[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 35 (Thursday, March 15, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H931-H942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SMALL BUSINESS PAPERWORK RELIEF ACT
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 89 and ask for its
immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 89
Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this
resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule
XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of
the bill (H.R. 327) to amend chapter 35 of title 44, United
States Code, for the purpose of facilitating compliance by
small businesses with certain Federal paperwork requirements
and to establish a task force to examine the feasibility of
streamlining paperwork requirements applicable to small
businesses. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed
with. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall
not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Government Reform. After general debate the bill shall be
considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. It shall
be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose
of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the
nature of a substitute printed in the Congressional Record
and numbered 1 pursuant to clause 8 of rule XVIII. Each
section of that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall
be considered as read. During consideration of the bill for
amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may
accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the
Member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in
the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that
purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so printed
shall be considered as read. At the conclusion of
consideration of the bill for amendment the Committee shall
rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as
may have been adopted. Any Member may demand a separate vote
in the House on any amendment adopted in the Committee of the
Whole to the bill or to the amendment in the nature of a
substitute made in order as original text. The previous
question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and
amendments thereto to final passage without intervening
motion except one motion to recommit with or without
instructions.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings)
is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only,
I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms.
Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume.
During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for
purposes of debate only.
(Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise
and extend his remarks.)
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 89 is an
open rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 327, the Small
Business Paperwork Relief Act.
The rule provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided and
controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee
on Government Reform.
The rule provides that it shall be in order to consider as an
original bill for the purpose of amendment an amendment in the nature
of a substitute printed in the Congressional Record and numbered 1. The
rule further provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute
shall be open for amendment by section.
Finally, the rule allows the chairman of the Committee of the Whole
to accord priority in recognition to Members who have preprinted their
amendments in the Congressional Record,
[[Page H932]]
and provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions.
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of H.R. 327 is to facilitate compliance by
small businesses with certain Federal paperwork requirements and to
establish a task force to examine the feasibility of streamlining
paperwork requirements applicable to small businesses.
This bill is similar to legislation passed by the House in the 106th
Congress but on which the Senate failed to act. However, this year's
bill omits language contained in the earlier version which limited the
imposition of civil penalties on small businesses for certain first-
time violations.
In addition, H.R. 327 requires the director of the Office of
Management and Budget to publish annually in the Federal Register a
list of requirements applicable to small businesses with respect to the
collection of information by Federal agencies, so that small businesses
can easily inform themselves about these requirements.
The bill also requires that all such information be made available on
the Internet.
H.R. 327 would require every Federal agency to establish a single
point of contact between the agency and small businesses.
Finally, the bill requires each Federal agency to make additional
efforts to reduce the paperwork burdens on small businesses with fewer
than 25 employees.
Mr. Speaker, as a longtime small business owner myself, I can assure
my colleagues that this is a bill whose time has come. It is hard
enough for most small businesses to comply with the paperwork
requirements that they know about, but it is the requirements that we
do not know about that can really come back to haunt us.
Large firms have in-house accounting, legal, and reporting compliance
personnel that are beyond the means of small businesses. I know
firsthand the costs and difficulty of wading through time-consuming,
duplicative, and sometimes unnecessary paperwork.
Small business men and women should not have to sacrifice
productivity in order to complete endless forms when paperwork
requirements can easily be streamlined.
For years small businesses have created the largest share of new jobs
in our economy. We should act today to reduce their paperwork burden so
that they can continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, because H.R. 327 was not reported by a committee, no
official cost estimate is available. However, the Committee on
Government Reform did receive a preliminary estimate from the
Congressional Budget Office which stated that the bill, and I quote,
``would result in minimal costs for Federal agencies each year because
the bill would not affect direct spending or governmental receipts.
Pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.''
Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the
underlying legislation, H.R. 327.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this open rule and the underlying
bill. It is noncontroversial. Concerns that were raised during
consideration of the measure regarding civil penalties during the last
Congress have been addressed.
The business community has often voiced concern about the burden of
government regulations and the resulting paperwork. In response to this
concern, Congress has passed paperwork reduction legislation such as
the Paperwork Reduction Act, PRA, and the Small Business Reporting
Enforcement Fairness Act.
Moreover, the last administration streamlined regulations by
reinventing government and implementing many of the recommendations
made by the White House Conference on Small Businesses.
The measure before us today, H.R. 327, continues this effort to
reduce unnecessary paperwork for small businesses.
There are a number of provisions in H.R. 327 to address streamlining
paperwork that bear mentioning. They require agencies to publish
annually paperwork requirements on small businesses, to establish a
small business liaison, to make efforts to reduce further the paperwork
burden on small businesses with fewer than 25 employees, and to
establish a task force to study the feasibility of streamlining
paperwork requirements.
Again, I know of no opposition to this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).
Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the rule
for this good government bill to streamline and reduce paperwork
burdens on small businesses, that is, H.R. 327, the Small Business
Paperwork Relief Act.
H.R. 327 includes helpful provisions for small businesses, including
a requirement for the Office of Management and Budget to annually
publish in the Federal Register and on the Internet an identification
of each agency's Federal paperwork requirements for small businesses; a
requirement for each agency to establish a single point of contact for
small businesses; a requirement for each agency to make further efforts
to reduce paperwork for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees;
and to establish an interagency task force to study streamlining of
paperwork requirements for small businesses.
CBO, as the gentleman from Washington has said, has scored this as
having a minimal cost for Federal agencies each year. It is time for us
to move forward on doing this. I support the open rule.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2
minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding time to me.
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleagues have covered the rule very well. I
thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the Committee on
Rules for bringing an open rule down to the floor.
I think the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) and the gentlewoman
from New York (Ms. Slaughter) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr.
Hastings) have covered the bill rather well.
There are 24 million small business people in this country that have
been suffering dramatically under the burden of overregulation and
paperwork. This bill takes a giant step toward eliminating a lot of the
problems they face.
This is supported strongly by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I think
it is a great bill. Its time has come, as the gentleman from Washington
(Mr. Hastings) has said.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests
for time, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous
question on the resolution.
The previous question was ordered.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hastings of Washington). Pursuant to
House Resolution 89 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the
consideration of the bill, H.R. 327.
{time} 1013
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 327) to amend chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, for the
purpose of facilitating compliance by small businesses with certain
Federal paperwork requirements and to establish a task force to examine
the feasibility of streamlining paperwork requirements applicable to
small businesses, with Mr. Fossella in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as having
been read the first time.
Under the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) and the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) each will control 30
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).
[[Page H933]]
General Leave
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H.R. 327.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
California?
There was no objection.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, H.R. 327, the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act was
introduced by the gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Burton) on January
31, 2001.
This good government bill continues congressional efforts to
streamline and reduce paperwork burdens on small businesses.
During the 105th and 106th Congresses, the Committee on Government
Reform and Oversight reported out bills H.R. 3310 and H.R. 391,
respectively, that passed the House by votes of 267 to 140 and 274 to
151, respectively.
{time} 1015
These earlier bills included all of the substantive provisions in
H.R. 327. However, unlike the predecessor bills, H.R. 327 does not
include any provisions relating to the waiver of sanctions for first-
time violations by small businesses of Federal paperwork requirements.
H.R. 327 includes the following helpful provisions for small
businesses. First, a requirement for the Office of Management and
Budget to annually publish in the Federal Register and on the Internet
an identification of each agency's Federal paperwork requirements for
small businesses.
Second, a requirement for each agency to establish a single point of
contact for small businesses.
Third, a requirement for each agency to make further efforts to
reduce paperwork for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
Fourth, a requirement to establish an interagency task force to study
streamlining of paperwork requirements for small businesses.
H.R. 327 asks this task force to consider having each agency
consolidate its reporting requirements for small businesses, resulting
in reporting to the agency's single point of contact, in a single
format or using a single electronic reporting system, and on one date.
The definition of small business in this bill is the one used in the
Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C., subsection 631 et seq.
