Washington

Patrick Connor
Washington State Director

For more than 75 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been educating and constantly reminding elected officials in state houses and Congress that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses. They often have different difficulties in remaining solvent and policies that lump all business together often do more harm than good.

As NFIB’s Washington state director, Patrick Connor has been delivering that message at the State Capitol and all throughout the Evergreen State since 2009.

During his tenure, Connor’s expertise in health care policy, particularly in advancing health care cost and quality transparency, has been recognized by appointments to the Governor’s Performance Measures Coordinating Committee, the Secretary of Health’s Patient Out-of-Pocket Cost Task Force, the Health Benefit Exchange’s Standard Plan Design Work Group, and the Exchange’s Small Business / SHOP Technical Advisory Committee. Under his leadership, NFIB was instrumental in securing passage of legislation establishing a statewide All Payer Claims Database. Connor also serves on the Washington Health Alliance’s board of directors.

Connor’s small business management and local government background helped NFIB broker an agreement establishing a $2,000 sales threshold before cities can require non-resident businesses to obtain local business licenses, and pass legislation that will bring all municipal business license applications online by 2022.

During Connor’s directorship, NFIB has led several regulatory reform efforts, resulting in a right-to-cure law allowing small businesses seven days to correct some minor rule violations before a penalty can be assessed; notification and consultation requirements for agencies undertaking rulemaking that triggers a Small Business Economic Impact Statement, including a requirement that agencies consider alternatives submitted by small-business owners and their advocates; and an annual report from the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) categorizing workers’ compensation expenditures, allowing identification and tracking of fund diversions to other, unrelated state programs.

Connor also represents NFIB as a member of the Department of Revenue’s Business Advisory Council, as well as L&I’s Construction Underground Economy Advisory Committee and other of that agency’s various workgroups.

A native Washingtonian, Connor graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University. He returned to his hometown of Hoquiam where he spent nearly a decade working in his family’s construction firm and was elected to two terms on the city council, twice serving as council president and mayor pro tempore. Connor and his family reside in Olympia.

NFIB/Washington
111 21st Avenue SW
Olympia, WA 98501
P: 360-786-8675
E: [email protected]
Facebook: NFIB Washington
Twitter: @nfib_wa 

Additional NFIB Contacts

Anthony Malandra
Senior Media Manager
C: 415-640-5156
E: [email protected]

Stacy L. Jenkins
Senior Grassroots Manager
C: 360-870-7749
E: [email protected]