Dear Friends,

We’re back in session this week after a productive district work week during which I, along with the Republican Members of our Committee, held several small business listening forums to celebrate the importance of small firms during National Small Business Week.

This week, I joined with Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) to introduce legislation that would bar the proposed Obama Executive Order requiring federal agencies to collect information about the campaign contributions and other political expenditures of potential government contractors before awarding any federal contract.

Chairman Issa and I held a joint Committee hearing two weeks ago to examine the proposed Executive Order that, in my opinion, wrongly politicizes the federal procurement process and will push small businesses out of the federal marketplace.

Congressmen Issa, Cole and I are committed to turning the heat up on this reckless Executive Order in hopes that President Obama will abandon it.  

Sam Graves
Chairman

Latest Committee Action

On Wednesday, Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) held a full committee hearing to examine ways to improve efficiency and save taxpayer dollars by eliminating duplicative programs at the Small Business Administration (SBA). The Government Accountability Office has identified 80 programs in four different federal agencies all charged with helping entrepreneurs. These duplicative programs cost American taxpayers $6.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2010. 

On Thursday, Contracting and Workforce Subcommittee Chairman Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) held a hearing to examine the onerous three percent withholding requirement of the Tax Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005. Section 511 of the statute will require federal, state and local governments to withhold 3 percent from all payments for goods and services purchased from all small businesses as a means of ensuring future tax compliance by a few bad actors. Following the hearing, Rep. Mulvaney, along with Members from the House Ways and Means Committee, held a press conference to call for repeal of the onerous 3 percent withholding tax.  

News From Washington

On Thursday, the Senate passed S. 1082, a temporary extension of several Small Business Administration programs, including the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.  The House is expected to vote on the legislation next Tuesday, May 31st.

On Thursday, the House passed the Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1540), which authorizes defense appropriations for Fiscal Year 2012 by a vote of 322-96.

The House approved the PATRIOT Act of 2011 on Thursday by a vote of 250-153.  The bill would extend the three expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 until June 1, 2015. 
   

National Small Business Week

• The Hill: GOP Bills Curb Effects of Donor Order
• FCW: House Members Rise Up Against Payment Withholding Tax
• WSJ: Small Businesses Fight IRS Over Data
• Reuters: April Business Borrowing, Credit Quality Improve
• LA Times: U.S. Holds Up Better Than Most as World Markets Sink

• Chairman Graves Calls for Eliminating Duplicative Programs at SBA 
• Fleischmann to Announce Economic Excellence Award initiative
• West Holds First Meeting of Small Business Advisory Committee
• Ellmers: Complying With ObamaCare Costs Small Businesses...Jobs
• Ellmers Meets with New Members of Small Business Advisory Council
• Hanna Commends Upstate Small Businesses
• Mulvaney: Repeal the 3 Percent Withholding Tax

• National Retail Federation’s Washington Leadership Conference June 20-22 
• NFIB Webinar on Workers’ Compensation Fraud
• National Association of Manufacturers' Latest Economic Trends Report