H.R. 327 amends the Paperwork Reduction Act, the successor to the
Federal Reports Act of 1942, which began the requirement for OMB
approval before paperwork could be imposed on nine or more members of
the public. The 1980 Paperwork Reduction Act which established the
office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in OMB began by stating
``information needed by Federal agencies shall be obtained with a
minimum burden upon business enterprises, especially small business
enterprises, and other persons required to furnish the information and
at a minimum cost to the government.''
The 1995 reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act set 10
percent and 5 percent goals for paperwork reduction each year from 1996
to 2001.
OMB's most recent estimate of Federal paperwork burden on the public
is 7.2 billion hours annually, at a cost of $190 billion a year.
Despite the statutory requirements for annual reductions in paperwork
burden, there have been annual increases, instead of annual decreases,
in paperwork in each of the last 5 years. Those being from 1996 to
2000.
OMB's April 2000 report to Congress entitled the Information
Collection Budget of the United States Government: Fiscal Year 2000
does not identify any interagency efforts to streamline paperwork
requirements on small businesses. Also, although Congress required OMB
to provide an analysis of impacts of Federal regulation on small
business, OMB's June 2000 ``Report to Congress on the Costs and
Benefits of Federal Regulations: 2000'' devotes less than one page to
the impact of Federal regulatory and paperwork burdens on small
businesses.
H.R. 327 has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the
National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of
Independent Business, the National Small Business United, the Small
Business Coalition for Regulatory Relief, the Small Business
Legislative Council, the Small Business Survival Committee, the Academy
of General Dentistry, Agriculture Retailers Association, the American
Farm Bureau Federation, the American Road and Transportation Builders
Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, the Associated
General Contractors, the Automotive Parts and Service Alliance, the
Food Marketing Institute, GrassRoots Impact Inc., the National
Association of Convenience Stores, the National Automobile Dealers
Association, the National Business Association, the National Pest
Management Association, the National Restaurant Association, the
National Roofing Contractors Association, the National Tooling and
Machining Association, the North American Equipment Dealers
Association, and the Society of American Florists.
Mr. Chairman, I have introduced an amendment in the nature of a
substitute which includes provisions requested by the Government Reform
Minority, or the Committee on Small Business. Specifically, calling
for, first, a clarification that was added that the annual list of
requirements applicable to small businesses shall be organized so that
small businesses can easily identify requirements with which they are
expected to comply; second, the Department of Treasury was added to the
membership of the interagency task force since the IRS accounts for
nearly 80 percent of all paperwork burden on the public; third, a
clarification was added that the consolidation requirements on small
businesses shall not negatively impact the effectiveness of the
underlying laws; fourth, the task force's report shall be submitted not
only to Congress but also to OMB; and, fifth, a requirement was added
to the task force to report in 2 years on recommendations for
interactive, electronic recording with on-line editing, electronic
dissemination and coordination across agencies so that agency single
points of contact can provide small businesses with information from
other agencies.
In addition, the Small Business Committee stressed that, first, the
interagency task force should reach out to actual small businesses for
their views and recommendations, and that agencies should create user-
friendly Web sites for small businesses, including links to each
agency's reporting requirements for small businesses and organized,
where possible, by the North American Industrial Classification System
formally known as the SIC codes.
Small businesses are particularly hurt by regulatory and paperwork
burden. The Small Business Administration estimates that it costs large
firms $3,400 per employee to comply with Federal regulatory and
paperwork requirements. However, the costs to small businesses is 50
percent greater, a staggering $5,100 per employee. Not only are such
costs higher for small businesses, but clearly they are also harder to
absorb.
Small businesses cannot afford to comply with Federal requirements in
the same way that large businesses can. The high costs of such
requirements often makes it impossible for small businesses to expand.
It threatens their ability to stay afloat or it prevents them from
opening in the first place.
Mr. Chairman, H.R. 327 should result in needed relief for small
businesses.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), the
chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and
Regulatory Affairs.
Mr. Chairman, H.R. 327 is a substantial improvement over the small
business paperwork bills that were considered by the House in the last
two Congresses because in the last two Congresses, these contained
controversial penalty provisions, and they have since been removed.
This bill includes provisions suggested by the Democratic minority that
will reduce the paperwork burden on truly small businesses.
Mr. Chairman, small businesses as everyone is familiar with, are the
backbone of the economy and, now, are where the new jobs are being
created.
[[Page H934]]
However, many small- and family-owned businesses spend a great deal of
their resources learning about and complying with applicable laws.
I am very pleased that we are looking at ways to make it easier for
small businesses to understand what information they are required to
provide and the ways to simplify and streamline the paperwork process.
Mr. Chairman, H.R. 327, as amended, requires the Office of Management
and Budget to annually produce a list of information collection
requirements applicable to small businesses and to do that in a manner
that is useful to small businesses. This list must be printed in the
Federal Register and on the Internet.
The bill also requires each agency to establish one point of contact
to act as a liaison with small businesses.
It requires agencies to make efforts to further reduce paperwork on
businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
It establishes a task force to study the feasibility of streamlining
information collection and dissemination.
Mr. Chairman, 3 years ago, we considered similar provisions when we
considered H.R. 3310. Unfortunately, that bill also contained
provisions that would have probably prohibited agencies from penalizing
businesses for most first-time information-related violations. These
provisions would remove agency discretion. It would have created a safe
haven for willful, substantial, and long-standing violations.
They were obviously strongly opposed by the prior administration, by
labor, environmental, consumer, senior citizen, health, trade and
firefighter groups, as well as by some State attorneys general.
The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) and I offered an amendment to
address these concerns. However, the amendment failed. Because of the
surrounding controversy, the bill was never considered in the Senate;
and we lost a chance to implement the provisions that we are
considering today.
The bill was resurrected in the next Congress as H.R. 391. The
amendment of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), which fixed
controversial provisions, narrowly failed by a vote of 214-210. Again,
because the controversial provisions remained in the bill, it never
became law.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to see that H.R. 327 does not include
those controversial penalty provisions and now there is a strong chance
that this bill will in fact become law.
Mr. Chairman, I am also pleased to say that the managers amendment to
H.R. 327 includes suggestions made by the Democratic minority of this
committee. For instance, the task force will study the feasibility of
strengthening the dissemination so that agencies can more effectively
share that information with other agencies and with the public.
The task force must make recommendations for implementing an
interactive system for information collection requirements so the small
businesses can identify applicable requirements over the Internet.
It will provide guidelines for developing an interactive system that
edits the information submitted by small businesses and checks for
consistency.
It will make recommendations for electronic dissemination of
collected information.
Finally, it will make recommendations for coordinating information
collection between the different agencies.
Another change that was suggested by the Democratic minority
clarifies that the annual list of information requirements will be
produced in a manner that is useful to small businesses. The original
bill required that the lists be made by statistical code; however, that
list likely would not be used by small businesses, it would merely
provide a statistical analysis of the quantity of information
regulations.
After all, the purpose of this bill is not to count regulations but
to help small businesses understand and comply with the information
collection requirements. The new language ensures that the list is
produced in such a manner that such small business concerns can easily
identify requirements with which they are expected to comply.
Further, H.R. 327 includes a provision suggested by the gentleman
from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and it was adopted 3 years ago. And it
focuses paperwork reduction on small businesses with fewer than 25
employees. This amendment directs our efforts to truly small businesses
that need our help the most.
The definition of small businesses that was incorporated to H.R. 327
and was so broad that it included numerous businesses that many do not
really consider as small.
It would have included petroleum refineries with up to 1500
employees, pharmaceutical companies with up to 750 employees, and banks
with up to $100 million in assets. Thus, this bill, as amended, helps
most businesses not just small businesses, and I believe it is
appropriate to focus the agency efforts on businesses that truly are
small.
Mr. Chairman, the information collection is one of the more important
jobs of the Federal Government. It allows the government to enforce the
law without burdening businesses with in-depth site investigations;
nevertheless, it is difficult for small businesses to fully understand
what is required of them. And many businesses have expressed
frustration with the fact that they provided similar information to
more than one source in government.
