By David Hogberg; Investor's Business Daily A little-noticed provision in the new health care law may not only dramatically increase paperwork for small businesses, but also put them at a disadvantage against their larger competitors. At issue is the law's Section 9006, which is supposed to generate tax revenues by expanding the reporting requirements for 1099 tax forms. Under… Read more »

Friends: This week, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing to discuss the impact of broadband Internet technology on small businesses.  During the hearing, I stressed the importance of expanding broadband infrastructure to rural communities.  It was helpful to hear directly from American small business owners on how increasing access to reliable Internet services would help… Read more »

By Meen Thiruvengadam; Wall Street Journal U.S. efforts to stabilize the financial system have done little to boost small business lending and it remains unclear what impact the Obama administration's latest lending push will have, a report released Thursday said. The report from the Congressional Oversight Panel, which oversees the government's $700 billion financial sector bailout,… Read more »

By Hal Weitzman; Financial Times Small businesses in the US are still cutting jobs, even though they are more optimistic about economic conditions than they have been in two years, according to a survey released yesterday by the National Federation of Independent Business, a lobby group. The sentiment among businesses with fewer than 500 employees helps explain why unemployment rates… Read more »

By Sarah E. Needleman; Wall Street Journal Small-business hiring continues to show little sign of a recovery, despite recent efforts by Washington to stimulate job creation. April marked the 27th consecutive month in which small businesses either shed more or the same number of jobs that they added, according to a monthly survey to be released Tuesday by the National Federation of… Read more »

Friends: In addition to the environmental damage, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatens countless small businesses throughout the coastal region.  Individuals in a range of fields, from fishermen and shrimpers to hoteliers and workers in the tourism industry, face an uphill battle to manage the economic effects of the spill. With the livelihoods of millions at stake, our number… Read more »

By Diana Furchtgott-Roth; RealClearMarkets Low-skilled workers have some of the highest unemployment rates in America. Adults without high school diplomas face an unemployment rate of 14.5%, almost three times as high as rates for college graduates, and well above the national average of 9.7%. The unemployment rate for teens, another low-skill group, is 26%. Reasonable people likely… Read more »

By Neil deMause; CNN Money An all-but-overlooked provision of the health reform law is threatening to swamp U.S. businesses with a flood of new tax paperwork. Section 9006 of the health care bill -- just a few lines buried in the 2,409-page document -- mandates that beginning in 2012 all companies will have to issue 1099 tax forms not just to contract workers but to any individual or… Read more »

By John Tozzi, Business Week Are banks lending more to small businesses? It's hard to say. What's called "small business lending" cuts across several business lines at most banks, from real estate to credit cards, and few lenders report separate figures for small businesses. Still, late last year, under pressure from the White House to increase credit to Main Street, several of the… Read more »

From the Wall Street Journal Opinion Section; By Jim Owens, chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, Inc.   The long-term health of the U.S. economy is at risk. There are signs of recovery from the worst recession since the Great Depression. But not enough. We need a renewed, centrist political agenda to support economic policies that will enhance our global competitiveness. America cannot… Read more »