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Small Business Committee Newsletter Printer Friendly Version
Small Business Committee Notes
Friday, September 15, 2006 Printer Friendly Version
Small Business Committee Notes September 15, 2006 -- Issue 109-54 Phil Eskeland, Policy Director, House Committee on Small Business _____________________________ Chairman Manzullo Votes to Create Jobs for Law-Abiding Americans On Thursday, September 14, House Small Business Committee Chairman Donald Manzullo (R-IL) voted for legislation to reform a federal prison labor program that takes jobs away from law-abiding Americans. The Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act (HR 2695), which passed the House 362 to 57, requires FPI to compete with private sector firms for federal contracts. FPI employs inexpensive prison labor to assemble products that must be purchased by federal agencies, including furniture, clothing and textiles, and fleet management and vehicular components. Chairman Manzullo, an original co-sponsor of the legislation, has held several Small Business Committee hearings over the years on the FPI program because it often shuts small businesses out of federal contracts (see SBC Notes 108-20 for the previous hearing on this topic). “The jobs of law-abiding citizens – the forgotten Americans who get up every day, dress their kids for school, and set off for a long hard day of work -- should not be sacrificed for convicted felons,” Chairman Manzullo said. “The unintended and indirect message from FPI to working Americans is that if you want a job, commit a crime. That’s not the American way!” HR 2695 offers a better way to train prisoners for real jobs in the outside world rather than allowing them to unfairly compete against small businesses for the precious few contracts with the federal government. It will also allow FPI to manufacture products that are no longer made in America and to perform work in support of non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity. “This legislation simply requires FPI to compete like every other business for contracts with the federal government,” Chairman Manzullo said. “FPI already has many advantages, including a captive below minimum wage work force and no health care, worker’s compensation or other benefits to fund. Even with these advantages, small businesses still believe they can beat FPI because various government agencies have long complained about the quality and timeliness of delivery of products from FPI.” The bill now awaits action before the Senate. For more information, please contact Nelson Crowther, General Counsel. _______________________________ Chairman Manzullo Joins Young Managers in Effort to Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing, Create Jobs On Wednesday, September 13, House Small Business Committee Chairman Donald Manzullo (R-IL) joined a group of young manufacturers in their mission to strengthen U.S. manufacturing today and preserve American industries for generations to come. Chairman Manzullo, who also chairs the House Manufacturing Caucus, spoke on Wednesday morning at a Capitol Hill news conference to discuss the future of manufacturing in America. Chairman Manzullo was joined by fellow Small Business Committee Member, Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), and members of the Precision Metalforming Association’s (PMA) Next Generation of Manufacturing. The group was in Washington, DC to urge Members of Congress to support legislation key to strengthening manufacturing in America and creating jobs. “Although our manufacturers are doing much better these days, they still face severe challenges from low-wage overseas competitors,” Chairman Manzullo said. “I join today with this New Generation of Manufacturers to urge my colleagues to support legislation that will make American companies more competitive. We have the most qualified workers in the world that can compete with anyone as long as they are on a level playing field.” As head of the U.S.-China Interparliamentary Exchange, Chairman Manzullo has challenged China’s leaders to stop their unfair trade practices that give Chinese manufacturers unfair advantages in the global marketplace. Specifically, Chairman Manzullo has called on China to stop manipulating its currency to the disadvantage of U.S. manufacturers; stop illegally subsidizing its companies to give them unfair trade advantages; and to get more serious about stopping rampant piracy of U.S. intellectual property, especially movies, music, and manufactured goods. Chairman Manzullo encouraged young people to take more math, science and engineering classes that will help America maintain its worldwide leadership in innovation and technology. In addition, Congress needs to lower the cost of doing business in the United States by: Making permanent the tax relief provisions set to expire in 2011 so our manufacturers don’t face massive tax hikes. Reducing the cost of health care in America and providing our manufacturers with more options to provide affordable health insurance for their employees. Eliminating unnecessary and burdensome federal regulations that stifle job growth. For more information, please contact Nathan McGrath, Legislative Assistant. _______________________________ Immigration and Small Business On Tuesday, September 12, the House Republican Policy Committee, chaired by Representative Adam Putnam (R-FL), held a public forum to hear from Committee Chairmen and Subcommittee Chairmen who held hearings during the August district work period on the issue of immigration. The results of this hearing will help determine the type of policy changes the House of Representatives will try to make over the coming weeks on the immigration issue. While House Small Business Committee Chairman Donald Manzullo held no hearings on this subject during August, he conveyed the results of a Workforce, Empowerment & Government Programs Subcommittee hearing held on this topic last June (see SBC Notes 109-49) in a letter to Chairman Putnam. The letter conveyed that while the small business community wants strong and secure borders, there was concern expressed about the 18 month timeline to make permanent and mandatory the employer verification system for businesses of all sizes. This system would