Mr. Chairman, I believe the government should help small businesses
understand their responsibilities and streamline the information
collection process. This bill serves both purposes without jeopardizing
the underlying protections. Furthermore, it should help us take
advantage of the information age by using the Internet to gather and
disseminate information. These changes have been suggested by numerous
sources, including the General Accounting Office.
Mr. Chairman, it is a bit ironic that we are considering this bill to
help small businesses at a time when the President has proposed cutting
funding to the Small Business Administration by over 46 percent.
He has recommended eliminating the New Markets Venture Capital
Program, which provides venture capital and technical assistance to
small businesses in less prosperous areas in the country.
The President also recommends eliminating the BusinessLINC Program
which encourages mentoring between large and small businesses. I am
hoping that as the session moves forward, we will be able to deal with
those matters and to truly help small businesses there, as well as with
this Paperwork Reduction Act.
I am pleased that we are at least willing to consider this bill which
would help small businesses comply with the law and encourage the
government to take advantage of electronic reporting and reduce
duplicative paperwork burdens. I urge your support for passage.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr.
Tierney) for his efforts in helping us identify for small businesses
across this country what the exact paperwork burden is that exists on
them.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Burton), my good friend and chairman of the Committee on
Government Reform.
(Mr. BURTON of Indiana asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the
gentleman from California (Mr. Ose), the chairman of the Subcommittee
on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, for his
hard work on this bill, and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr.
Tierney). He has worked very hard on this. I would like to thank as
well the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the minority member on
the Committee on Government Reform.
Mr. Chairman, this is a very, very important bill. We talk about a
lot of bills around here, Mr. Chairman, that do not seem to be very
significant to the American people. But this is one that probably will
not get front page across the country but it really is important.
{time} 1030
We have 24 million small business people in this country, 24 million.
The gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) said there was 190 billion
hours that
[[Page H935]]
are devoted to small business paperwork. The Chamber of Commerce says
that is 229 billion hours that they have to devote to paperwork for the
Federal Government. My figures are 232 billion. But no matter how one
cuts it, that is an awful lot of time and money that they have to spend
just messing with regulations and paperwork in this country.
It costs them, as the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) and the
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) and others have said, on
average $5,100 per employee to comply with these regulations each year.
Just think how much money we could save in this country and how much
money could be turned into capital improvements and economic expansion
if they did not have to spend all this time and money on paperwork.
So this bill, I think, is a very, very important bill. It will not
be, like I said, front page, but I think everybody in this country that
is a small business person is going to be very, very happy that we pass
it.
I might also state that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is very
supportive of the bill. They have 96 percent of their members that are
small business people across this country, 96 out of 100. I know that
all of those people are going to be thanking the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose)
and hopefully me as well for helping get this terrible workload off
their backs so that they can make more money and help make the economy
even stronger.
Mr. Chairman, I include the following letter from the Chamber of
Commerce for the Record, as follows:
Chamber of Commerce
of the United States of America,
Washington, DC, March 13, 2001.
Hon. Dan Burton,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Burton: Later this week, the full U.S.
House is expected to consider H.R. 327, ``The Small Business
Paperwork Relief Act.'' The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the
world's largest business federation, representing more than
three million businesses of every size, sector, and region.
More than 96 percent of the U.S. Chamber's members are small
businesses with 100 or fewer employees.
With the plethora of regulatory mandates on small business
growing to unpredicted levels, so too is the prodigious task
of filling out the required paperwork. Our nation's 23
million small businesses spent approximately 7 billion hours
filling out federal paperwork in 1998, according to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The cost associated
with this paperwork burden is estimated at $229 billion and
that does not take into account state and local requirements.
Specifically, H.R. 327 would require each agency to
establish one point of contact for small businesses on
federal paperwork requirements. In addition, a task force
with representatives across federal agencies would be
established to examine the feasibility of requiring each
agency to reduce, consolidate and harmonize requirements
regarding collections of information with respect to small-
business concerns.
We urge you to support H.R. 327 and to oppose amendments
that would weaken the important paperwork reduction
requirements in the bill.
Sincerely,
R. Bruce Josten.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to just make one add-on to the chairman's
comments. He had said there were 190 billion hours. It was actually 7.2
billion hours per year in paperwork and 190 billion per year in cost.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. OSE. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Chairman, when one gets into those
figures, it gets very confusing; but the fact of the matter is, it is
costing small business people in this country a ton of money.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), my good friend and chairman of the Committee
on Small Business.
(Mr. MANZULLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 327, the
Small Business Paperwork Relief Act. This bill represents an excellent
start in reducing the paperwork burdens that are swamping millions of
small businesses. If we can get them out from under this deluge, they
can devote themselves to hiring workers, investing capital and moving
the economy forward.
Twenty years after the passage of the Paperwork Reduction Act, there
is no evidence that the government has reduced the amount of paperwork
on small businesses. The Federal Government requires the filing of more
than 7,700 forms, resulting in nearly 66 million responses with a total
burden of more than 7.5 billion man-hours.
The Office of Management and Budget estimates that the annual cost of
these paperwork burdens cost the American economy over $61.7 billion.
This is a vast amount of paperwork.
Do we know how much of this burden is imposed on small businesses? Do
we know how much of this burden is imposed on particular classes of
small businesses? Does the Office of Management and Budget know which
forms apply to which businesses? If it does, has that agency considered
whether the information is duplicated? This bill, H.R. 327, provides
the answers to these questions.
For example, convenience store owners that sell gasoline may have to
prepare 46 different Federal forms. That is in addition to the basic
forms for starting a business which are numerous, forms related to the
sale and service of food, et cetera, et cetera. The forms and their
associated instructions for the 46 different forms particularly
associated with convenience stores total 250 pages of legal and
regulatory prose. I got this information not from the Federal
Government, which does not compile according to the function of the
retailer or the wholesaler, but from a trade association.
So if someone wants to start a convenience store that sells gasoline,
he or she would have to go to seven different Federal agencies. That
assumes that they even knew that they should be going to some of those
agencies. The situation is simply intolerable. H.R. 327 corrects this
problem.
The bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to classify
forms by business category, mandates that OMB put the information on
the Internet in a user-friendly manner for small businesses, forces
Federal agencies to create a single point of contact for small
businesses to obtain information concerning paperwork requirements, and
creates an interagency task force to consider ways to reduce and
streamline the paperwork burdens now facing small businesses.
As the chairman of the Committee on Small Business, I would like to
thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) and the gentleman from
California (Mr. Ose) for moving H.R. 327. I look forward to working
with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) and the gentleman from
California (Mr. Ose) on improving the Paperwork Reduction Act to ensure
that the Federal Government reduces paperwork burdens on America's
small businesses.
Mr. Chairman, the first thing the bill does is require that the OMB
identify by North American Industrial Classification or other
appropriate industry identification, the forms that every small
business must fill out. In essence, a chart would be created that can
be reviewed to determine the total number of forms that each agency
imposes on each type of small business. OMB could then utilize this
identification process to estimate the total burdens imposed on small
businesses in each industrial classification. This is vital information
that OMB does not yet estimate. OMB should be able to use this
information in its internal management of approving existing and new
information collection requests under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
There seems to be some concern about using industrial classifications
because small businesses do not know their industrial classification.
First, any small business that contracts with the Federal Government
must know its industrial classification because the Federal Government
classifies contracts using the North American Industrial
Classification. The Securities and Exchange Commission requires the use
of the North American Industrial Classification in all of its filings.
So there are many small businesses that already know there industrial
classification. And I would expect that OMB would provide a website
link to the North American Industrial Classification system so small
business owners could actually check their classification. I also would
expect that the agency would put the title of the industrial
classification in the data it collects for ease of reference in any
event.
By itself, that single step would prove valuable to the Federal
Government management
[[Page H936]]
of paperwork burdens and to the small business community. But H.R. 327,
as amended, does more than that. It makes the information available to
the small business community in a user-friendly manner. H.R. 327, as
amended, requires the agencies to establish a single point of contact
within each agency where small businesses can go to obtain information
on the paperwork requirements associated with the agency. My colleagues
are well aware that within a single Federal agency are numerous
subagencies. I see no reason that a small business owner has to
negotiate among this multitude in order to find out a simple question--
what forms do I need to fill out to comply with the law. The structure
of Federal agencies has made this a game. If a small business owner
guesses correctly, they might find out what forms they need to fill
out; if they guess incorrectly, they might not find out. That is just
plain stupid.
