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






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 22

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that American 
   small businesses are entitled to a Small Business Bill of Rights.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2005

    Mr. Keller (for himself and Mr. Cramer) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that American 
   small businesses are entitled to a Small Business Bill of Rights.

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 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; 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 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.
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