Randy's Blog
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Randy
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March 13, 2012
I want to share this video with you from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform today. Veteran truck driver Doug Grove, safety director at San Bernardino, CA based Western HiWays, explains how burdensome federal government regulations don’t align with the realities of the road. Watch the video here or click the image below.
Government was not designed to be the center of the marketplace, nor was it meant to be a barrier to economic growth. With each new overreach of the federal government into the realm of small business, the more it continues to stifle innovation and entrepreneurship in America. Read about my recent work to address regulations here.
Also, weigh in with your thoughts on regulations in my instaPoll that asks “Have federal regulations inhibited economic recovery and job creation?” Take the poll here.
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Randy
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February 16, 2012
A new poll by Gallup shows that 85% of small business owners surveyed are not hiring. Of those individuals, most cite the following reasons: do not need additional employees; worries about weak business conditions, including revenues; cash flow; and the overall U.S. economy.
According to the latest Chamber of Commerce quarterly Small Business Outlook Survey, 78% of small businesses surveyed report the taxation, regulation, and legislation from Washington make it harder for their business to hire more employees.
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Randy
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November 01, 2011
Check out this 50-second video from the House Financial Services Committee revealing the simple truth about Washington regulations and jobs:
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Randy
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September 02, 2011
This week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor outlined the House legislative agenda for the fall. The agenda will include targeting 10 major regulations for elimination and seeking to enact one major tax cut for businesses. You can see the agenda first-hand in this memo that Majority Leader Cantor sent to my colleagues here.
We need an agenda like this one that focuses on private sector growth. Removing barriers to innovation and encouraging small business growth will help create the jobs we need to get our economy moving again. I want to know what you think as we head into the fall session of Congress. Do you agree that we need to focus on solutions to encourage small business growth? Of the policies outlined in the agenda, which one do you think is most important? Leave your comments below.
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Randy
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August 17, 2011
Virginia has once again been noted for its pro-business environment. The Pollina Corporate Real Estate gave Virginia the top ranking in 2011 in its national study, Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2011: The Rise of the West. Virginia won by the largest margin in the history of the study. This accolade comes on top of a study by CNBC in July that found Virginia as America’s “Best State for Business.”
Brent Pollina, Vice President of Pollina Corporate Real Estate and author of the study, said, “Virginia can certainly be emulated by other states, which should view Virginia’s economic policies as a coloring book. All they need to do is stay between the lines of the coloring book, and they, too, can create a powerful pro-business environment.” Contributing to Virginia’s pro-business environment are low taxes, limited regulations, and a great quality of life. The Commonwealth of Virginia should be proud of this achievement. This type of environment will attract businesses to move here, create jobs, and grow, something that will be hugely beneficial in our current economic environment. The full study by Pollina is available here.
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Randy
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August 17, 2011
This week I had the opportunity to tour the Unilever Lipton tea facility in Suffolk to learn about its aggressive recycling and composting program that has made them a “zero-landfill” facility. It's great to have such a successful waste-to-energy program in the Fourth District. Read more about the facility on the City of Suffolk website in a news article that was posted when Unilever achieved its “zero-landfill” status.
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Randy
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July 07, 2011
According to the Small Business Administration, regulations imposed by the federal government cost our economy more than $1.75 trillion annually. To illustrate the problem, a recent Wall Street Journal article detailed the experience of small businessman Allen Ash, owner of a toy making company whose compliance with a myriad of federal regulations have negated any profits the 135-person company has made since 2008. Moreover, new federal requirements have forced Ash to hire four compliance officers to oversee federal product-safety rules, while at the same time having to lay off 20% of his company's staff. Although federal regulations are intended to protect workers and ensure consumer safety, the recent increase in regulations has stifled economic growth and disproportionately affected small businesses--the backbone of the American economy. It costs about $2,830 more for firms with less than 20 employees than those with 500 or more employees to comply with government regulations on a per-employee basis. In specific areas such as tax and environmental compliance, firms with 20 to 499 employees also pay significantly more than large firms. Stay in touch with Randy: Are you a small business owner? To learn more about the impact of federal regulations on small businesses, read this report from the Small Business Administration. Take the poll here.Find out the results of last week's instaPoll here.
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Randy
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June 29, 2011
Congratulations to the Commonwealth of Virginia for being named the “Top State for Business” by CNBC. In CNBC’s competitive yearly study, Virginia not only took the top spot out of all fifty states, but it received the highest point total in the history of the study. · Cost of Doing Business You can read more about CNBC’s study and see the full rankings here.
Posted by
Randy
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June 22, 2011
Although the gas price average has fallen to $3.67 a gallon from almost $4 a gallon in a month, gas prices are still $1 higher than they were this time last year.
According to an article this week in the Wall Street Journal, these high gas prices continue to place a significant strain on small businesses, especially those businesses that are based on the delivery of goods or products, or those businesses that rely heavily on gas powered machines, like lawn care companies. Many of these businesses have been forced to increase prices on their customers to offset higher gasoline costs. And, the more small businesses and companies have to put in the gas tank, the fewer workers they will hire. As a nation, we count on small businesses to grow and create jobs. As a result, any effective economic recovery efforts must include a plan for relief at the pump. This means working to increase our domestic fuel production, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, intensify our renewable energy development, and cut our fuel usage. I recently discussed my work to increase our nation’s energy independence and get gas prices under control in my Capitol Monitor newsletter. You can read that plan here. Are you a small business owner? Have you felt the strain of high gas prices on your business?
Posted by
Randy
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June 21, 2011
Tomorrow, the House Small Business Committee is holding a hearing with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the state of small business access to capital and credit. |
SEARCH BLOGRECENT POSTS11/08/2012 - This Veterans Day - E-mail me your Veteran’s picture and/or Anecdote11/02/2012 - A Memo on Jobs in Virginia's Fourth District 10/27/2012 - Hurricane Sandy Resources 10/23/2012 - What do you believe are the most serious negative impacts of having a Navy that is at its smallest size since 1917? 10/19/2012 - A Game Changer for Virginia 10/12/2012 - Question of the Week: Do you support the administration using taxpayer dollars to re-imburse legal fees to defense companies for failure to comply with the WARN Act? ARCHIVESBy YearBy Issue
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