FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONCORD, NH (January 22, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy association, provided testimony today supporting a proposal in the New Hampshire House of Representatives to enact Right-To-Work protections for workers and small businesses in the Granite State. NFIB State Director John Reynolds testified in support of the legislation, HB 238 (Rep. Popovici-Muller), at a hearing of the House Labor, Industrial, and Rehabilitative Services Committee:

“The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) represents over 1,700 small businesses across New Hampshire.” testified Reynolds. “Our members operate in every industry and support their communities through good-paying jobs, taxes, and charitable contributions. NFIB’s mission is to protect and promote the right to own, operate, and grow their businesses.

“We appreciate the opportunity to comment on House Bill 238, which would make New Hampshire the 27th Right to Work state and a leader in New England. Fundamentally, Right to Work protects the ability of small businesses and workers to determine their own fates.

“In a survey conducted by NFIB, over 80 percent of Grante State small business owners back adoption of Right to Work. Notably, the policy becomes even more popular with small businesses over time – 90 percent support retaining Right to Work once enacted.

“Further, nonpartisan academic research finds that Right to Work laws benefit entrepreneurs, workers, and taxpayers.

“Importantly for New Hampshire, a recent study by researchers at Harvard University found that Right to Work laws produce profound benefits in states that border non-RTW jurisdictions. The study examined the effects in two counties adjacent to the border of RTW and non-RTW states, meaning its conclusions apply to the entire Granite State.

“In addition to finding evidence of higher average wages in the locations studied, the researchers concluded that Right to Work results in:

• higher population growth;
• higher employment to population ratio;
• higher share of manufacturing employment;
• higher rates of upward economic mobility.
• lower rates of unemployment; and
• lower rates of poverty.

“As New Hampshire seeks to boost economic growth, address chronic workforce shortages, and make the state an even more attractive place to live, Right to Work is the right policy at the right time.

“NFIB New Hampshire thanks the sponsors of HB 238 and the committee for its consideration of this important proposal.”

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For more than 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 nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. 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.