[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 22, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A BURDEN ON SMALL BUSINESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Kevin Hern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KEVIN HERN of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition 
to H.R. 2513, the so-called Corporate Transparency Act. I fear that, in 
the pursuit of ``transparency,'' my colleagues have crossed a line.
  This bill would be more appropriately titled the Small Business 
Registration and Surveillance Act because that is exactly what it would 
do. This bill would require America's small business owners--those with 
20 or fewer employees--to register their confidential information with 
a Federal law enforcement and intelligence agency they have never heard 
of and allow that agency to surveil them without a subpoena or a 
warrant.
  As a former small business owner for 34 years, I know that paperwork 
is incredibly burdensome and small business owners have to file 
paperwork themselves. Unlike the big banks, they don't have compliance 
departments to fill this information out.
  NFIB estimates that this legislation will cost small business owners 
$5.7 billion over 10 years. CBO estimates that this bill will have a 
significant impact on 25 to 30 million small businesses in America. 
This is a slap in the face to the small business owners who are doing 
everything they can to achieve the American Dream.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 2513.

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