H.R. 327 would correct that problem by appointing one person in each
agency to act as a central point of contact for small businesses to
obtain information on the paperwork requirements associated with its
small business. Small businesses then would be able to obtain the
appropriate forms from this point of contact. I also would expect that
the point of contact would create a website where all of the agency's
forms are located for easy downloading by small businesses.
The bill also would establish an interagency task force to address
ways to reduce burdens on small businesses. For example, the task
force, armed with identification of all appropriate forms identified by
industry, could begin to examine processes to improve interagency
sharing information so that similar information would not have to be
filed with multiple agencies. Or agencies might share knowledge about
how to make forms more user-friendly and thereby reduce the time that
small businesses expend in completing forms.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into a colloquy with the
gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. MANZULLO. Yes, I yield to the gentleman from California.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I will be happy to engage in a colloquy with
the gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for
agreeing to engage in a colloquy. I think it is absolutely imperative
on the task force created by the bill to obtain input from the small
business community. Does the gentleman from California concur?
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield, I concur with the
gentleman from Illinois. I certainly would not understand how a task
force that is designed to reduce the paperwork burdens on small
businesses could accomplish its goal without obtaining input from the
small businesses that are buried by Federal reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for
clarifying that issue.
I also note that the bill would require the Office of Management and
Budget place the information on small business paperwork burdens on the
Internet. I agree that this would make the information more accessible.
However, I believe more can be done. I think that OMB should
establish a link on its website to the agency point of contact
established by the bill. Each agency's website then would have links to
the relevant paperwork required for small business. I would like the
opinion of the gentleman from California on this point.
Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I agree with the gentleman from Illinois. The
bill was intended to make information available in a user-friendly
format, which means making it easy for small businesses to find the
relevant paperwork requirements on the Internet. That would include
providing appropriate links on OMB's website to the single points of
contact established by the bill. In addition, I would expect links on
OMB's website to other general access points, such as the FirstGov
website and the Small Business Administration's website.
I look forward to working with the distinguished gentleman from
Illinois to ensure that the Federal agencies provide appropriate links
to this critical information.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, finally, I would like to clarify one
point. The bill as introduced required that the information be
organized by the North American Industrial Classification System. The
amendment would modify that requirement by leaving it up to the
discretion of OMB.
Is it the opinion of the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) that the
best method of classifying the information remains the North American
Industrial Classification System because that would enable small
businesses to best identify the paperwork burdens associated with the
particular businesses?
Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for raising that
critical point. I believe that OMB should classify the information
using the North American Industrial Classification System. Otherwise, a
small business searching for information on its paperwork burdens might
not find the information most applicable to its business. By using the
North American Industrial Classification System, it would ensure that
restaurants find information relevant for restaurants and not
information for steel manufacturers.
In conclusion, I fully agree with the gentleman from Illinois on this
point.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California
(Mr. Ose).
Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I understand the desire that the task force address
concerns of the small business community. It is my understanding that
is why the task force in fact includes someone from the Small Business
Office of Advocacy. That is what they do. So I should not think we
would all be surprised about that. I think that should continue and we
support that.
But I think it is also important that the task force obtain input
from the environmental, public health and the labor communities as
well. Because the study, in fact, is looking at the feasibility of
streamlining paperwork without negatively impacting underlying
protections.
I think, as much as we can all rail here about the need for paperwork
reduction and streamlining, we all believe that is a good goal. I think
few of us would argue that the regulations in fact are there for a
purpose. While we are achieving our goal for this bill, we want to make
sure we do not undercut the purposes of those regulations that are so
important.
I would also like to clarify a point made by the gentleman from
California (Mr. Ose). I understand his preference of the Office of
Management and Budget to use the North American Industrial
Classification System. However, I want to ensure that he understands
the bill has changed. The bill now states that the information should
be organized in such a manner that such small business concerns can
easily identify requirements by which they are expected to comply.
If the North American Industrial Classification System is the
easiest, then I think that is obviously the one OMB will select. But we
should all know that the NAIC categories are used for census purposes
and for compiling statistics. OMB may not find that to be the most
significant or most proper way to do that, in which case they will use
another way of presenting the information.
I thank the chairman for that.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Baca).
(Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BACA. Mr. Chairman, I stand in support of this legislation, H.R.
327. If we are not choking small businesses with overburdensome
regulations, we are choking them with paperwork.
Today small business owners have to contend with an increased
competition with big businesses who are merging and consolidating and
putting a squeeze on the little guy. Then they have big government come
in, squeezing the little guy with tons of regulations and paperwork.
This is why this country is heading into a recession.
Small business is the engine of the economic growth in this country.
The biggest employer is the Inland Empire in my area with the largest
growth of small businesses.
What we have done is we have stalled the engine. I state we have
stalled the engine. We have forced small businessmen and women to spend
hours filling out forms. These are hours they cannot
[[Page H937]]
spend with customers, their families, vendors, civic organizations.
Time is money. As a former small business owner, I know how tough it
can be to keep up with small regulations and forms. I wanted to be a
good businessman, not a good form-filler-outer.
For those of us who are in small businesses, we understand what is
going on in the world around us and the kind of competition that we are
faced with as well. We want to be just as competitive as anybody else.
But we also want to spend our time wisely. The way to do that is to get
rid of some of the burdens that we have in the filling out of the
paperwork.
In addition, I am also concerned that the President's budget cuts
Small Business Administration almost in half from its level of 2000 and
that the President's tax plan does not allow for specific tax relief
for small businesses.
Small businesses deserve our support and help. They need financing
programs. They deserve specific tax relief measures. They need less
burdensome regulations and less paperwork.
Let us unharness small business owners and get the engine going
again. I ask for support for H.R. 327.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I find myself thanking the gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Tierney) often, which is good. I want to thank the gentleman from
Massachusetts for bringing up the very valid suggestion that the task
force should visit with labor and environmental groups in particular. I
think that is an excellent point that needs to be in the Record.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr.
Pence).
(Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. PENCE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me the time.
Mr. Chairman, I am grateful for this opportunity to come to the floor
this morning to urge my colleagues to support the Small Business
Paperwork Reduction Act. I specifically thank the gentleman from
California (Chairman Ose) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr.
Tierney) for their efforts in this regard.
My good friends, the gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Burton) and the
gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Manzullo), have introduced and worked
with these gentlemen to introduce an important bill to help the new
administration protect small business from an ever-expanding regulatory
burden.
As the new chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and
Oversight, I am especially pleased to pick up the regulatory reform
mantle from the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly) and my good
friend and predecessor David McIntosh. They did a tremendous job as
advocates for small business, and I hope to continue to fight
regulatory excess and burdensome paperwork that acts as such an
impediment to economic growth and expansion.
In fact, Mr. Chairman, reducing this burden is as important to small
businesses as tax relief, because filling out forms competes directly
with the business manager's principal goal, growing his or her
business. This mountain of paperwork has been the enemy.
In spite of the importance of small business to the success of our
economy, small businesses face serious hurdles. One of the hardships
that I have heard over and over again in east central Indiana from
small business leaders in my district is the burden of paperwork and
Federal red tape.
The Office of Management and Budget estimates the Federal paperwork
burden at 7.2 billion hours. What does this mean, Mr. Chairman? It
means that it takes an army of 3.5 million workers working 40 hours a
week, 52 weeks of the year to simply fill out all of the paperwork the
Federal Government requires each year. According to the Office of
Management and Budget, this costs the American public $190 billion a
year.
{time} 1045
Much of the information that is gathered in this paperwork is
important, sometimes even crucial for the government to function.
However, too often the paperwork is duplicative and sometimes
unnecessary.
