Small Business Insider Weekly Update

By SBE Council at 30 July, 2026, 1:16 pm

In This Edition:

● AI Optimism Meets Entrepreneurial Reality

● Legislative & Policy Update: "No BOSS Act" Introduced in Senate, DOL Sonderling Vote this Week, House Ed & Workforce Committee Advance Key Bills & MORE

● KERRIGAN IN BIZ TECH: Here's How Small Businesses Can Get More Value from Their Data

● REAL CLEAR HEALTH: America's Small Businesses Can't Afford 340B Abuse

● Self-Care and the Small Business Owner: Simple Daily Strategies

AI Optimism Meets Entrepreneurial Reality

In a recent post, Mark Zuckerberg wrote "the future is for everyone" and AI should give every person "the tools to reach your full potential." In a Small Business Insider blog post, SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan writes that that most entrepreneurs and small business owners already understand - through experience, not theory - the power of AI, and they share Zuckerberg's enthusiasm for technological innovation. She notes:

"Much of the public conversation around artificial intelligence has been dominated by fear. We hear about jobs disappearing, technology replacing people, and dystopian visions of what AI might become or produce. Those concerns deserve thoughtful dialog, but they need to be grounded in reality and not 'what ifs.' The historical pattern of technological innovation and its aftermath has consistently demonstrated widespread benefits and gains for consumers, entrepreneurs, workers, businesses, government, and our economy."

Kerrigan observes that AI is the latest target of the ever-present doomsters, including: "Some within the industry, who may have self-serving agendas." She adds that policymakers need to listen to entrepreneurs and small business owners, and make decisions based on actual facts.

ICYMI:

America's Small Business Network: 10 AI tools small businesses can start using now for free

Legislative & Policy Update

"NO BOSS Act" Introduced in U.S. Senate

SBE Council applauded Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), James Lankford (R-OK) and Jon Husted (R-OH) for their leadership in introducing the NO BOSS Act. The legislation - a similar bill overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House by unanimous consent in April - will help more Americans pursue the opportunity of business ownership by modifying federal rules governing state self-employment assistance programs. Those changes would allow more eligible individuals to use those resources to start a business rather than only toward traditional employment. As noted by SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan in a statement of support for the bill:

"New business filings and interest remain healthy, but Congress can help turn more of these entrepreneurial intentions into business launches by advancing practical reforms and measures that provide support to individuals through the transition period and time it takes to get a business off the ground… This is especially important in communities where job availability may be limited, or where individuals see opportunities to launch businesses that serve community needs, which then strengthen local economies. The opportunities and possibilities continue to flourish given the availability of digital tools, platforms and AI, which make starting and growing a business more efficient and affordable."

Sonderling Nomination to Be Considered by HELP Committee This Week

The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee postponed its vote last week on Keith Sonderling's nomination to serve as Secretary of Labor. The markup is rescheduled for July 30. SBE Council joined allies in support of Mr. Sonderling's nomination, which can be accessed here.

American Franchise Act Advances in Committee

As a member of the Coalition to Save Local Businesses (CSLB), SBE Council was pleased that the House Committee on Education & Workforce voted to advance H.R. 5267, the American Franchise Act (AFA) last week. The legislation would codify the joint employer standard as requiring direct control of narrowly defined essential terms and conditions of employment, applying only to the franchisor-franchisee relationship. The legislation now has 142 bipartisan cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives and enjoys the support of more than 100 national and state business groups, including SBE Council. A summary of the legislation is available here.

Valuing Employee Stock Today (VEST Act) Also Advances in Committee

The VEST Act, H.R. 8660, also passed out of the House Education and Workforce Committee today (see press release below). The bill protects worker access to employer equity by clarifying that Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) - a popular recruitment and retention tool - are excluded from nonexempt employees' regular rate of pay, providing employers with much-needed clarity under the Fair Labor Standards Act. SBE Council joined various business allies in support of the bill.

