Nobody likes to be micro-managed in their job…especially not people who are already in business for themselves and typically have no one to answer to other than a board of directors or a partner. So, it’s no surprise that business advocates at the National Federation of Independent Business stepped up last week to voice frustration over government meddling and micro-management of business issues.
One of the state’s leading small-business organizations, NFIB told the House Commerce and Trade Committee last week that small business owners are fed up with micro-management by government. The message comes in response to efforts by some local governments to dictate what an employer can ask on an employment application, something already regulated by the federal and state government.
At the hearing, NFIB testified in support of Senate Bill 353, sponsored by Sen. John Proos, that would prohibit local units of government from adopting an ordinance or policy regulating information an employer must provide or exclude on an application for employment or during the interview process.
The purpose of the legislation is to head off local efforts like the one in the city of Philadelphia that would ban private-sector employers from asking job applicants about their salary history.
Charles Owens is State Director for the NFIB. He says, “Labor laws of this nature are the purview of the state and federal government and should not be micro-managed by local governments seeking to win favor with activist groups and labor organizations.” He adds, “While local governance certainly has its place, too many times local governments are using ‘local control’ as an excuse to grow their own bureaucracy with burdensome regulations that duplicate already existing federal and state laws.”
Owens went on to say, “Small business can no longer afford to keep up with overlapping local ordinances and rules,” adding, “In a recent survey of our small-business members, they supported action by the state Legislature to preempt local governments from setting up their own regulatory program that duplicates or exceeds the requirements of an already existing state or federal regulation.”
Owens says that rules and regulations have a disproportionate impact on smaller companies and that research has shown that this difference can be as much as 36-percent between the costs incurred by small firms when compared with their larger counterparts.
Owens told the committee, “Senate Bill 353 is common sense legislation that will rein in local governments that seek to develop rules and ordinances stricter than already existing state and federal laws, and we look forward to working with you to move this bill forward.”
For more information about NFIB, you can visit www.nfib.com and the NFIB/Michigan state page, www.nfib.com/michigan. Follow along on Twitter @NFIB_MI.
NFIB is one of the nation’s leading small business associations, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists sends their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses.
