From your small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento
Welcome to the October 23-27 edition of the Main Street Minute from your small-business-advocacy team in Sacramento.
Three Vetoed Bills Highlighted
- In an email to the entire California membership last Friday (October 20), NFIB highlighted three veto victories it helped achieve. Add to those the other 20 bills NFIB helped derail in the legislative process, and it was a better-than-expected year for small business.
- So, now what? The Legislature is done for the year and the governor’s deadline to sign or veto bills passed October 14. Lawmakers will return on January 3, 2024, to start the second half of their two-year session.
- In the meantime, NFIB will be gathering more research and building stronger coalitions to counter the agenda expected to surface next year. Want a glimpse of what the agenda might be? Check out the bill list above. Most of those issues will resurface in one form or another, especially more paid leave and universal health care.
- Add an election year into the mix and it will be an even busier year. Upcoming Main Street Minutes will take a deeper look at the ballot measures for November as well as those being circulated.
What Makes You Happy?
- Assemblyman Anthony Rendon wants to know. “It feels like we don’t take happiness seriously as a policy issue,” the former Assembly speaker told Politico. “Nobody ever really talks about what makes people happy, and why they’re happy, and why they’re happy in some places and why they aren’t happy in others. I think it’s something that needs to be talked about.”
- Continues the Politico story, “When lawmakers return in January, they’ll have a full schedule: housing, climate change, big tech and fentanyl are all top of mind. But as Rendon sees it, happiness is just as existential: ‘There’s no point in giving people housing if they’re not happy,’ he said.”
- Older readers of the Main Street Minute might be hearing the faint echoes of the late Assemblymember John Vasconcellos’ 1986 proposal to create a ‘State Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem.’
- One thing is for certain, Main Street entrepreneurs can’t be happy with Rendon’s small business voting record:
- 18% in 2015
- 17% in 2016
- 38% in 2017-2018
- 17% in 2019-2020
- 18% in 2021-2022.
Thinking Ahead
- For NFIB members in the retail business, Small Business Saturday, November 25, is around the corner. Time to start planning any specials you want to offer your customers to get them to save some of their Black Friday moolah for Main Street enterprises.
Tax Deadline? What Tax Deadline?
- Last week’s Main Street Minute accurately reported that October 16 was the deadline to file taxes for California affected by recent disasters, “but the U.S. Internal Revenue Service threw an unexpected curve ball on Monday,” reports CalMatters. “It announced it’s extending the filing deadline for federal returns for another month, until Nov. 16.
- “The IRS said its decision was ‘based on three different FEMA disaster declarations covering severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides over a period of several months.’ And after several hours and repeated inquiries from CalMatters, the [state Franchise] tax board announced Monday evening it will align with the new federal deadline.”
National
Highlights from NFIB Legislative Program Manager Caitlin Lanzara’s weekly report
- On October 19, the NFIB “Stop the Massive Small Business Tax Hike” petition reached more than 20,000 small business owner signatures. The petition signatures continue to grow! The 20% Small Business Deduction is set to expire in 2025. NFIB supports the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, which will make the Small Business Deduction permanent.
- On October 19, NFIB released the “Small Business Rundown” podcast’s 20th episode. U.S. Senator Mike Braun joined Legal Center Executive Director Elizabeth Milito and Federal Government Relations Manager Jeff Brabant to explain new U.S. Department of Labor regulatory proposals. Beth and Jeff break down the regulations being considered, and Senator Braun gives his perspective on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. with problematic small business regulations. Listen here!
- October 17, NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg published an op-ed in Forbes on the state of small business: “Small business owners anticipate a weakening economy. Business failures, large and small, are rising, major labor strikes are likely. The fourth quarter may be the period during which the negative economic forces finally have their way with the economy.”
Next Main Street Minute October 30.
