Pennsylvania House Republicans are pushing the legislature to reduce governmental burdens to business ownership by acting on the “Main Street Entrepreneurship Initiative.”
The package of bills aims to make business ownership more accessible to Pennsylvanians, and to reduce some of the governmental barriers to entrepreneurship.
“Entrepreneurs and small business owners are the backbone of our communities,” House Commerce Committee Republican Chair Rep. Joe Emrick (R-Northampton) said. “They are the ones investing in our Main streets, hiring our friends and neighbors, and making our communities great places to live. We owe it to every Pennsylvanian to make it as simple as possible to chase their dream and grow their business.”
The package of seven bills includes recognizing the week of Feb. 10 through Feb. 17, 2024 as Entrepreneurship Week in the state, as well as legislation to help first-time entrepreneurs and existing business owners.
For entrepreneurs, the Business Filing Fee Waiver, introduced by Rep. Joe D’Orsie (R-York) would waive the filing fees through the Department of State for first-time entrepreneurs. Additionally, legislation proposed by Emrick would establish a One-Stop Shop Office within the Department of Community and Economic Development to help startups secure the necessary documents and accounts needed to operate in the state.
Legislation from Rep. Marla Brown (R-Lawrence) would establish an entrepreneurial education program at community colleges, and legislation from Rep. Donna Scheuren (R-Montgomery) would modernize the bankruptcy exemption statute to provide fair protections for entrepreneurs’ assets. The Commonwealth Procurement Possibilities for New Entrepreneurs Act, proposed by Rep. Mike Armanini (R-Clearfield) would establish a “set aside” within existing programs for small and disadvantages businesses.
Legislation from Scheuren would require businesses receiving grants and loans through Pennsylvania to maintain their operations and employees in the state.
“For the vast majority of Pennsylvanians, the path to prosperity is found on Main Street, not Wall Street,” Emrick said. “These are common sense steps to ensure job creators who want to improve opportunities here can do so, and not continue to cross state lines to places where it is easier to turn your ideas into businesses that can have a multi-generational impact.”
Legislators pointed to a national study of new businesses and start-ups which found that Pennsylvania’s rate of entrepreneurship is nearly 50 percent lower than the national average, and has been that way for more than 25 years.
According to a national study of new businesses and start-ups, Pennsylvania’s rate of entrepreneurship is nearly 50 percent lower than the national average and has been stagnant below the national average for more than 25 years.