The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has released its voting record for the past two legislative sessions. Included are all of Virginia’s 40 Senators and 100 members of the House of Delegates.
Both the House and Senate were graded by how they voted on 7 pieces of legislation that impacted small business owners. Another three key votes on bills in the Senate and five in the House during the 2022 and 2023 legislative session were also included.
This year’s Voting Record includes issues of critical importance to Virginia small business owners such as mandatory paid sick leave, overtime and the repeal of Virginia’s onerous Overtime Wage Act and freezing the minimum wage. You can find the complete document here.
The legislator with the worst record scored 32%. A total of 68 legislators scored 100% by supporting small business legislation and rejecting bills that would make owning and operating a small business in Virginia more difficult, including the addition of government mandates and regulations.
A score of 100% indicates a commitment to listen to and champion issues that impact Virginia’s job creators and their employees. A total of 47 legislators earned this year’s small business endorsement from the NFIB VA PAC. That includes 12 incumbents in the Senate and 35 incumbents in the House of Delegates.
“Our voting record is an important tool for small business owners, their employees, and really everyone who lives and pays taxes in Virginia. NFIB’s score card gives voters a real number that provides a clear picture: not what a lawmaker says or promises, but how they cast their vote,” said Julia Hammond, NFIB State Director in Virginia.
Right now, some lawmakers seem more concerned about re-election than helping small business owners. Session may be over, but their work isn’t done.
Lawmakers gaveled out of the 2023 legislative session with an unfinished “skinny budget” on February 25th. That was six months ago and only recently have conferees demonstrated real progress on a final budget. Small business owners are paying close attention to what’s happening. During NFIB’s Small Business Day here in Richmond this January, the House passed legislation that would lower the tax burden for everyone in the state.
The bill included key goals from Governor Youngkin’s plan for $1 billion in tax cuts that would allow not only small business owners, but taxpayers across Virginia to keep more of their hard-earned money and use it for expanding their business, hiring more workers, and putting money back into the economy to keep our state moving forward.
This year’s score card is a great way to determine who really supports small businesses when it matters. It’s also a tool for the public to educate themselves on how their lawmaker voted before they decide where they vote and decide who will speak for them during the next legislative session.”
NFIB tracks key legislative issues identified by our small business members every session and then tabulates a score for each member of the state legislature. The 2023 NFIB Virginia Voting Record does not reflect all elements considered by a lawmaker when voting, nor does it represent a complete profile of a legislator. However, it does provide information voters can consider when evaluating their legislator’s attitudes toward small businesses.
Sixty percent of NFIB-member small businesses employ between one and five workers. Add firms employing six to nine workers and the percentage grows to 74%. Click here to read the four distinctions separating a small business from a big business and here to read The Power of the Small Business Voice.