[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7343]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES SUPPORTS AMERICA

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, the United States was built upon and by 
small family-owned businesses, and America is today known for its 
unique, entrepreneurial spirit.
  Even today, in the era of corporate mergers, small businesses remain 
the cornerstone, yes, the foundation of our economy.
  They employ 53 percent of our work force and account for 99.7 percent 
of the Nation's employers. Yet burdensome regulations, a complex Tax 
Code, and an inaccessible health care system have been stifling the 
ability of small businesses to remain viable and successful.
  As a Congress, we need to ensure that the entrepreneurial spirit that 
built this country does not diminish due to an unfair tax and 
regulatory system.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support small business 
owners in their pursuit of the American dream. I yield back all of the 
unfair taxes and regulations that have served as obstacles for the 
small businesses which make our Nation great and prosperous.

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