Unfortunately, past efforts to fix the paperwork problem have not
worked. In 1995, Congress passed amendments to the Paperwork Reduction
Act. The goal of the act was to annually reduce the requirements of the
Federal Government. These annual reductions in paperwork, however, have
not been achieved. In fact, paperwork burdens have increased over the
past 5 years.
As my colleagues know, the regulatory burden that the Federal
Government imposes on business is staggering. According to the Small
Business Administration, it costs large firms $3,400 per employee to
comply with Federal regulations. However, the cost to small businesses
is 50 percent greater, a staggering, $5,100 per employee; and for small
businesses, nearly $2,000 of this cost is for paperwork alone. H.R. 327
starts to deal with these paperwork issues.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the Small Business
Paperwork Relief Act.
Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Waxman), the able ranking member of the Committee on
Government Reform.
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to urge my colleagues to support
passage of H.R. 327, the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act. As my
colleagues may recall, similar legislation was on the House floor
during the 105th and the 106th Congresses, which I did not support.
H.R. 327, however, does not contain the controversial provisions as in
the past years that would have condoned violations of important health
and safety laws.
In addition to stripping the bill of the egregious language regarding
violations, the majority worked with us to add new provisions that call
for agencies to make it easier for small businesses to learn what is
expected of them and improve the dissemination of regulatory
information to the public. This bill calls on agencies to work together
to create a way for a small business person to be able to contact one
agency for information instead of multiple agencies as is currently
required.
I especially want to highlight one provision which calls on agencies
to work toward an interactive computer system which will allow small
businesses to electronically identify information collection
requirements. A small business person should be able to go online and
determine what are the government requirements with which the business
needs to comply.
Just this week the General Accounting Office released a report,
Regulatory Management: Communication About Technology-Based Innovations
Can Be Improved, drafted at my request and the request of Senators
Lieberman and Thompson. It demonstrates how information technology can
and should be used by agencies when they interact with the public to
accomplish their missions. The report explains that increased use of
information technology in regulatory management has the potential to
yield significant benefits, including reducing burden on regulated
entities; and I believe the changes to this bill start us on the right
track.
Mr. Chairman, of course this bill's attempt to help small businesses
should not obscure what this Congress has done to hurt small
businesses. This Republican Congress began down the wrong path earlier
this month when it included anti-small business provisions in the
bankruptcy bill it passed. One such provision created an inflexible
trigger which requires a court to order liquidation even if the small
business is still viable.
Similarly, the President's budget recently submitted to Congress
funding cuts of the Small Business Administration by 46.4 percent.
Specifically, the budget eliminates the New Markets Venture Capital
program, which provides venture capital and technical assistance to
small businesses in less prosperous areas of the country.
In addition, it eliminates the business link program which encourages
mentoring between large and small businesses.
Mr. Chairman, although there were a number of additional provisions
that I would have liked to see in this bill, because this bill no
longer has the violations sections and because some of the Democratic
suggestions were included, I urge passage of H.R. 327.
[[Page H938]]
In closing, I would like to commend the gentleman from California
(Mr. Ose), the subcommittee chairman; the gentleman from Indiana (Mr.
Burton), the full committee chairman; and the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney), the subcommittee ranking member. They have
worked together to produce a bill that deserves our support.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Idaho
(Mr. Otter).
(Mr. OTTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. OTTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 327, the
Small Business Paperwork Relief Act. The Office of Management and
Budget estimates that small businesses spend 7.2 billion man-hours to
fill out Federal Government paperwork. This means it takes an army of
3.5 million workers, working 8 hours a day, 260 days a year, to fill
out the paperwork that the Federal Government requires. Think now, how
many government employees it takes to read, file, store, analyze, and
then answer this same paperwork.
For the hard-working American people who own and operate small
businesses, we must stop these regulations now; and by doing so, we
create an opportunity for them to become more efficient, drive down
costs, stimulate the economy, and let them spend more time of that 7.2
billion hours with their families and keeping their businesses
competitive. It is the American consumer that buys the products from
these companies that pays the bill.
Mr. Chairman, once again I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me this time.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time remains?
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) has 9 minutes
remaining.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to one of our newest Members,
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam).
Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 327, the Small Business
Paperwork Relief Act. In my State of Florida, 98.9 percent of the
businesses are small businesses, and 84 percent of the jobs in Florida
come from firms having 25 or fewer employees.
Small business ownership is the great gateway to the middle class for
many minorities in my State. In Florida, there are over 40,000 small
businesses owned by African Americans and over 118,000 Hispanic-owned
small businesses. In my home county there are about 9,300 business
establishments, 86 percent of which the employment comes from firms
employing fewer than 20.
Small business is truly the lifeblood of our economy. Bureaucracy and
its attendant costs, however, have invaded nearly every aspect of our
economic life. Nowhere does the growing burden of Federal regulation
fall more heavily than on small business.
Among the early victories of the Reagan years was the passage of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980. The Paperwork Reduction Act targeted
several classes of the public for relief, especially the small business
community. Unfortunately, since that time, the burden of Federal
regulation has once again reared its ugly head. Mr. Chairman, that
means that 86 percent of the employment is burdened by this hidden tax
of $2,000 per employee.
Mr. Chairman, I urge the passage of H.R. 327.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Grucci).
Mr. GRUCCI. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Ose), for yielding me this time.
Mr. Chairman, during my career, both in the private sector as a small
family businessman, and in the public sector, when I served as
supervisor of the largest town in Suffolk County, on Long Island, I
have always been a proponent of streamlining the costly bureaucracies
that hinder the success of small businesses and stifle the
entrepreneurial spirit.
When I ran my family business, I experienced firsthand how
encyclopedia-sized applications discouraged owners from competing on
government projects. I had to hire additional attorneys, accountants,
and consultants just to fill out the basic paperwork. These
requirements place unnecessary burdens on the backbone of our Nation's
economy, the entrepreneur and the small business owner.
As a local town supervisor, I streamlined and enhanced the planning
and review process so small businesses could obtain permits at a faster
pace. By streamlining the process, small businesses open faster, expand
at a greater rate, create additional jobs, protect our environment, and
provide the improvement for the quality of life of all Americans.
This commonsense measure aims to ease the unnecessary burdensome
paperwork by requiring public electronic disclosure of all Federal
paperwork requirements and establishing a one-stop shop.
Mr. Chairman, I ask that my colleagues join me in passing this
resolution.
Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time and for his leadership. I also thank the
committee for its leadership and thank the chairman as well.
Mr. Chairman, I wanted to come to the floor to suggest to my
colleagues that I wish that we could be doing more. I happen to be a
member of the House Committee on Science, and during my tenure on that
committee I have often said that small business is the backbone, the
infrastructure, of America, along with science. Science is the work of
America. In many instances, small businesses are engaged in activities
that generate research and improvements in our quality of life.
I believe the backbone of this legislation is the idea of providing
access to small businesses as relates to our Federal agencies. So I am
certainly supportive of the aspects that would require Federal agencies
to reduce paperwork requirements for very small businesses; and
certainly I am very supportive of establishing single points of
contacts for information on paperwork requirements and the fact that we
are publishing each year a list of all paperwork requirements on small
businesses and establishing a task force to study the feasibility of
streamlining small business reporting requirements.
But I would like to see us continue outreach activities to small
businesses. I think the concept promoted in the last administration of
the U.S. General Store, where there was a central point where small
businesses could access the Federal agencies and find out how to market
products to the Federal agencies and how to work with the Federal
agencies, is a concept that this Congress should take up again.
I think this Congress should be looking at how we can lower the cost
of health care for our smaller businesses in a manner that provides
health care to their employees in an economical way. I think this
Congress should be looking at how we can address the energy crisis so
that the high cost of fuel is not putting our small businesses out of
business. And I would hope that this Congress could as well look at the
mobile concerns around the Nation, because it is the employees of small
businesses that most suffer in terms of mobility. In particular, my
city of Houston is fighting for a light rail system to assist in our
mobility and air-quality issues.
