Governor John Carney delivered his annual State of the State address from Legislative Hall in Dover, where he expressed support for Senate Bill 1, a paid leave insurance program. Mike O’Halloran, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in Delaware, responded to this announcement.
O’Halloran acknowledged Governor Carney’s efforts during the pandemic: “Governor Carney was right to highlight the $400 million his administration provided for struggling small businesses through various grant and loan programs during the pandemic.” However, he criticized the proposed paid leave program: “Unfortunately, his support for a costly state-run program paid for by a new payroll tax on small business owners and their employees will undermine his administration’s efforts to help Delaware’s job creators recover from this economic crisis.”
O’Halloran argued that Senate Bill 1 would introduce “a new fixed labor cost,” which he believes will hinder rather than help resolve Delaware’s labor shortage.
The NFIB has been representing small and independent business owners across America since its founding in 1943. It is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of small businesses both at the federal level and in all state capitals.
