NJAWBO's Legislative Road to Change

NJAWBO has continued to strengthen its position as a state champion of small business issues. The process began with our campaign to elect NJAWBO members as New Jersey delegates to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business. As many of us were subsequently elected national Issue leaders, we have continued to actively build national and local connections.    Issues Criteria The legislation we select to either initiate, support, or defeat must satisfy all of the following:  - Will our issues encourage job creation, innovation, and economic growth for women owned businesses?  -  Will our issues foster entrepreneurial diversity?  - Will our issues make government more user-friendly and more effective in meeting the needs of entrepreneurs?  - Will our issues result in good public policy that is in New Jersey's best interest?  - Will our issues increase New Jersey's competitiveness for women business owners?

 

We want you to be informed...

Legislative news that concern women business owners fall into the following categories:  - Contracting and Procurement for Women-Owned Businesses  - Healthcare  - Economic Development  - Taxation  - Labor and Workforce Development  - Government Reform  - Eminent Domain

 

 

 

 

The Road To Change:  NJAWBO Public Policies, Principles and Legislative Agenda The Road To Change is the official NJAWBO Public Policy Platform. It is a detailed call-to-action for building a strong private-sector economy, improving the business climate, and unequivocally supporting women-owned business enterprises. New Jersey’s private-sector employers are the State’s main engine of economic growth and prosperity.    Increasingly, these businesses are challenged by domestic and global competition, rising production costs, a growing burden of State and Federal regulations, and some of the highest costs of doing business in the nation.  At the same time, other states are aggressively courting N.J. businesses, sometimes successfully. N.J. companies are re-locating to other states and are receiving extra incentives to do so. To keep the economy strong and to create new jobs, government at all levels must seek to reduce business costs, avoid costly mandates and offer incentives for economic growth. THE ROAD TO CHANGE Healthcare The cost of healthcare is one of the largest barriers to business entrepreneurship. New Jersey employers provide health insurance coverage for the vast majority of  New Jersey citizens. Rapidly rising insurance premiums are making that coverage very costly, and in many cases, are forcing businesses to make difficult decisions regarding workplace benefits.   Many employers are being forced to shift more of the burden to the employees themselves, and some employers can no longer afford to absorb any of the costs associated with healthcare insurance.  NJAWBO believes that Government should strive to limit cost increases, making health insurance more affordable and thereby increasing the total number of insured individuals. Health insurance laws should give employers the flexibility they need to respond to rapid changes in the healthcare marketplace. Most importantly, Government should meticulously review all proposed healthcare mandates for their potential impact on the overall cost of health insurance. NJAWBO supports the following Healthcare initiatives: -Supporting State Legislation that enables the use of Health Savings Accounts -Increasing insurance options for small employers through reform of the insurance market, including Association Health Plans Economic Development NJAWBO advocates a strong focus on business retention. Since businesses are exiting New Jersey, State government must devote as many resources as possible to keeping existing companies.  New Jersey should employ targeted incentives to encourage business investment and job creation. NJAWBO will work with the State Legislature to develop specific proposals and initiatives that address the needs of women-owned businesses. This includes providing testimony on programs that already exist in an effort to make improvements and allow for the largest degree of participation within the community of women-business owners. Government Reform NJAWBO seeks to improve the quality of New Jersey’s government by advocating for ethical reform at all levels of leadership.  NJAWBO supports the following Government Reform initiatives: -An elected, as opposed to appointed, position of Inspector General -Creating the cabinet position of Lieutenant Governor -Developing a comprehensive plan for Ethics Reform that would strengthen the state’s ethic rules -Elimination of unnecessary layers of government -Limitations on Campaign Spending -Elimination of Dual-Office Holding -Legislative Term Limits Taxation and Tax Reform NJAWBO supports business tax policies that will encourage, rather than discourage, economic growth and job creation. New Jersey tax laws should be competitive with tax laws in other states, and state and local governments should balance their budgets without raising taxes.  NJAWBO advocates for a sustained reduction in state spending, so new taxes will not be created. Business Taxes NJAWBO supports the following regarding Business taxation: -Elimination of the Alternative Minimum Assessment under the Corporation Business Tax -Carryover of Net-Operating Loss Deductions for Corporations -Putting the N.J. estate tax in accordance with the federal estate tax in computing exemptions -Full State Tax deduction of health insurance premiums to assist employers who provide employees with coverage -Amending of the Business Retention Act to reaffirm exemption of business personal property,  such as machinery and equipment, from property taxes. -Deductibility of Business Equipment Property Taxes NJAWBO will strongly oppose any legislative initiatives to tax commercial properties at higher rates than residential properties. The N.J. State Constitution currently forbids municipalities to engage in this practice.  Doing so would place a terrible burden on the business community and would not ultimately solve the property tax crisis in New Jersey. Furthermore, some businesses might be forced into closing or re-locating due to the extra tax burden. Fairness in Women's Contracting and Procurement NJAWBO advocates for women-owned business enterprises and their ability to obtain a fair share of state and federal contracts. Government should have systems of accountability in place and have defined processes and procedures which monitor the performance of any procurement and contracting programs, insuring that women-owned businesses are included.  NJAWBO emphatically advocates for re-instatement of the N.J. State Contracting Set-Aside for Women-Owned Businesses and worked on legislation which was introduced in the Fall 2006 Legislative Session. Access to Capital NJAWBO supports the creation of financial incentives and loan programs targeted to women-owned businesses.  NJAWBO will continue to foster relationships with financial institutions and other sources of financial aid through the NJAWBO Women’s Business Center. Labor and Workforce Development NJAWBO supports fair wages and safe working conditions for all employees.   Labor laws should be reasonable and balanced, permitting New Jersey employers to compete more effectively with employers in other states. Taxes paid by employers to fund unemployment compensation and job training should be used exclusively for those purposes. Mandated employee benefits should not exceed those imposed by competing states.  NJAWBO strongly advocates for a governmental environment which will provide opportunities for women-owned businesses to grow by hiring employees. NJAWBO will continue to work proactively with the N.J. Department of Labor and Workforece Development. Eminent Domain The issue of Eminent Domain is not limited to owners of residential properties. Commercial properties where legitimate businesses operate and reside can be seized also. In addition, because many businesses are operated as home-based businesses, the use of eminent domain will affect homeowners who are operating businesses in their homes. NJAWBO supports reform of the current eminent domain laws to include additional protection to owners of property in danger of seizure.  Seizing property where a legitimate business is operating is virtually a death-sentence for that business.