House Committee Advances Heat Workforce Standards Act

The House Education and Workforce Committee also advanced the Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025 (HR 6213) by a vote of 18-15. The bill would prohibit DOL from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing its proposed Biden-era standard - a burdensome and impractical one-size-fits-all regulation. SBE Council joined allies in support of a legislative solution to protect small businesses from the onerous regulation.

SBE Council Delivers Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee in Support of PERA

Coinciding with a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on patents, SBE Council sent a letter to committee members voicing support for the "Patent Eligibility Restoration Act" (PERA) - a bill that would help small businesses across industries by restoring clarity to patent eligibility rules and making it easier for inventors to protect their innovations, raise capital, and build successful businesses. As noted in the letter:

"Inventors and entrepreneurs depend on clear, ironclad intellectual property protections to bring their ideas to the marketplace. Patents are a key part of small business growth. In fact, MIT researchers have found that startups with a patent are 87 times more likely to grow than ones without a patent…Yet over the past two decades, several Supreme Court rulings have made it harder to obtain patent protection for discoveries in fields like medical diagnostics, software, and artificial intelligence."

The letter urged the Committee to consider and advance the legislation.

KERRIGAN IN BIZ TECH: Here's How Small Businesses Can Get More Value from Their Data

In a Biz Tech Magazine interview, SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan is interviewed along with several business experts on ways that entrepreneurs and business owners can get more value from their data, and how to manage it better. The article covers the current state-of-play and the challenges and opportunities for small businesses, including the deployment of AI as a solution.

A few quotes from Kerrigan:

● Small businesses understand the importance of data; they're simply data fragmented and overwhelmed with other things.

● AI is accelerating curiosity and urgency around data and operationalizing it. It's allowing small business to make smarter decisions ; for example, we have seen growing use of AI pricing tools among small businesses to make pricing decisions more aligned with the marketplace and what their business needs are.

● Most small businesses will say that one of their weaknesses is that they're not in a place where they can leverage AI across the enterprise. The broader issue is that while they have data that is siloed, they're also using AI tools that are siloed.

● Start with decisions, not dashboards. Focus on two or three core business questions - such as which customers drive repeat revenue or where margins are being lost - and tie data directly to revenue, costs or growth. Build a "good enough" data foundation and use it in daily operations, not just reports.

Read the full interview, including tips and insights from other business experts here .

REAL CLEAR HEALTH: America's Small Businesses Can't Afford 340B Abuse

In a Real Clear Health Op-Ed, SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan writes that many hospitals are destabilizing small businesses across America by exploiting a little-known federal charity program that is driving healthcare costs up:

"The 340B Drug Pricing Program was supposed to help safety-net hospitals serve vulnerable patients by letting them buy prescription medicines at a discount. But because hospitals are not actually obligated to pass those savings on, many use the program to bill patients - and their employer-provided insurance plans - at enormous markups to generate profit."

"These tactics are already driving small employers' costs to untenable levels. Small business health premiums have risen nearly 20% in the last year alone. In recent years, rising costs have forced nearly a third of small businesses to cut health insurance benefits."

In the piece, Kerrigan reports that the good news is that there's bipartisan consensus to tackle the abuse, which includes more transparency on the part of hospitals participating in the program.

Self-Care and the Small Business Owner: Simple Daily Strategies

Guess what? Small business owners require self-care too! July 24 was International Self-Care Day, but self-care is something small business owners need to prioritize every day - even in small ways throughout the week. In a Small Business Insider blog post, award-winning chef, author, and mediterranean-lifestyle guru Amy Riolo offers a self-care checklist for entrepreneurs, inspired by one she created in her Mediterranean Lifestyle for Dummies book. As Amy notes in her post:

"Checking off any of these items is a positive step in claiming your health, happiness, and success in business."

Statistics are in favor of those who plan for downtime. A recent Harvard Business Review video explains how rest can enhance creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making skills among business owners. This Psychology Today article explains why carving out time to rest can be so difficult, and how to get better at it.

Protecting Small Business, Promoting Entrepreneurship