Health Care and Workforce Issues
Small-business owners know that their employees are their most valuable resource. However, burdensome governent mandates and a broken health care system are handicapping small businesses ability to compete for employees.Actions can be taken during the first 100 days to fix the healthcare system, along with other workforce issues, and provide much needed relief to America's small-businesses. Specifically, NSBA recommends the following actions:
Move toward a health care system that reduces costs, improves quality, and covers all as expeditiously as the fiscal climate will allow. While there are a number of individual reforms that can improve the functioning of the health care system and keep costs in check, many of the most important reforms can only happen in the context of universal coverage and comprehensive reform.
Consider the unique needs of small companies before imposing significant new compensation costs on small companies during a declining economy, such as new mandatory leave requirements and new pay equity regulations that could increase the incidence of frivolous lawsuits. The negative effects of detailed workforce regulations increase dramatically as the size of the business declines, as basic logistics create enormous burdens.
Avoid new immigration enforcement rules that unfairly place the burden of enforcement on the small business community. Small businesses want to do everything they can to obey the laws, but becoming the front-line enforcer of the laws (such as immigration) is more than many can handle. Also, mandatory use of the E-verify program poses grave concerns, at least until it has been fully proven and vetted.
Oppose the Employee Free Choice Act, which could fundamentally alter the nature of the small business-employee relationship. It is not yet clear how such a change in the law would affect small businesses and their employees. Action should at least be deferred until the many small business questions about this legislation can be answered. Such a new law could create significant new division at a time national unity should be a higher priority.
