On January 27, 2020, Small Business Majority's Government Affairs Manager, Awesta Sarkash, testified before Virginia's Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, in support of SB 404, health insurance; short-term limited-duration medical plans. Protecting the individual marketplace is important to entrepreneurs because many self-employed individuals and small business employees rely on the marketplace to purchase coverage.
Policy Statements
Today, Virginia small business owner, Sandra Leibowitz, submitted a letter of support for HB 825 and SB 770, paid family and medical leave program. Implementing this state-run leave program helps small businesses to compete with larger companies by retaining employees while allowing those who need time off to take it without worrying about the cost.
Small Business Majority submitted a letter of support to the House Finance Committee on HB 1435, a refundable earned income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. This bill would support entrepreneurs, as well as many low-wage small business employees, by allowing low-income individuals to claim more money. This would put money back into their pockets and help grow their businesses, as well as their customers and local economies.
On January 15, Small Business Majority filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to accept and quickly render a decision in the case of Texas v. U.S., which has challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. This is necessary because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently declared the individual mandate is unconstitutional and ordered a lower court to reconsider whether the remaining components of the ACA may remain law.
Small Business Majority has created a comprehensive state policy agenda to ensure entrepreneurship is at the center of a thriving and inclusive economy in Missouri. The state’s more than 520,000 small businesses employ 1.1 million people (about half of the private workforce) and created more than 32,000 jobs.
Small Business Majority submitted a letter of support to the U.S. House of Representatives on H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act. Addressing the high cost of prescription drugs will help bring more stability to the pricing of health coverage in the marketplaces, which is beneficial to small employers, health insurers and the healthcare system overall.
Today, Small Business Majority submitted a letter of support to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform on the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act). Many employers want to provide their employees with adequate leave time; however, not all can afford to do so. The FAMILY Act would enable employers to provide employees with much needed time away from work without bearing the full cost of their leave.
Small Business Majority submitted a letter of support to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on S. 2563, the ILLICIT CASH Act, which would protect small businesses from the myriad ways in which anonymous companies undermine legitimate small business owners. Currently, shell companies with hidden owners put small businesses at a disadvantage by unfairly competing for contracts, undermining supply chains, creating difficulties in finding responsible subcontractors and providing cover for fraudsters.
Small Business Majority submitted a letter of support for H.R. 5065 and H.R. 5078, which would direct the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide mentoring and training to federal inmates, both in-prison and post-release, to prepare incarcerated individuals and returning citizens for entrepreneurship.
The Responsible Business Lending Coalition submitted a letter of support to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services on H.R.3490, the Small Business Lending Fairness Act, which would address one of the most egregious predatory practices in small business financing. Small business borrowers can fall prey to confessions of judgement with little recourse, forcing some to close their business when they're unable to keep up with their payments. Banning confessions of judgement would remove arcane legal language meant to mislead business owners into signing away rights.