On March 19, Small Business Majority's Georgia Director, Rachel Shanklin, submitted testimony for the record before the Georgia Senate Regulated Industries Committee on HB 1339. The proposal would establish a Comprehensive Health Coverage Commission to study the critical issue of closing the Medicaid coverage gap in Georgia.
Policy Statements
On March 15, Small Business Majority submitted a response to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce's request for information (RFI) to provide feedback on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Our response recognizes the importance of healthcare plans regulated under ERISA, and we argue that state regulated plans have great potential to offer quality and affordable healthcare coverage to small businesses nationwide.
Small Business Majority's Georgia Director, Rachel Shanklin, submitted testimony for the record in support of SB 157. The proposal will give Georgians a fair chance and help expand our state’s skilled workforce by making it easier for entrepreneurs and jobseekers to obtain occupational licenses.
On March 12, Small Business Majority's Colorado Director, Lindsey Vigoda, testified before the Colorado House Health and Human Services Committee in support of HB 24-1223. If passed, this proposal would strengthen and streamline the eligibility process for the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP), reducing administrative burdens for working families and stabilizing the childcare industry in Colorado.
On March 12, Small Business Majority submitted written testimony to the Senate Committee on the Budget examining how our nation’s women entrepreneurs are impacted by efforts to restrict reproductive freedom at both the federal and state level.
On March 11, Public Policy Director Awesta Sarkash sent a letter of support to the Tennessee Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor in support of HB 1859, legislation which would remove barriers to licensed occupations for those with prior criminal records. This is a critical proposal that will help support aspiring entrepreneurs and workers with criminal records to access the licenses they need to be successful in the workforce or launch their own businesses.
Small Business Majority is enacting a comprehensive state policy agenda to ensure entrepreneurship is recognized as the lifeforce of a thriving and inclusive economy in California. Our state’s 4.1 million small businesses employ 7.5 million people, which amounts to nearly half of the private workforce.
Small Business Majority’s Illinois policy agenda outlines policies that advance and promote equitable pathways for entrepreneurship while centering small businesses as the key to a thriving and inclusive economy. The state’s 1.3 million small businesses employ 2.4 million people (about 44.1% of the private workforce), with firms without employees making up 80% of all owned businesses. Illinois small business owners are navigating workforce shortages, a childcare crisis and the end of a number of pandemic era programs that support entrepreneurship.
On February 26, Small Business Majority Founder and CEO John Arensmeyer submitted a letter of support to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in favor of efforts to support the confirmation of Julie Su's nomination to serve as the next Secretary of Labor.
On February 26, Small Business Majority submitted written testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services encouraging the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to prioritize the needs of small businesses during the roll out of the new Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement, which went into effect on January 1, 2024.