[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 82 (Friday, June 24, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             SMALL BUSINESSMEN: MANDATES EQUAL UNEMPLOYMENT

  (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I have heard from community leaders and 
small business leaders alike, employer mandates now, equal unemployment 
lines tomorrow.
  And my district is not unique. Nationally, more than a third of all 
small business owners say that contributions mandated by President 
Clinton and some of my colleagues on Capitol Hill would either force 
them out of business or significantly cut their work force.
  A number of studies indicate that employer contributions would cost 
the United States more than 15 million jobs, during the first 5 years 
alone. We simply cannot afford this type of social experiment in health 
care roulette.
  Additionally, these numbers fail to estimate the chilling effect that 
this type of job-killing legislation would have on small business 
hiring.
  Our economy has anemic growth now. Are we supposed to believe that 
passing health care reform with employer mandates will spur further 
economic recovery?
  Let us stop kidding ourselves and the American public, and start 
working on a bipartisan health care reform plan. We need health care 
reform, but we need to make sure that we do not ruin small businesses 
in the process.

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