Washington Watch
May 8, 2002
Legislative Alert: Bill to Strengthen SBA Office of
Advocacy Pulled
In a recent Washington Watch, the National Association
for the Self-Employed reported that the
Small Business Advocacy Improvement Act of 2002
(H.R. 4231) had been approved by the House Committee
on Small Business. This legislation would strengthen
the
Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy
by allowing it to more effectively and independently
protect small businesses from unnecessary federal
regulations.
The full House of Representatives was scheduled to
vote on the legislation this week. However, the Bush
Administration asked the House to pull the legislation
before the vote, citing concerns with language in the
bill. The administration believes the bill contains a
provision that would place an infringement on the
power of the president by allowing the Chief Counsel
of the Office of Advocacy to serve one year past the
term of the president who appointed the Chief Counsel.
Strengthening the Office of Advocacy has been a
priority for the NASE and President Bush. The
President signed an executive order in March giving
the office more power and stressed to small-business
leaders the importance of the office. Administration
officials said except for this one provision, Bush
still strongly supports this bill.
H.R. 4231 includes other provisions that would give
the Office of Advocacy a protected line item in the
President's budget. The bill would also create two new
deputy counsels for regulation and economic research.
The legislation would authorize a larger budget for
the Office of Advocacy to hire more staff, thereby
increasing its vigilance on excessive regulations. The
bill also encourages the SBA Ombudsman to work more
closely with the Office of Advocacy in coordinating
opinions on the impact of regulations on small
businesses.
The NASE will continue to work with members of the
House Small Business Committee to get this legislation
back on the floor schedule, which is expected to
happen before the summer recess. But, the NASE needs
your help. Visit the NASE’s
Legislative Action Center and tell your member of
Congress that this legislation is important to you.
NASE Celebrates National Small Business Week
As an association patron of
National Small Business Week, the NASE joins many
dignitaries and organizations in recognizing the
valuable contributions that small businesses make to
society and the economy. National Small Business Week,
May 5-11, is hosted by the
Small
Business Administration.
National Small Business Week is also a time to review
key issues affecting the nation’s 24 million small
businesses. An impressive list of Washington officials
will be speaking at various events throughout the
week. Key speakers include SBA Administrator Hector
Barreto, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Secretary of
Treasury Paul O’Neill, Sens.
John Kerry and
Christopher Bond of the Senate Small Business
Committee and Reps.
Donald Manzullo and
Nydia Velazquez of the House Small Business
Committee.
An array of workshops will address issues such as
e-commerce, the global economy, retirement security
and regulatory affairs. The House Small Business
Committee will be hosting a hearing on Wednesday, May
8, to hear from various small-business owners
attending the Week’s festivities.
If you are an NASE Member interested in being
nominated for a National Small Business Week award for
2003, please contact Kristie Darien at 202-466-2100
or kdarien@nase.org.
To view live webcasts and video on demand of
some of the events at Small Business Week, go to:
http://app1.sba.gov/cast/wcastSBAWEEK2002.html
Senator Bond Rallies
for AHPs
Earlier this week,
Senate Small Business Committee Ranking Member
Kit Bond (R-MO) held a rally in St. Louis in
support of Association Health Plans (AHPs). The rally
came on the tails of a new
General
Accounting Office report that Washington Watch
told you about last week. The report found that only a
few large insurance companies market small-group
health insurance. The NASE believes this lack of
competition forces the self-employed and
micro-businesses to pay double-digit premium increases
for health coverage.
Senator Bond spoke on the importance of Congressional
action on AHP legislation in order to expand access to
affordable health benefits for small businesses.
Currently,
S. 858 and H.R. 1774 would provide for AHPs and
empower small-business entrepreneurs with the same
tools and bargaining power that large employers use to
make health coverage affordable for working families.
“The bigger the group…the better chance you have of
being able to get an affordable plan,” Bond said at
the rally.
The NASE is asking you to contact your member of
Congress regarding Association Health Plans by using
the NASE Legislative Action
Center.
You can read about Senator Bond’s rally in the
St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Do any of these issues affect you? Do you want to be
proactive in helping the micro-business community?
Visit the NASE
Legislative
Action Center and become a Small Business
Crusader. Members of Congress appreciate hearing from
their constituents. Letting your elected officials
know how you feel on an issue puts strength behind the
NASE legislative agenda.
For more information, contact Maureen Petron, NASE
public affairs manager, at (202) 466-2100 or
mpetron@nase.org.
|
 |
