Rep. Petty Earns 100% Voting Record On Small-Business Issues

Dan Murray, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said today that State Representative Reid Petty of Liberal achieved a 100 percent voting record in the 2013-14 legislative sessions.

"Small business is the engine that drives Kansas’ economy," Murray said.

"By supporting small business, Representative Petty is supporting working families and the community."

NFIB is Kansas’ largest small-business association with over 4,000 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy.

"Rep. Petty has stood up for Kansas’ employers and job creators time and time on important issues such as tax reform and unemployment insurance," he said.

"Our members truly appreciate the efforts of Rep. Petty to help grow our state’s economy and create jobs."

To achieve a 100 percent NFIB/Kansas voting record, Rep. Petty voted in support of small business on issues such as:

n Changing the process for nominating people who hear appeals related to workers’ compensation and unemployment claims; the new nominating committee includes a representative from NFIB/Kansas.

n Allowing small businesses to band together to buy health insurance through self-funded health plans, thereby reducing the cost of coverage for small-business owners and their employees.

n Opposing a plan to increase the cap on non-economic damages in civil cases.

n Supporting legislation that would have improved standards for evidence and “expert” witnesses.

n Making it easier for employers to withhold a portion of a workers’ pay to recover overpayment or the cost of lost or unreturned equipment.

n Prohibited public-sector employee unions from using members’ dues on political activities.

n Property-tax transparency.

n Preventing local governments from mandating minimum wages or benefits that are greater than the benefits required under state or federal law.

n Improving Kansas’ unemployment insurance program.

n Protecting property owners from liability in the event someone injures themselves while trespassing.

Unemployment in Kansas has been below 5 percent each of the last five months. Kansas has the 13th lowest unemployment percent in the nation.