So though I come and support this legislation, inasmuch as I believe
the economy is driven by small businesses, I think that we will do well
to spend a great deal of our legislative agenda in helping to address
the questions that really drive small businesses, which is bringing
down their health care costs, providing them with regional mobility,
and ensuring that they have the kind of lower costs in energy and
overhead costs that will keep them strong and vibrant.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I support the legislation and ask my
colleagues to continue their work.
{time} 1100
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to compliment the gentlewoman from Texas. I look forward to
working with her on further relieving the burden on the small
businesses
[[Page H939]]
that exist in all of our districts. I thought her remarks were right on
point.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia
(Ms. Capito).
Ms. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge all of my colleagues
to support the small business paperwork relief act, H.R. 327. Many who
have spoken have cited the various benefits of this bill to small
businesses: reduced costs, greater efficiency and new jobs. But I would
like to highlight yet another benefit of this bill, greater business
opportunities for women and more women-owned businesses.
Women have made great strides in the workplace, especially as
entrepreneurs. Between the years of 1987 and 1997, the number of women-
owned businesses has increased by 89 percent. In my State of West
Virginia, small business is 80 percent of the businesses in West
Virginia. In February of this year, six of my constituents received
Small Business Administration loans. Four of these business owners were
women. All of them are happy to receive the financial support, but they
would be even happier if the government would remove some of the
unnecessary regulations and paperwork that prevent them from doing such
things as offering expanded health insurance policies or creating new
jobs, all these things that could be done with the costs they expend on
filling out large amounts of Federal paperwork.
As leaders entrusted with the responsibility to preserve the ideas
that this country was founded on, we need to be constantly vigilant,
recognizing these needless barriers that unduly burden small business.
We need to be constantly aware and unwilling to tolerate the
unnecessary obstacles that prevent all Americans, men and women, from
achieving the American dream. If we fail our country and our
constituents of this responsibility, then we cheat our national economy
of many talented and capable workers and potential commercial assets.
I cannot help but wonder how many more women or minority
entrepreneurs we could have if we made starting and running a small
business a little bit easier. I urge my colleagues today to recognize
this. Today we have the opportunity to preserve and extend the idea of
the American dream to millions more women who think that when it comes
to starting and running a business it is just too hard. Send them a
message that the true entrepreneurial spirit is available to them.
I urge support of H.R. 327, the small business paperwork relief act.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Ferguson).
(Mr. FERGUSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of small
business owners and of common sense. I ask my colleagues to support
H.R. 327, the small business paperwork relief act. Despite the
importance of small businesses to our economy, they face serious
regulatory hurdles. The single most costly type of regulation is
paperwork compliance. The Office of Management and Budget estimates the
Federal paperwork burden at 7.2 billion man hours and $190 billion each
year. These small businesses are drowning in a sea of red tape. The
time and money required to keep up with government paperwork prevents
small businesses from securing their first priority, growing and
creating new jobs.
According to the Small Business Administration, it costs large firms
$3,400 per employee to comply with Federal regulations. But the cost to
small business is 50 percent higher, a staggering $5,100 per employee.
This common sense legislation would help ease the paperwork burden by
establishing a central Internet site listing all the Federal paperwork
requirements for small businesses, allowing small businesses to
anticipate the otherwise unknown paperwork hurdles that they must clear
in launching new businesses.
As a former small business owner, I have personally witnessed the
tremendous strain that paperwork places on small business owners. In
fact, in my district in Fanwood, New Jersey, Mary Ellen Cagnassola's
small business provides work for my constituents who make the popular
scented soaps at Mary Ellen's Sweet Soaps. Mary Ellen is one of
thousands of small business owners across the country who employ more
than 50 percent of our country's workforce and face a 50 percent higher
cost than larger business owners in regulatory paperwork.
I ask my colleagues to support this bill which takes an important
first step in trying to lift the paperwork burden that the Federal
Government imposes every year on America's small business owners.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of small business owners--and
common sense--and ask my colleagues to support H.R. 327, the ``Small
Business Paperwork Relief Act.''
Despite the importance of small businesses to our economy, they face
serious regulatory hurdles. The single most costly type of regulation
is paperwork compliance. The Office of Management and Budget estimates
the federal paperwork burden at 7.2 billion man-hours and $190 billion
a year.
But these small businesses are drowning in a sea of redtape. The time
and money required to keep up with government paperwork prevents small
businesses from securing their first priority--growing and creating new
jobs.
According to the Small Business Administration, it costs large firms
$3,400 per employee to comply with federal regulations. But the cost to
small business is 50 percent greater--a staggering $5,100 per employee.
This commonsense legislation would help ease the paperwork burden by
establishing a central Internet site listing all the federal paperwork
requirements for small businesses--allowing small businesses to
anticipate the otherwise unknown paperwork hurdles they must clear in
launching new business.
In addition, it directs each agency to provide a contact for small
businesses on paperwork requirements.
As a former small business owner I have personally witnessed the
tremendous strain that paperwork places on small business owners.
I have also had the opportunity to speak with other small business
owners on this issue. Small businesses are the backbone of our nation's
economy. In my district, in Fanwood, NJ, Mary Ellen Cagnassola's small
business provides work for my constituents who make the popular scented
soaps at ``Mary Ellen's Sweet Soaps''. Mary Ellen is one of thousands
of small business owners across the country who employ more than 50
percent of the country's workforce and face a 50-percent greater cost
than larger businesses in regulatory paperwork.
Small businesses are responsible for 47 percent of all sales and 51
percent of the private gross domestic product.
But small businesses provide more than just jobs and sales. They
offer most initial on-the-job training. And, even more importantly,
they are more likely to employ younger and older workers, former
welfare recipients and women, many of whom prefer or are able to work
only on a part-time basis.
In addition to being centers for training, small businesses are also
laboratories of innovation and entrepreneurship. Small businesses give
women and minority's a chance to build on their dreams and enhance the
communities they live in.
A great source of American strength has always been the dream of
economic growth, equal opportunity and upward mobility. Small
businesses enable millions, especially women, to access that American
dream.
I ask my colleagues to support this bill, which takes an important
first step in trying to lift the paperwork burden that the federal
government imposes every year on America's small business owners.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Schrock).
Mr. SCHROCK. Mr. Chairman, America's small business owners
collectively spend thousands of hours and billions of dollars each year
filling out government paperwork. A friend of mine, Kent Winquist, is a
small business owner in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. He tells me that
every week he must maintain and update tax forms, Social Security
forms, immigration forms, health care forms and many other mandatory
Federal forms just to comply with Federal regulations, or face stiff
penalties. Small business owners like Kent are stuck in back offices
filling out forms and meeting Federal deadlines instead of training new
employees and expanding their businesses. Federal regulatory agencies
will continue to hold back small business from thriving in their
communities unless we take action.
Mr. Chairman, I believe that less government involvement in our lives
will allow us to give more to our communities, our families and our
economy. It is time for us to give small businesses back their time so
that they
[[Page H940]]
continue to be the engine that drives our economy. I urge my colleagues
to support H.R. 327, the small business paperwork relief act which will
give small business owners more time to invest in their businesses and
share with their families.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).
(Mr. TOOMEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Chairman, I have been a small business owner for
about 10 years. Like many of us, I am sure, I know many hundreds of
small business owners across my district, the Lehigh valley of
Pennsylvania. There is no question that small business is the critical
engine of economic growth and the critical creator of jobs. It is also,
I would point out, an amazing source of the charitable contributions in
our communities, of volunteer work that goes to improve the quality of
life in our communities.
It is a thrill to own a small business if you are fortunate enough to
have a successful one. There is a great satisfaction in creating a
business from scratch and employing people and seeing that become
productive. But it is also an enormous challenge. There is a great deal
of worry, whether you are going to make that payroll every Friday,
whether you are going to have the funds to make that bank payment that
is coming due next week, how are you going to figure out how to
innovate and stay alive in business.
What we in government ought to be doing is we ought to be finding
ways to reduce the obstacles that we impose on the small businesspeople
of America who achieve this great success. The two big things we can do
is we can relieve the tax burden, the enormous tax burden that small
business owners contend with every day. We can support the President's
proposal and in fact expand on the President's proposal for tax relief
and do wonders for small business. The other thing we can do is reduce
the regulatory burden. H.R. 327 clearly does that. This is a very
constructive step to give small business owners the time and energy to
be able to spend productively improving their business, creating more
jobs and more opportunity. That is what we ought to be doing here.
