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Policy expertise
Direct access to a national resource base, including model legislation, impact analyses, and implementation strategies drawn from states already advancing employee ownership.
Coalition · Convened by LSI
State Employee Ownership Caucus
The SEOC is a bipartisan network of state officials convened by Lafayette Square Institute to champion employee ownership as a policy priority. The Caucus connects policymakers across geographies and parties to share innovations, build momentum, and advance policies that help American workers build wealth through employee ownership.
SEOC by the numbers
Mission
A bipartisan network for the worker side of business succession.
More than half of American business owners are age 55 or older and approaching retirement, and most plan to sell the businesses they built.3 The succession question, who ends up owning those companies, will shape working-class wealth and the economic character of hometowns across the country for a generation.
Employee-owned companies offer a well-documented answer. They are more productive on average, more resilient through downturns, and generate roughly 2.5 times the retirement wealth of comparable non-ESOP peers for the workers who built them.1 More than 6,000 privately held ESOP companies already operate in the United States.2 Yet employee ownership is not currently positioned as a viable succession option at scale.
The State Employee Ownership Caucus was convened by Lafayette Square Institute to change that. The Caucus is a bipartisan network of state officials who champion employee ownership as a policy priority, connecting policymakers across geographies and parties to share innovations, build momentum, and advance policies that help American workers build wealth through employee ownership.
The Caucus creates a national knowledge-sharing network for state leaders committed to making employee ownership a competitive and compelling business succession option for retiring owners. Members contribute across state and party lines, drawing on LSI's Employee Ownership research portfolio and 535 Insights as shared reference material.
Membership
What Caucus members receive.
Founding members gain four concrete resources, plus the standing to shape how employee ownership policy develops across the country.
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A national peer network
Fellow policymakers across state and party lines who are working on employee ownership, with standing convenings to share policy innovation, strategies, and lessons learned.
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National visibility
Recognition as a founding member of the State Employee Ownership Caucus, featured in Caucus communications and profiled at national convenings.
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Bipartisan credibility
Employee ownership has had deep bipartisan support for decades. Caucus membership signals commitment to a proven, market-tested economic strategy that builds worker wealth and strengthens local businesses.
The ask is straightforward: endorse employee ownership as a policy priority for your state. There are no dues, fees, or binding policy commitments.
Launch event
July 28, 2026 · NCSL Summit · Chicago.
The Caucus will launch on July 28, 2026 at the National Council of State Legislatures Summit in Chicago, with an invitation-only breakfast roundtable for founding members.
State officials interested in joining as founding members can reach the Caucus team at rosenbloom@lafayettesquareinstitute.org.
SEOC updates
Monthly updates from the State Employee Ownership Caucus.
Occasional updates on Caucus convenings, new members, and state policy developments related to employee ownership.