Texas Border Business
Austin, Texas — NFIB State Legislative Director Annie Spilman said today that the recent decision by the state Supreme Court striking down Laredo’s ban on plastic bags bolsters the business community’s efforts to stop cities and counties from overstepping their authority.
“Over the past several years, we’ve seen local officials around the state try to circumvent the Legislature when it comes to rules and regulations affecting small businesses,” Spilman said.
“Last month, the NFIB Small Business Legal Center joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation and other business groups in challenging the constitutionality of Austin’s mandatory paid sick-leave ordinance, but that’s only one example of what’s happening at the local level,” Spilman said. “There’s been a drive to impose paid sick-leave mandates in other cities as well as efforts to pass regulations that would punish employers for asking about a job applicant’s criminal record or changing a worker’s schedule at the last minute.”
“Small businesses don’t have teams of lawyers to help them navigate a patchwork of local rules and regulations,” Spilman said. “NFIB believes these issues are best addressed at the state level, and we’ll continue to support legislation and other efforts to stop local governments from imposing punitive rules that would make it harder for local businesses to compete, let alone expand and create jobs.”
