OLYMPIA, Wash., June 1, 2022—The state’s leading small-business association today released its voting record on the Washington State Legislature, a biennial report card aimed to provide more truth in advertising about incumbents claiming to be friends of Main Street enterprises.

“In the wake of pandemic-related shutdowns and closures, Washington small businesses were already struggling to survive,” said Patrick Connor, Washington state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the state’s and nation’s leading small-business association. “In many cases the Legislature tried to help, in other instances they made a bad situation worse.”

“Rising costs and lost sales due to government-mandated restrictions, worker shortages, supply chain disruptions, and skyrocketing inflation were made worse by new laws adding substantial costs to transportation fuels and energy, increasing unemployment insurance taxes, and mandating new workplace restrictions and penalties,” Connor noted.

“Thankfully, with the help of many friends in the Legislature, NFIB was able to secure important B&O tax relief for small businesses as well as cushion the blow for many small employers suffering huge spikes in their unemployment insurance rates,” Connor added.

NFIB also led efforts to defeat several bad-for-small-business bills that would have hobbled small employers with costly changes to the state-run workers’ compensation system, expanded legal liability, and ever greater regulatory obligations.

State senators and House members were graded on the same eight votes and on two additional votes taken in their chambers only. Sixteen senators and 35 representatives earned perfect 100% pro-small-business voting records, another six senators and 10 representatives scored between 70% and 90%.

A brief description of the bills and each legislator’s vote on them can be read here.

Contact: Patrick Connor, Washington State Director, patrick.connor@nfib.org
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

Keep up with the latest Washington state small-business news at www.nfib.com/washington or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_WA or on Facebook @NFIB.WA

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For nearly 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 a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. 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.

NFIB Washington
111 – 21st Avenue Southwest
Olympia, WA 98501
360-786-8675
NFIB.com/WA
Twitter: @NFIB_WA