I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 327. I congratulate the members
of the committee who have made this possible.
Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong
support of H.R. 327, the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2001.
It is estimated that small business owners spend at least a billion
hours each year filling out government paperwork at a cost of $100
billion. For companies with fewer than 20 employees, paperwork
regulations cost $2,017 per employee per year. For those with 20 to 499
employees, paperwork regulations cost $1,931 per employee per year.
This is simply unacceptable.
Although there have been attempts to mitigate this burden in the
past, they are clearly not working. In fact, the Office of Management
and Budget's FY 2000 Information Collection Budget shows that there
have been increases in paperwork in each of the last 5 years. Such
figures reinforce the notion that the Federal Government is simply a
regulatory beast, better suited to imposing complex rules and creating
extra work for the American people than being a source of assistance.
This has to stop. Every effort must be made to make it as easy as
possible for small businesses to conduct business with, and abide by
the rules of, the Federal Government. H.R. 327 goes a long way toward
making this a reality, and I commend Chairman Burton for his leadership
in bringing this bill before the House so early in this Congress. H.R.
327 makes it easy for small businesses to find out their paperwork
obligations by requiring that a comprehensive, annual list be published
on the Internet and in the Federal Register. It also requires every
agency to establish a single point of contact to act as a liaison to
small businesses. Finally, it requires every agency to make special
efforts to reduce paperwork for businesses with fewer than 25
employees, and establishes a task force to study the feasibility of
streamlining reporting requirements for all small businesses.
Small businesses have a hard enough time trying to survive in the
competitive marketplace. There is no reason not to minimize the amount
of resources that they must divert from conducting business to
complying with the Federal Government. I urge my colleagues to fully
support this bill.
Mr. OTTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 327, the
``Small Business Paperwork Relief Act.''
The Office of Management and Budget estimates that small businesses
spend 7.2 billion man hours to fill out federal paperwork.
This means it takes an army of 3.5 million workers, working 40 hours
a week, 52 weeks a year, to fill out the paperwork the Federal
Government requires. Think now, how many government employees it takes
to read, file, store, analyze, and answer the same paper.
And according to the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, this
burden costs the American public $229 billion per year, and this does
not take into account state and local requirements.
For the hard-working Americans who own and operate small businesses
we must ease these regulations.
By doing so, we create an opportunity for them to become more
efficient, drive costs down, stimulate the economy, and let them spend
more of that 7.2 billion hours of paperwork with their family and
keeping their business competitive.
As most of my colleagues know, it costs money to comply with the
regulations the federal government requires. According to the Small
Business Administration it costs large firms $3,400 per employee to
comply with federal regulations. However, it costs small businesses 50
percent more--an amazing $5,100 per employee.
How can we sit here and continue to justify this burden on our
friends and neighbors who are just trying to fill out mandated
paperwork.
Let me just tell you about redundant paperwork. In Idaho we have a
small business, Land Mark Promotions, who every now and then ships
items overseas.
In order to compete internationally they are required to fill out a
shipper export declaration, a certificate of origin, maintain a
harmonized export number, and have four to five copies of of the
invoice, I think we can do better than that and abolish the duplication
process in these type of regulations.
In a time where our economy is slowing down, let us free up small
business so they can work on job training, innovations, and
productivity.
And if anyone can tell me how 7.2 billion hours of bureaucratic
paperwork is productive, I have some ocean front property in Idaho.
Mr. Chairman, let us get back to common sense, streamline the
requirements for small business, get the monkey off the back of small
business owners so they can help this economy grow, and support the
``Small Business Paperwork Relief Act.''
Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon. Mr. Chairman, anyone who's ever been to Oregon
knows that the backbone of our local economy are small businesses and
family farms.
Unfortunately, the time and money required to keep up with government
paperwork prevents them from growing and creating new jobs.
For example, I recently heard from a local funeral home owner whose
business has been in his family for three generations--and was
astounded to learn of the increasing mountain of paperwork that he's
had to deal with over that time period.
And according to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), this
individual isn't alone--paperwork counts for one-third of all total
federal regulatory costs (over $230 billion a year).
I think it would be great if we could get more agencies to work with
small businesses to solve their differences instead of immediately
taking an adversarial relationship with them.
That's why I support the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act, because
it gives Oregon's entrepreneurs some much-needed relief from federal
redtape.
Specifically, it would put on the Internet a comprehensive list of
all the Federal paperwork requirements for small businesses organized
by industry, and it would establish a paperwork czar in each agency who
is the point of contact for small businesses on paperwork requirements.
Finally, it would establish a task force, including representatives
from the major regulatory agencies, to study how to streamline
reporting requirements for small businesses.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 391.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Small
Business Paperwork Relief Act. Small business is the backbone of our
Nation's economy. In fact small businesses are the largest employer in
the State of Missouri. 96 percent of all businesses have fewer than 100
employees in Missouri. For Missourians the success and prosperity of
our State quite literally depends on the success and prosperity of our
small businesses. Which is why I am an ardent supporter of the Small
Business Paperwork Relief Act. This act works to reduce the
overwhelming paperwork requirements imposed on small businesses by
federal agencies.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to give you an idea of the total
requirements that the Federal Government forces on small businesses:
For firms with fewer than 20 employees, paperwork regulations cost
$2,017 per employee
[[Page H941]]
per year. This is the single most costly type of regulation.
I spoke with Jim Oldebeken, a constituent in my district, and he
stated that in order to be in compliance with OSHA's paperwork
requirements, small business owners must know and understand the entire
OSHA code--which happens to be longer than the Bible--both New and Old
Testament. On average, Small business owners spend more time reading,
filling out, and filing paperwork than they spend on protecting their
employees and making their workplace safe. Another constituent of mine,
Bruce Copsey, who owns Hollaway Telephone Co. in Maitland, MO,
estimates that he spends three times as much time filing out paperwork
today than he did when he opened his business in 1988.
Mr. Chairman, I believe these small businessmen share the same
concerns as many of my constituents and small business people across
the country. It is not that they do not want to comply with government
standards; they just do not want the act of compliance and the art of
filling out paperwork to become their job. Small businesses are vital
to the economic success of our nation, and they provide millions of
good jobs across this nation. The Paperwork Relief Act will streamline
the regulatory paperwork process for small business owners. As we
deliberate in this body how best to stimulate our economy and insure
that there is an abundance of good jobs available, there will be few
bills that have the potential to have the sort of impact that this
legislation will have on the job providers of our nation. Without
regulatory reform and a reduction in the unnecessary regulations and
paperwork, our small business people and the jobs that they create will
be placed in jeopardy unnecessarily. This bill recognizes the
importance of our small business community and the detrimental effect
that unnecessary redtape and regulations has on our small businesses.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues today to join me in supporting our
small businessmen and women across the country by passing the Small
Business Paperwork Relief Act.
Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
Ose) for the leadership he has shown on this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, who
has been a gentleman in this entire process, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute
printed in the Congressional Record and numbered 1 shall be considered
by section as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and each
section is considered read.
During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chair may accord
priority in recognition to a Member offering an amendment that he has
printed in the designated place in the Congressional Record. Those
amendments will be considered read.
The Clerk will designate section 1.
The text of section 1 is as follows:
H.R. 327
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Paperwork
Relief Act''.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to section 1?
The Clerk will designate section 2.
The text of section 2 is as follows:
SEC. 2. FACILITATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL PAPERWORK
REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Requirements Applicable to the Director of OMB.--
Section 3504(c) of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code
(commonly referred to as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act''), is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period and inserting
a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(6) publish in the Federal Register on an annual basis--
``(A) a list of the requirements applicable to small-
business concerns (within the meaning of section 3 of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.)) with respect to
collection of information by agencies, organized in such a
manner that such small-business concerns can easily identify
requirements with which they are expected to comply (e.g.,
organized by North American Industrial Classification System
code and industrial/sector description (as published by the
Office of Management and Budget)); and
``(B) the agency that issued each such requirement and the
website address for such agency; and
``(7) make available on the Internet the information
described in paragraph (6).''.
