OPINION: COUNTY OFFICIALS SEEKING TO CIRCUMVENT STATE LAW AND HARM SMALL BUSINESSES

By Kristin Failor, Esq.

While most Iowans were enjoying the summer and preparing to return their children to school, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors recently began down a path to kill jobs, destroy our economy and by-pass legislative authority by attempting to increase the minimum wage in Johnson County without state leaders having the opportunity to debate the merits of such a measure. Make no mistake about it, their actions are detrimental to our economic growth and a clear deterrent to increasing employment for Iowans.

The precedent has already been set across the country where it has been clearly documented that, regardless of whether or not increases are tied to inflation, minimum wage increases don’t help those that spin-doctors would like you to believe that they do. In fact, the county’s largest employer, the University of Iowa, has already publically stated that they believe they are exempt from the increase, leaving thousands without any increase in pay and the burden of the minimum wage hike falling squarely on the shoulders of small business owners.

Unfortunately the board seems dead set on burdening the entrepreneurs of Johnson County with the unnecessary additional costs to do business instead of getting out of the way of the day to day operations of small business owners. If commissioners are interested in improving working conditions for employees, a great start would be to decrease burdensome regulations, freeing up small business owners to spend money on things like raises for their most productive employees without being mandated to increase the amount they pay employees across the board.

There remains one fire wall for small business owners and that lies in the hands of Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness. Small employers are anxiously awaiting a written opinion from the office of Ms. Lyness and certainly hopeful that it will be determined that an increase in minimum wage is a violation of Iowa state law. It would certainly alleviate the burden of any litigation costs falling on small business owners that would no doubt be obligated to bring a mandatory county wide increase into the court system if Ms. Lyness is unable to put a stop to the minimum wage escalation.

In lieu of removing this ridiculous mandate from the county’s agenda, the National Federation of Independent Business is calling upon the board to appoint small business owners to a citizen advisory committee that truly understand the plight of small employers and the negative impact that implementing excessive regulations has on the same people that sponsor our children’s sporting teams and are the true backbone of our economy.

Kristin is the Iowa State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business 

toni.angelini@nfib.org

@angelinitoni

732-642-0815

NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists sends their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information is available online at www.NFIB.com/newsroom.