NFIB State Director Leah Long today urged the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations to vote against Senate Bill 223, which would impose new workplace mandates on many small retail employers across the state.

SB 223, the so-called Retail Service Worker Health and Safety Act, would require small retail businesses, franchisers, and holding companies with 50 or more employees to conduct workplace violence risk assessments, develop formal prevention plans, provide ongoing training, and, in some cases, install panic buttons or hire security guards.

While the bill’s intentions may be good, the mandates would create new costs, paperwork, and liability risks for small businesses already struggling with rising expenses and a challenging economy, Long said.

“Small business owners care deeply about the safety of their employees and customers, but SB 223 goes too far by layering on rigid mandates that may be difficult or even impossible for smaller businesses to afford or implement,” she said. “We need to support job creation, not saddle small employers with rules better suited to large corporations with legal departments and compliance teams.”

Long said mandates like those in SB 223 ignore the realities of how small businesses operate. “Small businesses usually can’t afford to hire safety officers or HR departments,” she said. “Every hour they spend on paperwork or compliance is time they’re not spending serving customers, growing their business, or training employees.”

“If lawmakers really want to help Louisiana’s retail workers, they should support policies that make it easier, not harder, for small employers to stay in business and keep people working,” Long said.