(b) Establishment of Agency Point of Contact.--Section 3506
of such chapter 35 is amended by adding at the end the
following new subsection:
``(i) In addition to the requirements described in
subsection (c), each agency shall, with respect to the
collection of information and the control of paperwork,
establish one point of contact in the agency to act as a
liaison between the agency and small-business concerns
(within the meaning of section 3 of the Small Business Act
(15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.)).''.
(c) Additional Reduction of Paperwork for Certain Small
Businesses.--Section 3506(c) of such chapter is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (3)(J), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(4) in addition to the requirements of this Act regarding
the reduction of paperwork for small-business concerns
(within the meaning of section 3 of the Small Business Act
(15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.)), make efforts to further reduce the
paperwork burden for small-business concerns with fewer than
25 employees.''.
(d) Effective Date Regarding Publication of Requirements.--
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall
publish the first list of requirements required under
paragraph (6) of section 3504(c) of title 44, United States
Code (as added by subsection (a)), and make such list
available on the Internet as required by paragraph (7) of
such section (as added by subsection (a)), not later than the
date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to section 2?
The Clerk will designate section 3.
The text of section 3 is as follows:
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE TO STUDY STREAMLINING OF
PAPERWORK COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS AND
DISSEMINATION FOR SMALL-BUSINESS CONCERNS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 35 of title 44, United States
Code, is further amended by adding at the end of subchapter I
the following new section:
``Sec. 3521. Establishment of task force on feasibility of
streamlining information collection requirements and
dissemination
``(a) There is hereby established a task force (in this
section referred to as the `task force') to study the
feasibility of streamlining requirements with respect to
small-business concerns regarding collection of information
and strengthening dissemination of information.
``(b) The members of the task force shall be appointed by
the Director, and shall include the following:
``(1) At least two representatives of the Department of
Labor, including one representative of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics and one representative of the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration.
``(2) At least one representative of the Environmental
Protection Agency.
``(3) At least one representative of the Department of
Transportation.
``(4) At least one representative of the Department of the
Treasury.
``(5) At least one representative of the Office of Advocacy
of the Small Business Administration.
``(6) At least one representative of each of two agencies
other than the Department of Labor, the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, the
Department of the Treasury, and the Small Business
Administration.
``(7) At least two representatives of the Department of
Health and Human Services, including one representative of
the Health Care Financing Administration.
``(c) The task force shall examine the feasibility of
requiring each agency to consolidate requirements regarding
collections of information with respect to small-business
concerns within and across agencies without negatively
impacting the effectiveness of underlying laws regarding such
collections of information, in order that each small-business
concern may submit all information required by an agency--
``(1) to one point of contact in the agency;
``(2) in a single format, or using a single electronic
reporting system, with respect to the agency; and
``(3) on the same date.
``(d)(1) Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act, the
task force shall submit a report of its findings under
subsection (c) to--
``(A) the chairmen and ranking minority members of the
Committee on Government Reform and the Committee on Small
Business of the House of Representatives, and the Committee
on Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Small Business
of the Senate; and
``(B) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
``(2) Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of such Act, the task force shall submit to the
individuals described in paragraph (1) a report examining
strengthening dissemination of information and including--
``(A) recommendations for implementing an interactive
system for the requirements in section 3504(c)(6) that would
allow small-business concerns to identify information
collection requirements electronically;
[[Page H942]]
``(B) guidelines for each agency for developing interactive
reporting systems that include a component that edits the
information submitted by a small-business concern for
consistency;
``(C) recommendations for electronic dissemination of such
information; and
``(D) recommendations, created in consultation with the
Chief Information Officers Council (established pursuant to
Executive Order 13011, issued July 16, 1996), for the
coordination of information among the points of contact
described in section 3506(i), so that those points of contact
can provide small-business concerns with information
collection requirements from other agencies.
``(e) As used in this section, the term `small-business
concern' has the meaning given that term under section 3 of
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.).''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 3520 the following new item:
``3521. Establishment of task force on feasibility of streamlining
information collection requirements and dissemination.''.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any amendments to section 3?
If not, the question is on the amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN. Under the rule, the Committee rises.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
LaHood) having assumed the chair, Mr. Fossella, Chairman of the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 327) to
amend chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, for the purpose of
facilitating compliance by small businesses with certain Federal
paperwork requirements and to establish a task force to examine the
feasibility of streamlining paperwork requirements applicable to small
businesses, pursuant to House Resolution 89, he reported the bill back
to the House with an amendment adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is
ordered.
The question is on the amendment in the nature of a substitute.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third
reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a
quorum is not present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 418,
nays 0, not voting 14, as follows:
[Roll No. 50]
YEAS--418
Abercrombie
Aderholt
Akin
Allen
Andrews
Armey
Baca
Bachus
Baird
Baker
Baldacci
Baldwin
Ballenger
Barcia
Barr
Barrett
Bartlett
Barton
Bass
Becerra
Bentsen
Bereuter
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop
Blagojevich
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonior
Bono
Borski
Boswell
Boucher
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brown (FL)
Brown (OH)
Brown (SC)
Bryant
Burr
Burton
Buyer
Callahan
Calvert
Camp
Cantor
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Carson (IN)
Carson (OK)
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Coble
Collins
Combest
Condit
Conyers
Cooksey
Costello
Cox
Coyne
Cramer
Crane
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cubin
Culberson
Cummings
Cunningham
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis, Jo Ann
Deal
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
DeLay
DeMint
Deutsch
Diaz-Balart
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dooley
Doolittle
Doyle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Edwards
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
Engel
English
Eshoo
Etheridge
Everett
Farr
Fattah
Ferguson
Filner
Flake
Fletcher
Foley
Ford
Fossella
Frank
Frelinghuysen
Frost
Gallegly
Gekas
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gilman
Gonzalez
Goode
Goodlatte
Gordon
Goss
Graham
Granger
Graves
Green (TX)
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Grucci
Gutierrez
Gutknecht
Hall (OH)
Hall (TX)
Hansen
Harman
Hart
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Herger
Hill
Hilliard
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoeffel
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hooley
Horn
Hostettler
Houghton
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hunter
Hutchinson
Hyde
Inslee
Isakson
Israel
Issa
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
John
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
Kennedy (RI)
Kerns
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind (WI)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kleczka
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kucinich
LaFalce
LaHood
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Lee
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Lucas (OK)
Luther
Maloney (CT)
Maloney (NY)
Manzullo
Markey
Mascara
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McCrery
McDermott
McGovern
McHugh
McInnis
McIntyre
McKeon
McKinney
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Mica
Millender-McDonald
Miller (FL)
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Mink
Mollohan
Moore
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Morella
Murtha
Myrick
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nethercutt
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Nussle
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Osborne
Ose
Otter
Owens
Oxley
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Paul
Payne
Pelosi
Pence
Peterson (MN)
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Phelps
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Pombo
Pomeroy
Portman
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Rangel
Regula
Rehberg
Reyes
Reynolds
Riley
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Ross
Rothman
Roukema
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Rush
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Sabo
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Sawyer
Saxton
Scarborough
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrock
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shows
Simmons
Simpson
Sisisky
Skeen
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Souder
Spence
Spratt
Stark
Stearns
Stenholm
Strickland
Stump
Stupak
Sununu
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tanner
Tauscher
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thornberry
Thune
Thurman
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Tierney
Toomey
Towns
Traficant
Turner
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Upton
Velazquez
Visclosky
Vitter
Walden
Walsh
Wamp
Waters
Watkins
Watt (NC)
Watts (OK)
Waxman
Weiner
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Wexler
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson
Wolf
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NOT VOTING--14
Ackerman
Boyd
Cannon
Davis, Tom
Evans
Ganske
Gephardt
Hilleary
Hoekstra
Jones (NC)
Keller
Largent
Moakley
Schaffer
{time} 1135
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________