• NASE President Testifies at Regulatory Compliance Roundtable

• Minimum Wage Bill May Make Appearance in September

• Connecticut, Texas Women Entrepreneur Summits Coming Soon

• Senate Joins House in Summer Recess

NASE President Testifies at Regulatory Compliance Roundtable

Last week, your NASE president, Robert Hughes, explained to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship why it is so important for you to have a local expert help you with compliance to federal regulations.

Sen. John Kerry, (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, invited Hughes to a roundtable discussion on the National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2002 (S. 2483). The act would allow Small Business Development Centers to provide micro-businesses with confidential, free-of-charge regulatory compliance assistance.

The roundtable was convened because some Senators on the committee expressed concern that the act would duplicate the efforts several federal agencies already have in place to assist small-business owners with regulatory compliance issues.

Hughes told the committee that micro-businesses, due to their small size, rely solely on themselves to manage all aspects of their businesses, including regulatory concerns. "Even the 'small-business' regulatory compliance assistance does not always reflect the needs of the self-employed or micro-businesses," Hughes said.

Don Wilson, president of the Association of Small Business Development Centers, testified that "smaller firms cannot spread the overhead costs associated with hiring accountants, hiring attorneys and the general cost of paperwork burdens and the cost of staff needed to try and comply with the maze of federal regulations."

Hughes also pointed to a recent report by the General Accounting Office (GAO -- 02 - 172) that supports the NASE position. The report states that federal agencies are not sufficiently assisting micro-businesses with regulatory compliance. Click here to view this report.

The NASE believes that due to the complexity of federal regulations and the size of micro-businesses, regulatory compliance assistance needs to be extended to a state and local level. Therefore, Small Business Development Centers, because of their presence in local communities, can more easily assist micro-business owners and the self-employed with regulatory compliance.

To find a Small Business Development Center near you, visit http://www.asbdc-us.org.

To write your Senators regarding the National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act, click here.
 

Minimum Wage Bill May Make Appearance in September

As reported earlier in Washington Watch, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has introduced a bill to increase the federal minimum wage that Senate Democrats hope to bring to vote in September.

S. 2538 would increase the federal minimum wage – currently $5.15 – to $6.65 by 2004. Kennedy contends that workers need an increase because the minimum wage has not been raised in five years.

The bill faces stiff opposition from Senate Republicans, however, even with the Democrats’ incentive of offering to trade a tax cut package for a wage increase. The tax breaks would mostly likely include cuts targeted to ranchers and farmers and could include increasing the small-business expensing deduction from $24,000 to $35,000.

Republicans insist that even with the talk of a tax cut package – which isn’t guaranteed to pass – the uncertain economy means businesses cannot afford the wage increase.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is also against a minimum wage hike because they see it as a way the Democrats are trying to gain political points in an election year.

The NASE is not opposed to a minimum wage increase in principle. Most of the micro-businesses belonging to the NASE pay more than the federal minimum wage to employees anyway. But, the NASE does not think this is an appropriate time for an increase.

To tell your Senators how you feel about an increase in the minimum wage, click here.
 

Connecticut, Texas Women Entrepreneur Summits Coming Soon

The NASE is helping the Department of Labor, the Bush Administration and Members of Congress bring regional summits on women entrepreneurship to your area. The free daylong conferences will focus on access to capital, business development, health care, procurement and regional opportunities and contacts. This week, on August 8, the summit travels to New Britain, Conn. (near Hartford) and on August 15 will make a stop in Houston, Texas. The NASE encourages all area women business owners to attend. And don't forget to stop by the NASE table and say hello.

Click here to register for the Connecticut event.

Click here to register for the Texas event.

For more information about all the upcoming summits, click here.

Senate Joins House in Summer Recess

The Senate closed up shop last week for their August recess. The Senate now joins the House, which left Washington, D.C., for recess on July 27. During this break, Members will go on vacation and work in their District offices. Both Chambers will reconvene in September, when they will be busy trying to pass several major pieces of legislation before the November elections.

Do any of these issues affect you? Visit the NASE's Legislative Action Center and "Tell Your Small Business Story." This will help the NASE understand - on a personal level - how key legislative issues are affecting your business and your bottom line.

For more information about any of the articles in Washington Watch, contact Maureen Petron, NASE public affairs manager, at (202) 466-2100 or mpetron@nase.org.