• Congress Returns to D.C. with a Full Plate

• St. Louis Event Wraps Up Women Entrepreneur
  Summer Summits

Congress Returns to D.C. with a Full Plate

The House and Senate returned to the Capitol this week with a full plate of legislative priorities. Typically, Congress recesses again at the end of the month to allow the lawmakers to campaign for the November election. They would then normally not return until January to start a new session.

However, appropriations bills, the creation of a Homeland Security Department (H.R. 5005), national defense and economic issues are all demanding Congress’ attention before the end of the year. Both chambers will most likely have to return to Washington, D.C., for a post-election lame duck session to complete any unfinished work.

Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) acknowledged that the Senate, with pending action remaining on 50 House-approved bills and 50 judicial nominations, “has an awful lot of work to do.” In order to get as much accomplished as possible before the elections, the Senate has adopted a two-tiered schedule. Instead of getting stuck on one piece of legislation for several days – and therefore not being able to debate another issue – the Senate will take up appropriations bills in the morning and other legislative priorities in the afternoon. This will allow them to work on several priorities each day.

Some recent comments by President Bush about new tax legislation have added yet another issue for Congress. Both sides of the aisle concede that it might be too late to pass a tax package, especially since the administration has not yet proposed specific legislation. Bush has previously stated his support for addressing capital losses as a way to assist investors who have suffered market losses and for tackling the so-called “double taxation” of dividends.

The NASE continues to track Congressional action on micro-business priorities. While we encourage the House and Senate to keep focused on the needs of the self-employed, such as health care, access to capital and tax parity, the NASE is realistic about how much can be accomplished in the short time remaining.
 

St. Louis Event Wraps Up Women Entrepreneur
Summer Summits

On September 9, 2002, the NASE will co-sponsor a Women Entrepreneur Summit in St. Louis, Mo. Hosted by Senate Committee on Small Business Ranking Member Kit Bond (R-Mo.), the event will address the specific needs of women micro-business owners – and aspiring micro-business owners. Panel discussions will focus on access to capital, health care and tax issues. The free daylong event also provides an opportunity to network with other small business owners. The summit caps off a summer-long effort by the NASE, Bush Administration and Members of Congress to bring small business information and resources around the country. For more information about the summit, click here. To register, click here.
 

Do any of these issues affect you? Do you want to be proactive in helping the micro-business community? 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.