Washington, Oct 16 -

Statement from Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), Chairman of the Committee on Small Business:

“With appreciation for Sen. Coburn’s efforts against waste, a commitment we share, his report is not factual on the efforts of the House Committee on Small Business.

“Despite narrow legislative jurisdiction, Members of the Committee introduced 19 bills and marked up 14 this Congress, 11 this year. More importantly, the Committee effectively used its oversight jurisdiction to hold 80 hearings on all sorts of issues that affect small businesses, including nine field hearings.  In addition to hearings, we have exercised oversight affecting 20 federal agencies.  The Committee will continue to measure progress in the fight for small businesses more by the content of the hearings and results of oversight efforts, than faulty statistics cited in Dr. Coburn’s report.

“The Committee takes seriously the obligation to usefully fight for small businesses, often on tax and regulatory issues that burden small businesses needlessly. We’re proud of that record. The Committee effectively shines needed sunlight on issues affecting small businesses and gives small business owners a needed voice in a Federal government that often works against them.”