The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Maryland’s leading small business advocacy organization, issued the following statement from NFIB Maryland State Director Mike O’Halloran on the end of the Maryland General Assembly session:

“Despite the ongoing economic challenges facing Maryland’s small businesses, the General Assembly decided to go forward with tax and fee increases on Main Street and further exacerbate those challenges. We are disappointed that lawmakers didn’t listen to the state’s small business owners and passed House Bill 352 with provisions that will ultimately take away the funds that small businesses use to grow the economy. Unfortunately, lawmakers have only made it more difficult to run a small business in Maryland.”

NFIB’s recent jobs report shows that 40% (seasonally adjusted) of all small business owners reported job openings they could not fill.