Gov. Perry Hosts Small Business Summit in San Antonio
Gov. Rick Perry today hosted a small business summit in San Antonio aimed at providing area small business with the tools for future success and opportunities for immediate growth. Other summits will be held around the state in coming months.
"When small business prospers, Texas prospers," Perry said, noting that 98 percent of Texas businesses are small businesses. "In the future, if Texas is to remain a place where jobs and opportunity are abundant, where the American dream is within reach and where government priorities are funded by a growing economy instead of a growing tax burden then we must help small employers succeed today."
Perry encouraged local small business owners to take advantage of the opportunities presented at the summit, which offered advice on writing a business plan, utilizing tax credits, becoming certified as a Historically Underutilized Business and getting involved in the new training program called TradeRoots Texas, which is designed to help small businesses develop export capabilities.
But perhaps one of the most important opportunities at the Summit is the chance to learn about a new way for small business owners to lower healthcare costs with Health Savings Accounts.
"Affordable healthcare is not just a financial issue for small businesses, it's an important part of attracting and maintaining a quality workforce and essential to the quality of life for Texas families," Perry said. "In Texas we have taken significant steps to lower insurance costs for Texas employers including passing a law that removes mandates on health plans for small businesses and making it easier for small businesses to pool together so they can get better deals with greater leverage in the marketplace."
Perry noted that the Texas Department of Insurance launched a new comprehensive website - www.TexasHealthOptions.com - that can help small business owners find the best policy at the best price. He also said that Health Savings Accounts represent a key part of the long-term solution to rising healthcare costs because they introduce market forces into the healthcare system.
"Health Savings Accounts give individual Texans better control of their healthcare decisions, they make patients more responsible consumers and they can help lower costs across the system, for employer and employee alike," Perry said. "I encourage each of you to take the opportunity to learn more about how Health Savings Accounts can help many small businesses afford employee insurance."
Perry noted that the Texas legislature has passed numerous bills designed to help small business, including reforming the Texas workers compensation system, asbestos lawsuit reforms, an additional $15 million in workforce training funds, and millions for job creation and technology initiatives.
"Small business is important to me, not just because I helped my dad run one, but because it represents the best of main Street America," Perry said. "If Texas is to prosper long into the future, we must always be a state where a dream can be put to work, where the regulatory environment is not burdensome, or the tax climate prohibitive, and where there is access to capital, talent and workforce training."