[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 1, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H4369-H4370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATING THE ON-PREMISE SIGN INDUSTRY

  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 298) congratulating the on-premise sign industry 
for its contributions to the success of small businesses.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 298

       Whereas safe, creative, and effective on-premise signage 
     has served as a primary catalyst to successful small 
     businesses in America since the establishment of the Nation;
       Whereas most of the companies that manufacture on-premise 
     signs in the United States are in and of themselves small 
     businesses as described by the Small Business Act and 
     generate thousands of manufacturing jobs that stimulate the 
     economy and support the local, State, and Federal tax bases;
       Whereas the on-premise sign industry in turn sustains 
     millions of additional entities covered under the Small 
     Business Act by providing to retail businesses across the 
     country an affordable and effective advertising medium 
     through which they can communicate to potential customers 
     about goods and services they offer, direct those customers 
     to their small business sites, and reinforce the memory of 
     existing customers about the locations and the nature of 
     these small businesses;
       Whereas the Small Business Act empowers the Small Business 
     Administration to take actions to relieve the competitive 
     disadvantages that small businesses face;
       Whereas one such competitive disadvantage for small 
     businesses is a lack of marketing research and advertising 
     budgets to attract and retain customers;
       Whereas the Small Business Administration has recognized 
     the value of on-premise signage as a remedy to these 
     competitive disadvantages and has taken action to remediate 
     this disadvantage by collaborating with the sign industry to 
     collect educational information about signs and to publish 
     that information on its website that is free of charge and 
     easily accessible to all small businesses; and
       Whereas the on-premise sign industry will play a critical 
     role in supporting the Nation's small businesses during the 
     current economic downturn: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives (1) applauds 
     the United States Small Business Administration for educating 
     small business owners on the benefits of using well-placed, 
     well-designed on-premise signs to overcome competitive 
     disadvantages in the areas of marketing and advertising, and 
     (2) encourages the on-premise sign industry to continue its 
     efforts to produce a new and greater understanding of how to 
     develop safer, more effective, and more affordable signage 
     products so as to alleviate small businesses' competitive 
     disadvantages in marketing and advertising.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Clarke) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The resolution we are voting on today would recognize the 
contributions of the on-premise sign industry to American commerce. The 
designers and manufacturers of signs are themselves small businesses 
that employ thousands of Americans.
  But this industry's economic effect extends beyond those Americans 
that it employs directly. On-premise signs are an effective and 
affordable advertising medium, helping small businesses communicate 
with potential customers.
  Many small businesses do not have the resources to invest in 
expensive advertising or costly marketing campaigns. This is especially 
true in tough economic times like right now. This industry provides an 
affordable advertising option for small business on Main Street USA.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution acknowledges the contributions of the 
on-premise sign industry to American small business. I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. KING of Iowa asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. KING of Iowa. This resolution is about the on-premise sign 
industry. They say that a business without a sign is a sign of no 
business. This commonsense truism is proof that a well-designed, on-
premise sign can help small businesses succeed.
  According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, on-premise signs 
are the ``most effective, yet least expensive form of advertising for 
small businesses.''
  Small businesses need all the help they can get during these 
difficult economic times that we are currently experiencing, which 
would allow them with the signage help, to use effective advertising as 
a good start.
  I say this as someone who brings over 35 years of small business 
experience to the table, which would include 8 years on the House Small 
Business Committee, from which this resolution comes.
  Just to touch some of the high spots on the on-premise sign industry, 
we have small businesses in particular that are at a competitive 
disadvantage with the large industries in the country today. One of the 
things that helps them compete is the effectiveness of being able to 
place signs in proper locations.
  When I think about driving down the road and often we're looking for 
the signage that directs us on where we turn off--the right turn for 
gas, food, or clothing, or whatever it might be--it wouldn't be America 
if it weren't for the on-premise signs. It helps direct customers to 
the small business sites.
  I want to also add, Mr. Speaker, that the Small Business Act empowers 
the Small Business Administration to take actions to relieve the 
competitive disadvantage that small businesses face. The Small Business 
Administration has recognized the value of on-premise signage, as we 
recognize in this resolution tonight.
  I will say that it's a sign of the entrepreneurs in this country. 
It's a sign of their success. And lack of a sign is an indication of a 
potential business failure. We simply cannot find these businesses to 
do business with them if it were not for signage, Mr. Speaker. That's 
what brings this resolution here.
  I'd also address that small business feels this pressure of this 
downward economic spiral as much as or more than any other sector of 
this economy. They are pressured by their customers' lack of revenue, 
they're pressured by budgets being squeezed, by large corporations, the 
pressure by the demands of an economy that has shrunk dramatically and 
that continues to stagnate in the bottom of the trough. They're 
pressured by taxation and regulation more so than large businesses are.

