Small business lists priorities for Legislature

Small businesses will be keeping an eye on five major issues in the upcoming legislative session, a group of statewide business lobbyists said Wednesday.

By KAYLEY MENDENHALL, Chronicle Staff Writer

Health care, workers compensation benefits, paid family leave, Gov. Judy Martz’s tax plan and the structural budget deficit are broad topics the National Federation of Independent Businesses plans to watch when the Legislature convenes in January.

Representatives of the lobbying group met with small business owners and politicians in Bozeman Wednesday morning to discuss these issues.

"The NFIB does not … support or oppose legislation unless mandated by its members," said Riley Johnson, state director of NFIB.

He outlined proposals already floating around Helena for each of the five issues and then invited Rep. Joe Balyeat, R-Belgrade, and Rep. Cindy Younkin, R-Bozeman, to comment.

As for health care costs, Younkin said she believes the biggest problem is state mandates requiring all health insurance policies to cover such things as prenatal care and well-baby check-ups.

If insurance companies were able to offer a "stripped-down" policy at a cheaper rate, perhaps more independent citizens could afford to have health insurance, she said.

"It’s a bigger problem than government can take care of," Younkin said. "People think, ‘everyone else should take care of my health care.’"

Many government-supported health care programs — like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program — encourage people to not take care of themselves, she said.

"Help someone help themselves," Younkin said. "Eventually the federal matching dollars are going to dry up."

Because of the budget crisis, Balyeat said this is the wrong time to cut federal matching programs, although he doesn’t agree with creating more entitlement programs.

He said budget problems in the state can be blamed entirely on a lack of personal and corporate income and capital gains tax revenue.

"Changes in the economic climate in Montana dwarf everything else," he said. "We need to focus on what we can do to get our economy rolling."

He said the governor’s tax plan, which includes up to a 4 percent tourist tax, is basically "dead in the water."

"I think all the Democrats will oppose it and half of the Republicans will oppose it," he said. "I think there is a way to fix the income tax without adding a sales tax."

Most in the room agreed the government has too strong a hand in issues affecting business and free enterprise in the state.

"This structural deficit thing, I think is wonderful," said Roger Koopman, owner of Career Concepts in Bozeman. "You have an opportunity to ratchet in spending and to take a hard look at everything the government is spending dollars on."

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