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had to compromise so it was 25. I think there will be an effort with a more pro-business Legislature to move that number up to 50. Typically, most businesses you visit have less than 50 employees. MBJ: What percentage of the organization’s membership has 50 or fewer employees? Elebash: I would say at least 80 percent and that’s off the top of my head. MBJ: Do small business owners have different issues than some of your larger businesses? Elebash: The really small business owners – if you’re talking 25 or less – the issue they have is doing everything themselves. They don’t have an HR (human resources) manager. They don’t have a CFO (chief financial officer). They don’t have that attorney that is on retainer for them to call and ask questions. It’s that business owner trying to manage every single aspect or their business plus trying to make a living. They have a tough time – talk about people working 24/7. Those are the people working 24/7. MBJ: What are your members’ primary concerns heading into the 2011 legislative session?
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Montgomery Business Journal February 2011
Elebash: I’ve got to tell you that we are so pleased with the election results and NFIB members endorsed in 80 legislative races and we won 95 percent of them. We’ve got several NFIB members that were elected. NFIB members stepped up to the plate. I see the opportunity here for our members back home to be actively involved on a very consistent basis on legislative issues that will be coming forth in the 2011 session. I think you will see a much friendlier pro-business Legislature that will stop and think about the impact of legislation to the job creators. We’ve gone so far to the other side with burdensome government regulations. Business owners are trying to make a bottom line and they are thinking about all laws and regulations that state agencies and federal government agencies are implementing. MBJ: What did your members tell you in the questionnaire? Elebash: They want to see reduction in taxes because money they are having to spend in taxes is not money that they are able to use in their business. MBJ: What are some other issues? Elebash: Twenty of the states’ attorney generals, including Alabama have filed
a lawsuit saying the health care (law) is unconstitutional. One of the pieces of legislation that I expect to see is that Alabama will say you can’t force us to participate in a federal health care law. MBJ: Do your members want to see an expansion of tax breaks for health care insurance premiums in Alabama? Elebash: Yes, they want to see the deduction raised from 150 percent to 200 percent. They would like to see an increase in the number of employees up to 50. MBJ: Are there other issues? Elebash: I know we will end up doing something with immigration. We don’t want the business owner penalized for (unknowingly) hiring an illegal immigrant. MBJ: Are your members looking for tax credits or tax breaks for hiring unemployed people? Elebash: We would like to see tax incentives and tax credits for independent business owners for (hiring the unemployed) or even for expansion. One of the things we would also like to see implemented is a system where business owners could actually borrow money at low-interest rates and pay the money back – creating some type of a