[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21803]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              SMALL BUSINESSES PROVIDE JOB-CREATION ENGINE

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of our 
country, providing the job-creation engine that we need to lift us out 
of this recession. And yet, today, small businesses across our country 
are at a disadvantage to their larger corporate competitors because of 
the higher costs of providing health care for their employees, because 
of smaller risk pools and less purchasing power.
  By creating public exchanges, which this health bill proposes, as 
well as by preventing pricing discrimination based on preexisting 
conditions, we give small businesses access to low-cost options to 
provide health care benefits to their employees, increasing the 
competitiveness of American companies to help lift us out of this 
recession.
  By helping small businesses succeed at what they do best, focusing on 
their businesses, on innovation, on job growth, and helping to make 
them more competitive by reducing the cost of their health care 
insurance, we can lift America out of this recession and make America's 
small businesses more competitive.

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