John Richardson
GROWING MAINE FROM WITHIN:
The Small Business Initiative started with
three main goals:
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In February 2004, Speaker of the House John Richardson, who was then House Majority Leader, convened a group of representatives who expressed interest in seeing what they could do as legislators to improve the business climate in Maine and to assist small businesses. They titled the project "Growth from Within" based on the belief that we will create jobs and economic growth in Maine primarily by working with the people and businesses that are here, now - not by drawing large out-of-state companies to set up shop here.
The group of Democratic state legislators, some of whom were members of the Business Research and Economic Development Committee, business owners, consultants, and others, met weekly to craft a Bill of Rights and a series of concrete steps that will help streamline the regulatory process for businesses, mobilize state resources on behalf of small businesses, and foster entrepreneurship in the state. This draft plan was then shared with business people at a series of forums designed to elicit feedback.
Contact members of the Working Group or your local legislator
Here are the original members of the Working Group:
The bill of rights as drafted by the Working Group:
Maine
Small Business
Maine has the human, natural and technical resources to assure that every person who wants to work can achieve meaningful employment, and every company will have access to the tools it needs to thrive. Small businesses are the backbone of Maine’s economy, and are central to our way of life. More than 97 percent of all Maine businesses are small businesses, and they employ 61 percent of all Maine workers. Nearly three-quarters of net new jobs in Maine are created by small business. Accordingly, future growth
in Maine’s workforce will come primarily from new homegrown
businesses and from existing small businesses that hire new
workers. Therefore, we believe: Maine citizens have the right to a business culture that encourages and supports small business, including a favorable tax climate, competitive rates for worker’s compensation insurance, and affordable health insurance for employees. Small businesses have the right to expect state agencies to work together to help them: providing the education, training and support needed to start and run businesses; guaranteeing ready access to the information needed to assist businesses in their relationships with state government; and ensuring a clear, stable and predictable regulatory and record-keeping environment. Maine small businesses have the right to be treated like large businesses, with reasonable access to the same incentives and services.
For more information, contact Speaker of the House John Richardson at RepJohn.Richardson@legislature.maine.gov, or 287-1300 |