Workforce benefits

Ahead of a hearing in the New Mexico Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee, Awesta Sarkash, Public Policy Director, submitted a letter of support for SB 11, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. The bill would create a state-run paid family and medical leave fund that employers and their employees can take advantage of during critical health-related moments. 

On October 17, Small Business Majority and Good Business Colorado submitted comments to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment on proposed rules for private plans in the Paid Family Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program. The FAMLI program is an essential program for Colorado, which will provide employees of small businesses with access to paid family leave, and help small firms compete with larger companies.

On August 29, small businesses and business organizations signed their names to a letter urging Governor Newsom to make worker-funded Paid Family Leave (PFL) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) more accessible to California’s low-wage workers. The letter outlines how California’s PFL program can level the playing field for California small business owners who want to provide quality jobs for their workers.

Today, John Arensmeyer testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship at a hearing, "The Small Business Workforce Challenge: Causes, Impacts, and Solutions." More than two years into the pandemic, small businesses are slowly rebuilding but need a vibrant stable workforce to fully recover. Entrepreneurs, especially those in under-resourced communities, need an array of support to address labor shortages and ensure employees are able to come back to the workforce. Mr.

Small Business Majority writes in support of AB 2589, which would make the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) and the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) more impactful and overall improve access to the California tax system for low to moderate income small business owners and employees. 

Small Business Majority writes in support of AB 2847, an investment of $690 million to create an Excluded Workers Program for employees in California who are excluded from unemployment insurance. This would ensure that all unemployed workers have the resources they need to recover and continue to support local small businesses. 

On March 16, LaJuanna Russell, founder and president of Business Management Associates, Inc. (BMA) and the Chair of the Board of Directors and a member of the Small Business Council for Small Business Majority, testified before the U.S. Select House Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth about the critical role of entrepreneurship as a pathway to long-term financial stability and growth for Americans, as well as to discuss barriers to starting and sustaining small businesses.

Hundreds of small business owners have added their names onto a sign-on letter calling on Congress to immediately invest in human infrastructure. Entrepreneurs and employees need access to benefits that will help us compete and ensure employees have the resources they need to fully participate in the workforce, as well as reforms to level the playing field for small businesses, particularly when it comes to tax reform.