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Georgia Small Business Owner Highlight

With open enrollment for 2021 now live and U.S. Supreme Court hearings that could determine the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) happening this week, healthcare is top of mind for many small business owners. Rich Gordon, a solo-entrepreneur and healthcare agent in Georgia is amongst them.
Rich actually started his business in response to the passing of the ACA. He had worked his entire career in health insurance and was approaching retirement. He saw the ACA as an opportunity to both help people and sustain an income in his retirement.
Georgia Events
Georgia Policy
On March 31, Small Business Majority Georgia Director Rachel Shanklin sent a letter in support of SR 890, a resolution that would create the Georgia Senate Study Committee on Protecting Free and Fair Markets.
On March 11, Small Business Majority Georgia Director Rachel Shanklin sent a letter in support of SB 554 to the Georgia Senate Committee on Education and Youth. This legislation would invest in the expansion of affordable, high-quality childcare.
On March 3, Small Business Majority Georgia Director Rachel Shanklin sent a letter to the Georgia House Committee on Health in support of SB 462, legislation that would extend Georgia’s surprise billing protections to emergency ground ambulance transportation.
On March 2, Small Business Majority Georgia Director Rachel Shanklin testified in support of HB 1318, legislation that would fund an independent study to evaluate a cost-effective paid family and medical leave program.
Georgia Research
Small Business Majority’s new poll of Georgia small business owners reveals strong support for legislative solutions that would remove barriers for justice-impacted individuals by making reforms to occupational licensing and debt-based driver’s license suspensions. These politically diverse, and predominantly Republican-leaning, small business owners believe these measures would enable employers to tap into an underutilized workforce and open up opportunities for entrepreneurship.
While small businesses employ nearly half (46.4%) of the private workforce in the United States, many are struggling to hire and retain a ready workforce. One viable solution to their persistent workforce challenges is the passing of Clean Slate policies, which seal and expunge certain criminal records and allow justice-impacted individuals to seek employment opportunities and entrepreneurship. Individual state analyses of small business responses in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas found widespread support for Clean Slate policies at the state and federal level.
A new poll of Georgia small business owners reveals strong support for criminal justice reforms at the state and federal level. Georgia small businesses believe that Clean Slate policies can help employers fill gaps in their workforce and remove barriers to employment or entrepreneurship opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.