[[Page H4370]]

  The businesses that need these signs up in front of them are also the 
ones that are under the scrutiny of the IRS. They're under the scrutiny 
of the Federal regulators. There is some information that I have 
accumulated that shows that the businesses in this country are 
subjected to over 680 Federal regulating agencies. Six hundred-eighty. 
And the burden that small business has is they don't have multiple 
floors in their high-rise office buildings that are full of lawyers and 
counselors that are in the business of keeping these businesses in 
compliance with all the Federal regulations.
  They need to have their property rights preserved. They need to have 
low taxation and low regulation. Big business will often come to this 
Congress and advocate for more regulations because they know it puts 
them at a competitive advantage over the small businesses that are at a 
distinct disadvantage, Mr. Speaker.
  These businesses need every advantage we can give them because they 
are the incubators for the businesses that will grow into the large 
employers into the future. They happen to also be the businesses that 
employ a significant majority--70 to 80 percent--of the employees in 
this country.

  They can't make it without signs. They can't make it without being 
able to exercise those property rights. The Small Business 
Administration recognizes that. We recognize that, also, in this 
resolution tonight, as we recognize the burden of this economy, the 
burden of this budget, and the extravagant expenses and spending that's 
taking place that's rolling out from the top reaches of the government 
in this country.
  Somehow, there has been this tsunami of a current that has swallowed 
us up--a Keynesian current--the idea that we can spend and borrow our 
way into prosperity, even though a family can't do that, a small 
business knows they can't do that, the on-premise sign industry knows 
that you can't do that.
  You've got to have effective utilization of the resources in order to 
find a profit so that you can hire people. That's what creates jobs, is 
profit. Productivity marketed well, with good advertising, creates the 
profit that's necessary in order to hire employees and it creates the 
good jobs.
  I want to provide the provision so that in this country our small 
businesses can succeed with signage, with low taxes, low regulation, 
and not putting the burden off onto future generations.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I would reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. I would yield myself the balance of my time.
  To reiterate these points that I've made, it may not serve a purpose 
here, but I would take us back to where we stand with the Federal 
spending that exists today.
  This Federal spending that doubles our deficit in 5 years and triples 
it in 10 years, this spending, this profligate spending that's rooted 
in the Keynesian philosophy--John Maynard Keynes--who said, ``I can 
solve all the unemployment in America.'' This is during the economic 
crisis called the Great Depression of the thirties.
  How did he propose to solve all the unemployment problem in America? 
He said, If I can just go out to an abandoned coal mine and drill a lot 
of holes into the bottom of that abandoned coal mine and put U.S. 
dollars in those holes, fill them back up again and fill the coal mine 
full of garbage''--and that was the word he used, was garbage, which I 
thought was interesting--then he would turn the entrepreneurs in 
America loose and they could go about digging through that garbage and 
that would put everybody to work and it would solve the unemployment.
  This is the mindset that prevails in this psychology that comes from 
those who are spending trillions and trillions of our grandchildren's 
dollars.
  It's interesting. I don't know that John Maynard Keynes when he 
talked about digging holes and burying money and filling the coal mine 
up with garbage, he didn't talk about the signage necessary to be able 
to direct the entrepreneurs to the landfill or the coal mine so they 
could begin to dig through that garbage and come up with this money.
  In fact, Keynes said: The more foolish the spending, the better, 
because at least when you spend it in a foolish way, it's not competing 
directly with the private sector that has, by virtue of it being able 
to compete, demonstrated that it is a more prudent expenditure than 
government can possibly make.
  So I don't submit that we bury money in the coal mine or fill the 
coal mine up with garbage. I think that the EPA would probably raise an 
objection with that, Mr. Speaker. But I do submit that we get our wits 
about us, get a handle on what we're doing with our expenditures, get 
control of this profligate spending that's taking place and take 
responsibility in our time, in our generation, this year, now, here, in 
the House of Representatives, instead of delaying it off onto future 
generations.
  Let's tighten our belt now like a family would tighten their belt 
now. Let's make sure that the entrepreneurs in America have the tools 
they need to help us recover from this downward spiral in our economy.
  Let's keep the taxes low, let's keep our spending low, let's keep our 
borrowing low. Let's keep our regulations low and let's put our signs 
up high so everybody can see where to turn off to the small business 
and do business there.
  I yield back the balance of my time.


                announcement by the speaker pro tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would remind all Members to clear 
the well while another Member is under recognition.
  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 298.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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