from staff
The National Federation of Independent Business/Florida recently announced its 2010 legislative priorities, and leading the small business community toward economic recovery remains at the forefront.
“There are things the Florida Legislature can do to directly help regain lost jobs,” said NFIB/FL Executive Director Bill Herrle. “Small business is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and with help from the Florida Legislature this session, including the suspension of the unemployment tax increase, we can continue on the road to recovery.”
While NFIB will be monitoring additional legislation throughout session, the following bills represent the major issues that may affect small business at this time.
NFIB/Florida supports:
Unemployment compensation taxes
• Suspends for two years the automatic tax increase that was triggered when the trust fund became insolvent in August, as well as the increase in the wage base that was passed during the 2009 session (while the tax will still be higher, savings for employers are estimated at $75-$85 per employee)
Tort reform/slip and fall
• Requires that a plaintiff must prove a business establishment knew, or should have known, that a condition existed leading to injury from a slip and fall — while this issue is important to retailers, it is also important to any business that has visitors
Tort reform/parental waiver rights
• Restores the ability of a parent or legal guardian to execute a liability waiver on behalf of minor child, protecting business owners that provide activities with an inherent risk of injury and/or death
Health care services
• A joint resolution to place a proposed amendment to the state constitution on the 2010 ballot prohibiting laws and rules requiring Florida citizens, businesses and healthcare providers to purchase health insurance — a necessary effort to blunt a possibly adverse healthcare plan from Washington, D.C.
NFIB/Florida opposes:
Unemployment compensation
• Expands unemployment benefits to include workers who voluntarily quit for reasons such as relocation of a spouse, domestic violence, etc., as well as changes the period of employment on which benefits are calculated
Taxation
• Reinstates the intangible personal property tax, a tax on personal holdings such as stocks and bonds that was repealed in 2006
Health insurance mandates
• There are numerous bills before the Legislature this session to require health insurance policies to cover conditions currently not required by law, or expand coverage limits for currently mandated coverages.