[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 10 (Thursday, January 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S574-S575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. Grassley):
  S. 187. A bill to establish the position of Assistant United States 
Trade Representative for Small Business, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Governmental Affairs, 
jointly, pursuant to the order of August 4, 1977, with instructions 
that if one committee reports, the other committee has thirty days to 
report or be discharged.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation on 
behalf of our Nation's small business community. This legislation will 
benefit small businesses by requiring an

[[Page S575]]

estimate of the cost of each piece of congressional legislation on 
small businesses before Congress enacts the legislation, and also by 
creating an assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business.
  Small business is the driving force behind our economy, and in order 
to create jobs--both in my home State of Maine and across the Nation-- 
we must encourage small business expansion.
  Nationwide, an estimated 13 to 16 million small businesses account 
for over 99 percent of all employers. They also employ over 50 percent 
of the workers. Small businesses account for virtually all of the new 
jobs being created. Maine, in particular, is a state with a historical 
record of self-reliance and small business enterprise. In Maine, of the 
roughly 36,660 employers, 97.6 percent are small businesses. Maine also 
boasts an estimated 71,000 self-employed persons. Surveys credit small 
businesses with all of the new jobs in Maine as well.
  I believe that small businesses are the most successful tool we have 
for job creation. They provide a substantial majority of the initial 
job opportunities in this country, and are the original--and finest--
job training program. Unfortunately, as much as small businesses help 
our own economy--and the Federal Government--by creating jobs and 
building economic growth, government often gets in the way. Instead of 
assisting small business, government too often frustrates small 
business efforts.
  Federal regulations create more than 1 billion hours of paperwork for 
small businesses each year, according to the Small Business 
Administration. Moreover, because of the size of some of the largest 
American corporations, U.S. commerce officials too often devote a 
disproportionate amount of time to the needs and jobs in corporate 
America rather than in small businesses.
  My legislation will address these two challenges facing small 
businesses, and I hope it will both encourage small business expansion 
and fuel further job creation.
  One, this legislation will require a cost analysis of legislative 
proposals before new requirements are imposed on small businesses. Too 
often, Congress approves well-intended legislation that shifts the 
costs of programs to small businesses. This proposal will help avert 
such unintended consequences.
  According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small business 
owners spend at least 1 billion hours a year filling our government 
paperwork, at an annual cost that exceeds $100 billion. Before we place 
yet another obstacle in the path of small business job creation, we 
should understand the costs our proposals will impose on small 
businesses.
  This bill will require the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office to prepare for each committee an analysis of the costs to small 
businesses that would be incurred in carrying out provisions contained 
in new legislation. This cost analysis will include an estimate of 
costs incurred in carrying out the bill or resolution for a 4-year 
period, as well as an estimate of the portion of these costs that would 
be borne by small businesses. This provision will allow us to fully 
consider the impact of our actions on small businesses--and through 
careful planning, we may succeed in mitigating unintended costs.
  Two, this legislation will direct the U.S. Trade Representative to 
establish a position of Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small 
Business. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is overburdened, 
and too often overlooks the needs of small business. This is a concern 
that I have heard time and again from those in the small business 
community. A new Assistant U.S. Trade Representative would promote 
exports by small businesses and work to remove foreign impediments to 
exports.
  Mr. President, I am convinced that this legislation will truly assist 
small businesses, resulting not only in additional entrepreneurial 
potential but also in good new jobs. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this legislation.
                                 ______