| Weekly Update from Sam |
Dear Friends,
It was a big week for small businesses in the House of Representatives.
On Wednesday, in a bipartisan effort, the Committee passed six contracting bills that will allow more opportunities for small firms to participate in federal procurement. This is a win-win for small business owners, American workers and the taxpayer. Small businesses are the catalyst to lead us out of recession. Promoting wider participation in the contracting system will get us there faster.
On Thursday, the House passed the the bipartisan Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012 (H.R. 3606) that will help spark business startups, increase capital formation and decrease regulatory burdens that small firms face. The President asked in his State of the Union address for a bill that would help entrepreneurs succeed— and that’s exactly what the JOBS Act will do. The legislation is a bipartisan effort that the President has said he will support. I hope Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will bring it up for a vote immediately so we can get it to the president’s desk.
I’d also like to remind you about our Small Biz Open Mic forum that gives small business owners the opportunity to communicate directly with the House Small Business Committee about how the government is helping or harming their business. Click here to visit the site and tell us directly what your small business is facing.
Sam Graves
Chairman
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Latest Committee Action
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As mentioned above, on Wednesday, Chairman Graves held a full Committee markup of its Views and Estimates on the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) FY 2013 budget request and six small business contracting bills. All six bills were passed by Committee in a bipartisan effort to give small businesses a level playing field for contracting opportunities and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely and efficiently.
On Thursday, Investigations, Oversight and Regulations Subcommittee Chairman Mike Coffman (R-CO) heard from small energy producers on the regulatory barriers they face with oil and gas development on federal lands. Access to federal land (one-third of the United States) is crucial to small producers; however, new policies by the Obama Administration have reduced the number of lands available for oil and gas production, and held up permits to drill on leases that have been issued. These policies are resulting in higher gas prices, uncertainty, fewer new jobs and a reduction in our nation’s energy security.
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Notable Op-ed
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Stop Rising Gas Prices From Killing Small Business
By Chairman Sam Graves
March 5, 2012
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News From Washington
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On Wednesday, the House passed the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act (H.R. 2842), sponsored by Rep. Scott Tipton, by a vote of 265-154. This bill would jumpstart hydropower development on Bureau of Reclamation canals and pipelines by reducing unnecessary and duplicative administrative and regulatory costs.
As mentioned above, the House passed the bipartisan JOBS Act of 2012 (H.R. 3606) by a vote of 390-23 on Thursday. This legislation compiles bipartisan measures passed by the House and supported by President Obama that will increase American job creation and economic growth by increasing capital formation, spurring the growth of startups and small businesses and enabling more small-scale businesses to enter public markets.
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| March 9, 2012 |
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