require that employers check the bonafides of prospective workers to make sure that they are U.S. citizens or legal aliens. The original legislation introduced on this topic – HR 19 – contained a gradual seven-year phase for the full implementation of the employer verification system, giving the greatest amount of lead-time to small businesses. This will enable the kinks to be worked out of the program prior to when it affects the vast majority of small businesses. However, the bill that passed the House last December (HR 4437) compressed this compliance time frame to 18 months. Chairman Manzullo encouraged the Republican Policy Committee to include a gradual phase-in of the employer-verification system, with the greatest amount of lead-time possible for small companies, in any immigration bill that passes Congress. This accomplishes the twin goal of limiting the regulatory burden on small business while still securing our borders. For more information, please contact Phil Eskeland, Policy Director. _______________________________ Staff Changes Last Thursday was the last day in the office for Nathan Berkeley, Professional Staff. After three years on staff, he left Chairman Donald Manzullo’s office to work for the investigations division at the International Justice Mission, a non-governmental organization located in Arlington, Virginia. He contributed a great deal to the success of the committee and the staff on the Small Business Committee wishes his well on his new endeavors. _______________________________ Upcoming Events No official committee events planned at this time. _________________________________ Past hearings/mark-ups/roundtables/meetings in 2006 February 1, 2006 – Joint Tax, Finance & Exports (TF&E) and Rural Enterprises, Agriculture & Technology (REA&T) Subcommittee hearing on “Transforming the Tax Code: An Examination of the President’s Tax Reform Panel Recommendations.” February 8, 2006 – Regulatory Reform & Oversight (RR&O) Subcommittee hearing on “The Internet Sales Tax: Headaches Ahead for Small Business?” March 2, 2006 – Workforce Empowerment & Government Programs (WE&GP) Subcommittee hearing on the “Oversight of the Small Business Administration’s Entrepreneurial Development Programs.” March 8, 2006 – TF&E Subcommittee hearing on the “Oversight of the Small Business Administration’s Finance Programs.” March 15, 2006 – REA&T Subcommittee hearing entitled, “The Missouri River and its Spring Rise: Science or Science Fiction?” March 15, 2006 – hearing on the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget and Reauthorization Proposals of the SBA. March 16, 2006 – RR&O Subcommittee hearing entitled, “The State of Small Business Security in a Cyber Economy.” March 30, 2006 – RR&O Subcommittee hearing on the “Procurement Assistance Programs of the SBA.” April 5, 2006 – hearing on “IRS Latest Enforcement: Is the Bulls-Eye on Small Businesses?” April 6, 2006 – RR&O Subcommittee hearing entitled “Can Small Healthcare Groups Feasibly Adopt Electronic Medical Records Technology?” April 26, 2006 – hearing on “Cutting Our Trade Deficit: Can the U.S. Muster Its Diverse Trade Promotion Operations to Make an Impact?” April 27, 2006 – WE&GP Subcommittee hearing on “Healthcare and Small Business: Proposals that will Help Lower Costs and Cover the Uninsured.” May 3, 2006 – REA&T Subcommittee hearing on “The Future of Rural Telecommunications: Is Universal Service Reform Needed?” May 3, 2006 – hearing on “What is the Proper Balance between Investor Protection and Capital Formation for Smaller Public Companies?” May 10, 2006 – hearing on “Bridging the Equity Gap: Examining the Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Act of 2006.” May 23, 2006 – RR&O Subcommittee hearing on “Data Protection and the Consumer: Who Loses When Your Data Takes a Hike?” May 25, 2006 – REA&T Subcommittee hearing on “Unlocking Charitable Giving.” June 7, 2006 – hearing on “Contracting the Internet: Does ICANN Create a Barrier to Small Business? June 21, 2006 – Joint hearing with the Government Reform Committee on “Northern Lights and Procurement Plights: The Effect of the ANC Program on Federal Procurement and Alaska Native Corporations.” June 27, 2006 – RR&O Subcommittee hearing on “S Corporations: Their History and Challenges.” June 27, 2006 – WE&GP Subcommittee hearing on “Immigrant Employer Verification and Small Business.” June 28, 2006 – TF&E Subcommittee hearing on “The Effects of the High Cost of Natural Gas on Small Businesses and Future Energy Technologies.” July 13, 2006 – RR&O Subcommittee hearing on “An Update on Administration Action to Reduce Unnecessary Regulatory Burdens on America’s Small Manufacturers.” July 20, 2006 – Joint REA&T and TF&E Subcommittee hearing on “Does China Enact Barriers to Fair Trade?” July 25, 2006 – hearing on “Failure to Comply with the Regulatory Flexibility Act: IRS Endangering Small Businesses Yet Again.” August 10, 2006 – WE&GP Subcommittee field hearing in Loveland, CO on “Health Care and Small Business – Real Options for Colorado Businesses.” _____________________________ Small Business Website Check out the Small Business Committee website at http://www.house.gov/smbiz. The site includes regular updates on small business committee news. The site features special projects, press releases, hearings and scheduling information. _______________________________ Phil Eskeland Deputy Chief of Staff & Policy Director House Committee on Small Business Phil.Eskeland@mail.house.gov (202) 225-5821 To contact any staff member listed in the above newsletter, please use the general number for the House Small Business Committee – (202) 225-5821. Please E-mail me if you want to be removed from the mailing list or if you know of others who might be interested in receiving this publication. Mission Statement of the House Committee on Small Business "We promote the success of America’s small businesses by leveling the global economic playing field and reducing domestic burdens that impede their growth. In this spirit, we work to ensure that every branch of the U.S. government understands the critical role America’s small businesses play – both at home and abroad – including the jobs they create and the spirit of entrepreneurship they embody.”
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