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Washington Watch
June 11, 2003
NASE President Builds on
Relationships in Washington
NASE President Robert Hughes knows that relationships
are the key to advocacy work in Washington, D.C. So on
his trip there last week, he met with several groups
to build and maintain close connections.
Hughes met with the Taxpayer Advocate Service from the
IRS, an independent office that works to help with tax
problems and to reduce taxpayer burdens. Hughes
learned how their service can be of help to NASE
Members - if you haven’t been able to resolve problems
through normal channels within the IRS, the Taxpayer
Advocate will work to quickly and fairly resolve your
issue. In addition, the Taxpayer Advocate office
provides a yearly report to Congress on the top
problems faced by taxpayers, and recommendations on
how to fix them.
The U.S. Small Business Administration told Hughes
about the events the agency has planned for their 50th
anniversary celebration this year. The highlight will
be the National Entrepreneurial Conference and Expo,
September 17-19.
Read more about what the NASE is doing for you in
Washington by visiting the Legislative Action Center.
On the Web:
Taxpayer Advocate Service
http://www.irs.gov/advocate/index.html
U.S. Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov
National Entrepreneurial Conference and Expo
http://www.sba.gov/50/
Legislative Action Center
http://advocacy.nase.org
Legislative Update: House Committee Takes Up AHPs
The House Education and the
Workforce Committee will debate Association Health Plan (AHP)
legislation this week, after a subcommittee of the panel
approved the legislation earlier this year. Rep. Ernie Fletcher
(R-KY) and others introduced H.R. 660, the Small Business Health
Fairness Act of 2003, in April. The NASE supports AHPs that
would allow associations to pool together to reduce
administrative costs and increase purchasing power for small
businesses.
For more information on the NASE position on AHPs, visit
http://advocacy.nase.org/issue_briefs/association_health_plans.asp.
Background information on AHPs can be found at
http://www.AHPsNOW.com.
On the Web:
H.R. 660:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR00660:@@@L&summ2=m&
New Legislation Introduced to Reduce Cost of Health
Coverage
A new bill was introduced in Congress last week that would
allow individuals to create savings accounts for health care
expenses, making health coverage more affordable for the nearly
25 million self-employed and small business owners without
health insurance. The Health Savings Account Availability Act of
2003, H.R. 2351, would combine the savings accounts with
high-deductible health insurance plans to pay medical expenses.
Deposits into health savings accounts (HSA) could be made
through employer contributions, employee contributions and
tax-free rollovers of a portion of unused flexible spending
account balances.
“Creating HSAs to assist with the cost of medical expenses is
just one way we can help uninsured families better access
affordable health care,” said Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA), chairman
of the House Ways and Means Committee. “HSAs help put
individuals in control of their own health care, while helping
manage health care's rising costs.” Rep. William Lipinski (D-IL)
also cosponsored the legislation.
According to Rep. Thomas’ press release about the bill, when
individuals spend their own money on health care, they spend 30
percent less with no adverse health effects.
On the Web:
Health Savings Account Availability Act of 2003
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR02351:@@@L&summ2=m&
House Ways and Means Committee
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/
IRS Offers Tips on Avoiding
Top Ten Filing Errors for Small Businesses
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) posted tips the top ten
filing errors for small businesses and the self-employed on
their Web site, as well as solutions to the mistakes. Errors
ranged from incorrect social security numbers to the failure to
list the number of Schedule K-1s on Line 1 (number of partners)
on Form 1065 (U.S. Return of Partnership Income).
Make sure you don’t make these mistakes by visiting
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=107767,00.html
Happy Birthday, SBA
The U.S. Small Business Administration celebrates a
half century of helping America’s entrepreneurs
develop, finance and grow their businesses. The SBA
will commemorate the 50th anniversary with events and
forums across the country. The kick-off event will be
August 1 at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and
Museum in Abilene, Kansas. It was there that President
Eisenhower signed the Small Business Act into law on
July 30, 1953, creating the agency.
Ten public forums will follow, from October to April
2004. Small-business owners and employees will discuss
their needs and how the SBA can help them. The
highlight of the 50th anniversary events will be the
National Entrepreneurial Conference and Expo,
September 17-19, in Washington, D.C. During the
conference, the National Small Business Person of the
Year will be announced and a new “Hall of Fame,”
honoring the highest achievements in entrepreneurship.
“Since 1953, the SBA has helped more than 20 million
Americans start, grow and expand their businesses –
placing more than $170 billion in direct or guaranteed
loans into the hands of entrepreneurs,” said SBA
Administrator Hector Barretto. “SBA’s 50th anniversary
gives us a perfect opportunity to reflect upon our
history and to plan innovative methods to better serve
America’s entrepreneurs.”
More information on the 50th anniversary celebration
can be found at
http://www.sba.gov/50.
Do any of these issues
affect you? Visit the NASE
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.
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