ST. PAUL, Minn—The state’s largest small business group, the National Federation of Independent Business Minnesota, with 13,000 members statewide, today announced that State Representative Paul Rosenthal (Edina) was awarded the prestigious NFIB Guardian of Small Business Award.
NFIB gives out the award at both the federal and state level to recognize legislators who have been supportive of small business on critical issues. To receive the award legislators had to demonstrate a supportive voting record for small business during the 2013-14 sessions of the Minnesota legislature. Lawmakers in the House were scored on ten important votes for small business.
Representative Rosenthal made many votes that were critical for small business, including opposing a $2.1 billion tax increase that was harmful to small business and the Minnesota economy in 2013. The bill extended the sales tax to equipment repairs, which can be quite expensive for some small businesses, and also added a damaging new gift tax along with an income tax increase. In 2014 legislation was quickly passed to repeal several of those provisions, including the new gift tax. Rep. Rosenthal supported the repeal of these taxes.
He also opposed legislation that dramatically expanded the state’s Human Rights Act to include any worker with a child under age 18 as a new protected class, which will give them a leg up in common workplace disputes and lawsuits against their employer. Finally, he opposed legislation that would have dramatically changed the rule-making process that could have potentially shut the public out of the process when controversial rules and regulations are being considered that affect them.
“Representative Rosenthal is a real friend of small business and we are happy to announce that he has earned the NFIB Guardian of Small Business Award,” said Mike Hickey, State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business.