas Small Business Day was a great opportunity to promote our support for business tax cuts. Our members enjoyed hearing from the governor about his priorities for the session and his support of small business.” North Carolina: The Tar Heel State had a great Small Business Day event featuring Keynote speaker U.S. Senator Thom Tillis. Senator Tillis said it’s important for members of Congress not to let partisan politics get in the way of addressing important issues such as the economy, banking, and energy. “You can’t wait for the next election,” he told an audience of over 100 small business owners and their guests. “You can’t wait for the ideal circumstance of having control of all the bodies (of government) to get something done. You can’t wait for perfect. You need to get good done.” His speech was followed by a Leadership Council meeting where the attendees discussed top legislative issues coming up in the general assembly and planned for member engagement for the remainder of 2023. NFIB Regional State Government Relations Director Nathan Humphrey said that the Small Business Day series “ensures legislators hear directly from small business owners on the critical issues that come up during the legislative session. There is no substitute for hearing directly from a constituent in person on an issue that impacts them directly. Small business day is just one of the many tools we use to ensure that NFIB members have a seat at the table and a voice at the Capitol.” Missouri: This event was held simultaneously with “Buy Missouri Day,” an event that included small businesses with exhibits displaying Missouri-made products. Speakers included the Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe and Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, Rep. Chris Brown. NFIB members also testified before the House Workforce Development hearing on the ongoing labor shortage and solutions before the General Assembly. Mike King, an NFIB member small business owner who works to connect workers with employment opportunities, described the difficult challenge of maintaining a skilled workforce: “Turnover the past few years is higher than I’ve ever seen it. In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a turnover rate of 57.3 percent. In my territory alone over the past decade, I’ve seen six times as many people ‘no call, no show,’ two times as many people quit, six and a half times as many people quit or walk off the job, and six and a half times as many people ‘no call, no show’ after starting [a job]. We’ve had to process and place roughly three times as many candidates to get the same return as we did three years ago.” South Dakota: The first-ever Small Business Day in South Dakota featured influential guests such as Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden, President Pro Tempore of the Senate Lee Schoenbeck, Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree, Speaker of the House Hugh Bartels, and House Majority Leader Will Mortenson. The discussion focused primarily on small business owners’ concerns about government overreach. NFIB member Jedrey Baumann, who heads up five small businesses in South Dakota, told the lawmakers that the threat of a higher minimum wage, combined with unaffordable health insurance costs have him questioning whether he can continue expanding his businesses. “We are proud that South Dakota is consistently rated one of the best business climates in the nation,” said South Dakota State Director Jason Glodt. “As a result of our state’s pro-business policies, South Dakota also has one of the strongest economies in the nation. Small Business Day is an opportune time for small business owners to make their voices heard. Thanks to the success of this event, we expect this to be the first of many engaging events between South Dakota lawmakers and the small business owners who not only elected them, but help keep the state’s economy running.” Maine: This virtual event featured Governor Janet Mills as a guest speaker. State Director David Clough provided an overview of NFIB’s legislative priorities in the legislature followed by a briefing on federal issues by NFIB Vice President of Federal Government Relations Kevin Kuhlman, as well as instruction on how small business owners can push for pro-small business policy in Maine. Discussion centered around pending state-mandated Paid Family and Medical Leave legislation being considered in the Maine Assembly, as well as taxes, healthcare costs, Just Cause Dismissal and other labor issues, and energy costs and rate regulation. To learn more about news, advocacy, and events in your state, go to NFIB.com/advocacy/choose-your-state.

Topics:

Taxes

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