Sooner State News

Small business owners across Oklahoma participated in the National Federation of Independent Business's (NFIB) Virtual Small Business Day at the Capitol. The event, held online this year, allowed participants to engage with state and national legislative developments without leaving their workplaces.

Jerrod Shouse, NFIB State Director, stated, "By holding this year’s event online, we enabled small business owners to learn more about what’s happening in Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C., without having to leave work."

State Senator Julie Daniels from the 29th District informed attendees about current activities in the state Senate. Meanwhile, Representative Mark Lepak of the 9th District highlighted NFIB's influence in Oklahoma City. He shared a personal anecdote: “I’m at home, and I told my wife I was going to jump on this call, and she said, ‘Well, who’s NFIB?’ And I said, ‘Well, they’re the one group that when they come in and say, “Your bill stinks and we really don’t want you to move it,” you listen to them.'”

Lepak also noted that most legislative actions this session have occurred within committees rather than on the House floor.

Karen Harned, executive director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center in Washington D.C., addressed several issues during her speech. She discussed NFIB's lawsuit against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emergency temporary standard. This mandate required businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure workers were vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear masks at work. OSHA withdrew this vaccine mandate last month.