Fagan receives small business award

Ninth District representative recognized by National Federation of Independent Business

Ninth District Rep. Susan Fagan (R-Pullman) has received the National Federation of Independent Business' (NFIB) 2011-12 Guardian of Small Business Award. The 8,000-member NFIB Washington chapter graded state House and Senate members on 10 votes they took over the two-year legislative cycle. Members with an 80 percent voting record to support small-business owners received the award.

Fagan, who is an NFIB member, received a 100 percent vote rating.

“As a member of the House Labor and Workforce Development Committee, I see just about every bill introduced that addresses the state's business climate,” Fagan said in a May 8 news release. “Coming from the private sector myself, I know that every decision made in Olympia impacts job growth and retention, both positively and negatively. When crafting legislation, whether it's a tax-related bill or one that adds regulations, lawmakers need to remember that small businesses are the backbone of our state's economy. If we hamper their ability to grow and thrive in Washington, we'll never fully recover from this recession.”

According to a report authored this year by the United States Small Business Administration, small businesses totaled 532,162 in Washington in 2009. They represent 98.1 percent of all employers and employ 53.3 percent of the private-sector workforce.