News from Ranking Member Sam Graves and Committee Republicans:
(Please send any member media activity to Kelly.Hoffman@mail.house.gov)

• Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) to “Host Small Business Expo”

• Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) discussed health care transparency “On The Record With Greta Van Susteren”

• Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-GA) “In one year, Obama packs on the freshman trillion”

• Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-GA) to host Coweta town hall

• Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) “Kicks Off Program to Help Veteran-owned Firms Win Federal Government Contracts”

• Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) “Returns to Washington on Behalf of Concerned Constituents”

• Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) hosted a leadership hour special order on health care along with Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)

• Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) “Backs Effort to Bring Sunlight to Health Care Negotiations”

Must-Reads from the Week:

• Fox Business: “Is Brown's Win a Victory for Small Business, Too?”

• Wall Street Journal: “Small Business Group Rebukes Obama Administration Over TARP

• Portfolio.com: Small-Biz Support Helps Fuel Massachusetts Upset

• Miami Herald: “Small Businesses Need Economic Relief”

Administration and the SBA:

• On Thursday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative met with small businesses from across the United States at a conference event entitled "Jobs on Main Street, Customers Around the World: A Positive Trade Agenda for US Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises."  Ambassador Kirk and SBA Administrator Karen Mills spoke at the conference about their efforts to help small businesses expand their exports in the global marketplace.

• On Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST, President Obama will deliver the 2010 State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The address will be broadcast live.

Review of House Activity:

• On Wednesday, the House approved by voice vote H.R. 4462, a bill that would allow donors to accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The bill would allow individuals who make charitable contributions to elect to claim the charitable deduction on their 2009 tax return (instead of having to wait until next year to claim the deductions on their 2010 tax return). The election would apply only to Haitian relief contributions made in cash after Jan. 11, 2010, and before Mar. 1, 2010.  On January 21, the Senate passed H.R. 4462 clearing it for presidential signature. 

• On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 3254, H.R. 1065, and H.R. 3342. The three bills deal with disputed water rights claims between New Mexico, Arizona and a number of Native American tribes in the Southwest.  This legislation would ratify settlement agreements and allow the federal government to fund and participate in the construction and maintenance of local water systems.  Together, the three bills would approve $380 million in new spending over ten years. Republicans largely opposed the bills over concerns that there has not been enough scrutiny of how these dollars are spent and whether there is any benefit for taxpayers.

• On Thursday, House Committee on Small Business Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), and House Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Regulations Subcommittee Ranking Member Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), joined with House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX) and House Judiciary Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee Ranking Member Trent Franks (R-AZ) sent a letter to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs expressing concern about the EPA’s recent endangerment finding on carbon dioxide.  In the letter, the Members asked EPA to reconsider and withdraw its proposal, saying that the finding will further harm job creation and the economy. View the letter here.

Legislation and Letters Circulating Around the House:
(If you would like to publicize your small business effort in Congress, please email Paul Sass at Paul.Sass@mail.house.gov)

• Rep. Graves (R-MO) seeks Cosponsors for the Help Small Business Compete Act- Rep. Graves (R-MO) is looking for cosponsors for H.R. 4496, the Help Small Business Compete Act.  The bill would help small businesses grow and create jobs by eliminating fraud and abuse in the government contracting process.  This legislation would open up approximately $8.6 billion worth of new federal contracts, strengthen efforts to reduce contract bundling and increase penalties for companies that falsely identify themselves as a small business. Additionally, it would require the SBA to specify requirements for larger businesses when establishing subcontracting plans for small businesses.  If you would like more information about the Helping Small Business Compete Act or would like to become a cosponsor, contact Paul Sass (paul.sass@mail.house.gov) or 225-5821. 

Review of Senate Activity:

• Debate continued this week in the Senate on raising the debt limit by $1.9 trillion.  Democratic leaders sought a similar increase late last year, but settled on a more modest amount of $290 billion on Christmas Eve.  Congress has until mid-February to pass an increase, which will raise the debt ceiling to $14.294 trillion.  Republicans expressed several concerns, including the need to first reign in excessive government spending, which they feel is the reason why they are being forced to vote on this measure.

• On Thursday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (AK-R) introduced a disapproval resolution to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. The EPA’s proposal would impose new regulations on the business, transportation, and agriculture sectors without taking into account the impact on the economy.

Other Small Business News off the Hill:

• The Heritage Foundation published “Small Business Impact of the EPA Endangerment Finding”

• The SBA Office of Advocacy sent comments to the EPA regarding its Clean Air Act endangerment finding on greenhouse gases and small business

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued “The State of American Business 2010”

 
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