[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING MR. CHRISTOPHER HANSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 18, 2003

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to laud the accomplishments of 
one of my constituents, Mr. Christopher Hansen. Mr. Hansen, is a 
resident of Neptune City, New Jersey and is this year's recipient of 
the United States Small Business Administration's Home-based Business 
Advocate of the Year Award. Mr. Hansen is being presented with this 
honor for his outstanding advocacy work on behalf of New Jersey's 
750,000 self-employed, home based, business owners.
  This award is given to an individual who has experienced the rewards 
and difficulties of home-based businesses and has volunteered to 
improve the climate for home-based businesses. In my mind, there is no 
individual more deserving of this award then Mr. Hansen. Over the past 
few years, Mr. Hansen has volunteered an infinite amount of time and 
energy to improve the conditions for home-based businesses.
  Christopher Hansen has proven himself to be one of the nations 
leading supporters of home-based business. In 1995, Mr. Hansen founded 
the Home Based Business Council, a not-for-profit corporation of which 
he currently serves as President. He decided to start the organization 
because of an unfair law that was passed in 1992 that drove elected 
officials with home based businesses out of office by making a majority 
of those businesses illegal. Mr. Hansen saw a problem with this and 
decided to act. Mr. Hansen started to gather supporters together to 
discuss the suppression of home-based businesses. His actions soon 
attracted both local and national media attention.
  The following year Mr. Hansen co-founded the New Jersey Partnership 
for Work at Home to educate elected and appointed leaders about the 
changing nature of the homebased business economy. As part of his 
voluntary leadership, Mr. Hansen authored a comprehensive paper on 
incorporating home-based businesses into the community. He has since 
written numerous articles that have appeared in national publications 
and those of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and League of 
Municipalities.
  Over the past few years, Mr. Hansen has tirelessly fought against the 
outmoded notion that home based businesses harm communities. It is 
because of individuals like him that nearly 25 million families 
throughout the country are able to create income from self-employed 
work at home. Mr. Hansen continues to achieve immeasurable 
accomplishments in advancing home-based businesses and is a tremendous 
asset to the small business community. Mr. Speaker, for those reasons, 
I wish Mr. Hansen continued success and ask that my colleagues join me 
in honoring him.

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