[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 22 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                        April 27, 2005.
Whereas more than 90 percent of all American employers are small businesses;
Whereas small businesses generate approximately 70 percent of the new jobs 
        created in the United States each year;
Whereas small businesses are crucial to the American economy and account for a 
        significant majority of new product ideas and innovations;
Whereas small businesses, together with innovation and entrepreneurship, are 
        central to the American dream of self-improvement and individual 
        achievement;
Whereas 60 percent of the 45,000,000 Americans without health insurance are 
        small business employees and their families;
Whereas most small businesses do not provide health insurance to their 
        employees, primarily because of the surging cost;
Whereas the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is exceedingly complex, making it 
        difficult for small businesses to understand it and comply with its 
        requirements;
Whereas the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 discriminates, in many instances, 
        against small businesses and self-employed persons by limiting the 
        availability of certain tax incentives to larger firms or corporations;
Whereas the death tax causes one-third of all family-owned small businesses to 
        liquidate after the death of the owner;
Whereas frivolous lawsuits and the rising costs of liability insurance represent 
        serious threats to small business owners;
Whereas burdensome regulations and paperwork cost small businesses more than 
        $5,500 per employee;
Whereas adequate, affordable, and reliable energy supplies are essential to the 
        success of small businesses, especially small manufacturers;
Whereas lack of access to capital and credit stifles new business growth and 
        economic opportunity;
Whereas both unsound contract bundling or consolidation and the failure of 
        various Federal agencies to closely monitor the small business goals and 
        subcontracting plans of large businesses have dried up many procurement 
        opportunities for small businesses; and
Whereas Congress can help small businesses grow by establishing a climate to 
        encourage small businesses to create jobs and offer more affordable 
        health insurance to employees: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that American 
small businesses are entitled to the following Small Business Bill of Rights:
            (1) The right to join together to purchase affordable health 
        insurance for small business employees, who make up a large portion of 
        the millions of Americans without health care coverage.
            (2) The right to simplified tax laws that allow family-owned small 
        businesses to survive over several generations and offer them incentives 
        to grow.
            (3) The right to be free from frivolous lawsuits which harm law-
        abiding small businesses and prevent them from creating new jobs.
            (4) The right to be free of unnecessary, restrictive regulations and 
        paperwork which waste the time and energy of small businesses while 
        hurting production and preventing job creation.
            (5) The right to relief from high energy costs, which pose a real 
        threat to the survival of small businesses, to be accomplished by 
        reducing the Nation's reliance on imported sources of energy and 
        encouraging environmentally-sound domestic production and conservation 
        of energy.
            (6) The right to equal treatment, as compared to large businesses, 
        when seeking access to start-up and expansion capital and credit.
            (7) The right to open access to the Government procurement 
        marketplace through the breaking up of large contracts to give small 
        business owners a fair opportunity to compete for Federal contracts.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.