[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H1168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE ON-PREMISE SIGN INDUSTRY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
contributions of the on-premise sign industry to our economy and our 
country. From April 5 to April 8, the International Sign Association, 
which represents thousands of manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-
premise signs and sign products, will be having its 60th Annual 
International Expo in Orlando, Florida.
  At that expo, there will be 550 companies displaying nearly 1,700 
booths of the most advanced and innovative sign products the industry 
has to offer. Nearly 25,000 people are expected to attend this event. 
This includes businesses from across the country and around the world. 
The expo will feature custom, architectural, digital and national sign 
companies and their products, giving sign enthusiasts and small 
businesses a prime opportunity to learn more about this ever-changing 
industry.
  I sit on two committees that deal extensively with sign-related 
issues, so I am familiar with the issues that concern the industry. For 
example, on the Committee on Small Business, we are all aware of how 
important small businesses are to our economy. We know that 90 percent 
of American businesses are small business, and we know that they create 
the lion's share of new jobs. And we know that these small businesses 
thrive in an environment with as little government regulation as 
possible.
  But what many people may not know is that the Small Business 
Administration, over which our committee has jurisdiction, officially 
recognizes that effective on-premise signage is a critical component of 
a business' success and can contribute to the success of all 
businesses. In fact, as SBA Bulletin No. 101 on signage for businesses 
states: ``Signs are the most effective, yet least expensive form of 
advertising for the small business.'' Obviously, the $12 billion on-
premise sign industry plays a critical role in the success of small 
businesses and our economic growth.
  Unfortunately, the on-premise sign industry still, like most small 
businesses, faces a flood of government regulations and needs our 
support. We need to enact extensive and permanent tax cuts, so that 
small business owners can keep more of their own money and use it to 
grow their businesses. We need to give small businesses the freedom to 
choose to participate in association health care plans, so that 
employers can give their businesses solid health care coverage. We need 
to pass serious tort reform, so that small businesses are not bogged 
down in legal costs and red tape. In other words, Mr. Speaker, the 
Federal Government needs to get out of the way.
  As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I understand that the Federal 
Government has a role to play in protecting the constitutional rights 
of on-premise signage, specifically, that the commercial speech 
represented in on-premise signage has certain guaranteed protections 
under the first amendment. It is vitally important that small 
businesses be allowed to communicate their business messages to 
American consumers, and one of the best ways to do this is with on-
premise signage.
  Similarly, the sign industry also has trademark concerns and needs 
protection from arbitrary government regulation that fails to 
acknowledge the protected status of their registered trade or service 
mark, slogan, motto, or other key text in their on-premise signage. And 
of course, small businesses can be adversely affected by the State's 
power of eminent domain, represented in the Kelo case most recently, 
especially those businesses whose on-premise signs have been taken by 
the government for whatever reason or excuse.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to educate my 
colleagues about the value of on-premise signage and to describe the 
challenges they face. I congratulate ISA on 60 years of annual expos. I 
wish them the best of luck with their convention. I thank the thousands 
of on-premise signage businesses across the country, as well as the men 
and women who run them, for their invaluable contribution to our 
economy and our society.

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