| Dear Friends,
Congress was back in Washington this week, following a district work period in August that allowed Members to reconnect with their constituents at home. At home and in Washington, the debate continues about the fiscal direction our country is taking. The economy is still in a very slow recovery, and small businesses face many hurdles. The most recent NFIB survey showed a slight drop in optimism last month for small firms, who are still waiting out the uncertainty.
The cost of implementing the health care law continues to soar, even while parts of the implementation are delayed by the administration’s inability to meet deadlines. Despite those delays, many small businesses may be unaware they could face daily fees that are not delayed. This kind of lack of information from the administration and the sheer volume of the requirements has been an ongoing concern for small businesses. The consequences are grim. News reports continue to reveal that businesses large and small are cutting back part time employees’ hours – an undesirable result of this law – while 11.3 million Americans need jobs and 7.9 million more can only find part time work.
This economic uncertainty is intensified by widespread concerns over the burdensome national debt, which will again reach a legal limit next month. Will the President admit the nation’s serious debt and spending problem – and its role in slowing the economy – or will he continue to demand more of the unsustainable cycle of borrowing and spending? The country faces some major decisions.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves
Chairman
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On Thursday, the Committee added a new proposed rule from the Department of Labor (DoL) to the Committee’s digital resource, Small Biz Reg Watch: the DoL Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed rule to protect workers from inhaling dust containing crystalline silica, a natural component of soil, sand, granite, etc. When workers chip, cut, drill or grind objects that contain crystalline silica, the dust that can be inhaled could put workers at risk for silicosis, lung cancer and other diseases. OSHA is proposing two new standards, one for general industry and maritime and one for the construction industry. Small businesses can comment and help OSHA develop feasible regulations that cost-effectively improve safety.
On Thursday, Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce Chairman Richard Hanna (R-NY), held a roundtable discussion of the SBA’s small business size standards for federal contracting guidelines. Small businesses receive over $100 billion in federal contracts each year. SBA participants included Ken Dodds, Director, Office of Government Contracting; and Khem R. Sharma, PhD., Chief, Size Standards Division; along with about 15 small contractors to represent their needs and viewpoints. The roundtable focused on four main issues: (1) SBA’s implementation of recent legislative changes; (2) the appropriateness of the SBA’s size standard formula; (3) whether the current framework provides SBA with the flexibility necessary to create the correct size standards, and (4) whether size standards based on items other than gross receipts or number of employees would better reflect the character of their industry (alternative size standards). The Committee will continue oversight of SBA’s progress in updating size standards, so that small firms are enabled to compete for contracts.
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On Thursday, by a vote of 235-191, the House passed the No Subsidies Without Verification Act (H.R. 2775), to help protect taxpayers from fraud under the President’s health care law. The bill would prevent the Obama administration from distributing taxpayer money without verifying that individuals are eligible for subsidies under the already costly law.
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