Dear Sen. Schoesler:
On behalf of our 6,100 member small-business owners in Washington state, I am honored to announce that you have earned NFIB’s Guardian of Small Business award for the 69th Washington State Legislature (2025-26).
These legislative sessions were very difficult for Main Street operations. The largest tax increase in state history followed by a new income tax specifically targeting small businesses organized as passthrough entities, expansion of benefits and erosion of essential safeguards in several state-run social insurance programs, as well as arbitrary and unnecessary new regulatory mandates on employers
were enacted. Our 2025-26 Voting Record details the bills we scored.
We are tremendously grateful that you stood with our state’s small business owners 100% of the time during those two years. Thank you!
We know that wasn’t easy. Many of our friends in the Legislature were forced to make difficult decisions on the bills we scored. Our state Leadership Council strongly believes the Guardian award should be reserved for those lawmakers who most reliably support small business, particularly when challenged by competing interests. A score of 90 percent was again required to qualify. We are proud to count you among those honored few.
Warmest regards,
Patrick Connor
Washington State Director