| Weekly Update from Sam |
Dear Friends,
Small businesses—America’s best job creators— cannot hire more workers when they are being hammered with costly regulations and continued uncertainty. That is why this week the House Small Business Committee held a hearing to examine President Obama’s Executive Order (EO) 13,563 and determine whether these plans will actually result in a meaningful reduction of regulatory burdens on small businesses. The EO requires federal agencies to develop plans for retrospective review of all their regulations.
From 1978 to 2004, there have been seven separate reviews of existing regulations. But despite these reviews, the burden on small business has continued to escalate. In fact, the Code of Federal Regulation now extends to about 26 linear feet. It is obvious the past reviews have been ineffective, which greatly concerns me about the current EO and whether onerous regulations for small businesses will actually be examined and discarded.
Small firms are the answer to bringing us out of this economic turmoil, but that won’t happen until government gets out of the way.
Getting Americans back to work is priority number one for House
Republicans and I hope the Senate and the President will join with us as we take real steps toward creating a better environment for job creation by eliminating job-destroying regulations this Fall.
Sam Graves
Chairman
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Latest Committee Action
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On Monday, House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade Chairman Scott Tipton (R-CO) held a field hearing in Grand Junction, Colo., to examine burdensome federal energy industry regulations and policies and their impact on small businesses, jobs and consumer prices. The Subcommittee heard testimony from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator for Region 8, James Martin, as well as local and state officials and local energy business owners and employees.
On Wednesday, House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) held a full committee hearing to examine President Obama’s Executive Order 13,563 and determine whether these plans will actually reduce regulatory burdens on small businesses. The Committee heard from the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget, Cass Sunstein, who is responsible for overseeing compliance with the Executive Order.
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Small Biz Open Mic
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| Be sure to check out the newly launched “Small Biz Open Mic” interactive forum that gives American small businesses the opportunity to communicate directly with the House Small Business Committee about how the government is helping or harming their business.
The Small Biz Open Mic website is an exciting new media forum that encourages blog-type comments and testimonials from small business owners across America regarding government policies, and allows participants to comment on Committee news, legislation, hearing information, and stories that relate to small business growth and development. Comments from participants about legislation and policies that impact small businesses will be used to help the Committee conduct its official business.
Click here to visit the new site and tell us directly what your small business is facing.
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News From Washington
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Early Friday morning, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund discretionary government operations through November 18, 2011 by a vote of 219-203.
Also on Friday, the House passed H.R. 2401, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN Act) 249-169. This bill would require the federal government to evaluate how the cumulative impacts of various regulations proposed or implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency would impact the economy. The bill would establish an interagency committee to estimate the economic impact (jobs, energy prices, and reliability) of regulations developed in the name of “global warming.” The bill would also delay two proposed EPA rules regarding utility boilers and addressing interstate emissions for at least six months after the report is released.
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| September 23, 2011 |
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| What We're Reading |
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| Member Highlights |
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| Small Biz Resources |
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