Legislative Affairs

One of my favorite movies is the old Jimmy Stewart classic - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  Well, this week I got a taste of what Mr. Smith got to experience.

June 2- 5, small business leaders from around the country came together at the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Washigton Presentation. 

NSBA is ASBA’s partner in Washington and I have the honor of serving as a member of their board of trustees,  While most of ASBA’s work is done in our home state of Arizona, NSBA’s team represents us in the nation’s capitol, fighting for all of us on key issues including healthcare, taxation, access to capital, and small business procurement contracts.

Tuesday morning we discussed not only status and issues but also a powerful message - Small Business - 70 Million Strong and Voting!

Why is the message so important - you can look at it this way.  For every pair of workers in the US, one is either a small business owner or works in a small business.  We are the largest single work group in  the country, and one of the least represented on the national stage.  We don’t have big T.V. budgets, millions of dollars to invest in lobbyists to champion our cause, rich PAC’s to influence candidates, or a seat that the President’s Cabinet table.  We are simply hard working, tax paying Americans doing what we do best - building businesses and quietly supporting the economy in good times and bad.

Small Business is the major economic and innovative force in our country.  That is the message I took with me to Washington.  In my visits to the offices of Congressman Mitchell, Senator McCain, and Senator Kyl’s I brought them messages from home as well as copies of BizAZ Magazine and the 2007 Arizona Companies to Watch Profiles.  We shared information on what ASBA is doing to make a difference on key issues like healthcare and workforce development.

My visit was not one of demand, but one of reminders.  Sharing the stories of our Arizona small businesses and the challenges they face on the healthcare front, how they are dealing with the obstacles created due to lack of action on immigration reform, and offering hope in the form of the innovative activities occuring in our state and at ASBA.  Washington is not solving these challenges - so Arizonans are stepping into the breach and taking action.

If there was a major disappointment from my visits, it was in hearing what I expected to hear.  On these important issues - nothing much will happen before next year.  Washington will soon be consumed with the election process at the state and presidental level. We’ll have to wait for help from Washington.  So it is still up to us to keep taking care of business at home, continuing to work out our challenges the way we have up untl now - by justing taking care of business on our own.  After all - that is what small business does best.