H. Res. 22

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

April 27, 2005.

Whereas more than 90 percent of all American employers are

small businesses;

Whereas small businesses generate approximately 70 percent

of the new jobs created in the United States each year;

Whereas small businesses are crucial to the American economy and account for a significant majority of new product ideas and innovations;

Whereas small businesses, together with innovation and entrepreneurship, are central to the American dream of

self-improvement and individual achievement;

Whereas 60 percent of the 45,000,000 Americans without

health insurance are small business employees and their

families;

Whereas most small businesses do not provide health insurance to their employees, primarily because of the surging

cost;

Whereas the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is exceedingly

complex, making it difficult for small businesses to understand it and comply with its requirements;

Whereas the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 discriminates, in

many instances, against small businesses and self-em-
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ployed persons by limiting the availability of certain tax

incentives to larger firms or corporations;

Whereas the death tax causes one-third of all family-owned

small businesses to liquidate after the death of the owner;

Whereas frivolous lawsuits and the rising costs of liability insurance represent serious threats to small business owners;

Whereas burdensome regulations and paperwork cost small

businesses more than $5,500 per employee;

Whereas adequate, affordable, and reliable energy supplies

are essential to the success of small businesses, especially

small manufacturers;

Whereas lack of access to capital and credit stifles new business growth and economic opportunity;

Whereas both unsound contract bundling or consolidation and

the failure of various Federal agencies to closely monitor

the small business goals and subcontracting plans of

large businesses have dried up many procurement opportunities for small businesses; and

Whereas Congress can help small businesses grow by establishing a climate to encourage small businesses to create

jobs and offer more affordable health insurance to employees: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that American small businesses are entitled to the following Small Business Bill of Rights:

(1) The right to join together to purchase affordable health insurance for small business employees, who
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make up a large portion of the millions of Americans

without health care coverage.

(2) The right to simplified tax laws that allow family-owned small businesses to survive over several generations and offer them incentives to grow.

(3) The right to be free from frivolous lawsuits

which harm law-abiding small businesses and prevent

them from creating new jobs.

(4) The right to be free of unnecessary, restrictive

regulations and paperwork which waste the time and energy of small businesses while hurting production and

preventing job creation.

(5) The right to relief from high energy costs, which

pose a real threat to the survival of small businesses, to

be accomplished by reducing the Nation’s reliance on imported sources of energy and encouraging environmentally-sound domestic production and conservation of

energy.

(6) The right to equal treatment, as compared to

large businesses, when seeking access to start-up and expansion capital and credit.

(7) The right to open access to the Government

procurement marketplace through the breaking up of
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large contracts to give small business owners a fair opportunity to compete for Federal contracts.

Attest:

Clerk.