Legislators have heard an earful as they’ve traveled around the state holding forums with small business owners.

Skyrocketing insurance rates, high workers compensation costs and conflicting state regulations were just a few of the tales of woe told by business owners who came to the forums looking for help.

A group of House Democrats, led by Majority Leader John Richardson and Rep. Stan Moody, began discussing the hurdles facing small business last winter. They’re holding the forums as part of their Small Business Working Group.

The group has produced a broad-ranging Small Business Bill of Rights that outlines a series of objectives and specific proposals to make life easier on entrepreneurs hoping to open their own shops or expand existing ones.

According to Richardson, roughly 97 percent of the state’s employers are small businesses. To effectively grow Maine’s economy, Richardson said, the process of starting and expanding small businesses must be streamlined.

Proposals are organized into three categories: Simplifying the process, focusing more state resources on small business issues and creating more entrepreneurs.

The group of Democrats has outlined several specific proposals, which they plan to introduce when the Legislature convenes in January.

One good idea is the creation of a Small Business Advocate within state government. The office would help business owners navigate the maze of sometime conflicting government rules and help get through red tape.

The group would also like to expand the availability of seed capital, use technology to make government more available and responsive to requests for information, and support efforts to create a statewide entrepreneurial program within community colleges.

While the Democrats in the group say the bill of rights and forums aren’t politically motivated, it’s impossible to ignore the calendar. The initiative was launched in an election year, and the effort could be viewed by skeptics as an attempt to overcome the stereotype that Democrats aren’t business friendly.

Nonetheless, the ideas have obvious merit. The proof of the commitment, however, will be in the legislation that’s introduced and the support it garners.