[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 34 (Thursday, March 16, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H1065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H1065]]
        PROVIDING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE TO SMALL BUSINESSES

  (Mrs. KELLY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. KELLY. Madam Speaker, I represent New York's Hudson Valley, 
where small businesses are absolutely critical to our local economy. 
Our local small business owners and self-employed workers have 
repeatedly confirmed to me that the recent tax cuts are working and 
helping our small businesses create new jobs in our communities. But 
they also tell me time and again that one of the toughest challenges 
they face is being able to have affordable health care coverage for 
themselves and their workers.
  This is frustrating, because we have passed the Small Business Health 
Fairness Act in the House to address this very problem, yet the 
politics of obstruction in the other body have kept the bill from 
passing into law.
  Solving the problem of America's uninsured begins with helping small 
businesses. The facts are clear: Six out of 10 small businesses don't 
offer health insurance because they can't afford the high costs on 
their own in the private market.
  The Small Business Health Fairness Act would provide them with lower 
costs, giving them the same group health insurance purchasing power 
already utilized by unions and large corporations. It will give 8 
million currently uninsured small business workers the affordable 
health insurance they need.
  Let us work with the other body to give small businesses on Main 
Street the same health insurance coverage as large firms on Wall 
Street.

                          ____________________