Family Medical Leave

On April 30, Small Business Majority State Policy & Advocacy, Vice President Awesta Sarkash submitted testimony on Senate Bill 26-180. She urged the state to prioritize addressing childcare funding gaps, but not at the expense of the FAMLI program.

On April 8, Small Business Majority State Policy & Advocacy Vice President Awesta Sarkash sent a letter to Governor Spanberger urging her to sign legislation that would establish a Commonwealth-run paid family and medical leave program into law.

On March 2, DelfinoCo Founder and CEO Giovanni Delfino testified in support of HB1207. This legislation would create a Commonweatlh-run state paid family and medical leave program that self-employed small business owners could opt into.

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. 

On February 25, Small Business Majority submitted a statement for the record in response to a U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing titled “Balancing Careers and Care: Examining Innovative Approaches to Paid Leave.”

Small businesses and their employees need a comprehensive federal paid family and medical leave (PFML) program that works for Main Street. This fact sheet outlines why small business owners support a national PFML solution, how existing incentives fall short, and what federal policymakers should prioritize to ensure workers and entrepreneurs can access reliable, affordable paid leave.

Small business owners are at the epicenter of a growing national affordability crisis. The cost of starting and growing a small business continues to rise, from ballooning healthcare premium rates and rising childcare costs to inflated tariff rates impacting global supply chains.

On January 29, Small Business Majority Senior Public Policy Director Awesta submitted written testimony to the Virginia House Labor and Commerce Committee Subcommittee #2 in support of HB 1207, legislation that would establish a paid family and medical leave program.

North Carolina is home to more than 1 million small businesses, employing 1.8 million people and accounting for 99.6% of all businesses in the state. They play a significant role in our state economy and workforce. However, national economic uncertainty coupled with an especially fast-changing business landscape has required small businesses to adapt, yet again.