Today, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing entitled, “LightSquared: The Impact to Small Business GPS Users.” The hearing focused on the impact on small businesses that may result from LightSquared’s use of its spectrum to provide broadband service near the Global Positioning System (GPS).  Small businesses, including farmers, construction contractors,… Read more »

Today, the House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Adding to Uncertainty: The Impact of DOL/NLRB Decisions and Proposed Rules on Small Businesses.” The hearing will take place on Wednesday, October 5th at 1:00pm in Room 2360 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing will focus on recent decisions and proposed rules by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)… Read more »

4 Arrested in Alleged Government Bribery Case By Eric Tucker and Nedra Pickler, Associated Press October 4, 2011 Two employees of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and two others were arrested Tuesday in a $20 million bribery and kickback case that prosecutors say helped pay for the purchase of more than a dozen properties, Rolex and Cartier… Read more »

US Small Business Lending Program Disburses $4B By Jeffrey Sparshott and Jeff Bater, Dow Jones The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a final round of funding under a program to spur loans to small businesses, though total disbursements have left billions of dollars untapped, and many banks have been left wondering why they didn't… Read more »

GOP Members Want Small-Business Owners to Sound Off By Jessica Estepa, Roll Call Republican members of the House Small Business Committee are launching an online initiative Friday to invite small-business owners to share their stories and opinions on policies. The Small Biz Open Mic, which will be hosted on the GOP’s committee website, will allow business owners to send their feedback… Read more »

The Hill: Rep. Ellmers: Reform law may hamper small insurers August 30, 2011 By Sam Baker   The Health and Human Services Department hasn’t adequately addressed the needs of small insurance companies — and small employers — as it implements the healthcare reform law, Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) said in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Ellmers, who chairs the House… Read more »

GOP Lawmaker Wants Changes in HHS Rule for Health Exchanges By Emily Ethridge, Congressional Quarterly August 30, 2011 A House subcommittee chairwoman is urging the Obama administration to clarify its proposed rule on the health care law’s state insurance exchanges to prevent small businesses from being unduly burdened and to keep small insurers in the market. The Department of… Read more »

 Firms Face Hurdles Overseas By Angus Loten, Wall Street Journal August 25, 2011 When Nancy Simmons was contacted by customers in Brazil about buying refurbished aerospace parts from her Orlando, Fla., plant, she wasn't sure how to handle the language barrier. None of her eight employees spoke Portuguese, and she didn't have the… Read more »

Trade Pacts Urged for Export Growth By Angus Loten, Wall Street Journal July 28, 2011 With a target of doubling exports by 2015, the Obama Administration needs to push through pending free-trade pacts with Colombia, Panama and South Korea to level the playing field for smaller U.S. exporters, House lawmakers said Wednesday. “Until the administration and Congress act on these… Read more »

Lawmakers Revisit Some Worries About Consumer Bureau By Ben Protess, New York Times July 28 With the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau formally opening its doors this month, a year after Congress created it to oversee Wall Street’s biggest banks, some lawmakers have begun sounding alarms once again about its impact on community banks… Read more »