PAWLING, January 30, 2005 – In a town hall discussion at Pawling Town Hall this evening, Congresswoman Sue Kelly met with local small business owners and employees to discuss various issues affecting Pawling small business owners, including taxes, health insurance, and regulatory fairness.

 

Kelly, who co-hosted the forum with Dutchess County Legislator Dave Kelly and the Pawling Chamber of Commerce, told local small business owners that she has developed a five-point small business agenda in Congress during the past year, and asked them to share the problems and challenges facing their businesses so she could expand that agenda in the coming year.

 

Kelly said she has been working to: 1) develop ways to lower health insurance costs for small business owners and employees; 2) stop unnecessary federal regulations on small businesses; 3) level the playing field for small businesses; 4) permanently end the death tax on small businesses; and 5) enact additional tax relief measures to help small businesses succeed and continue creating jobs for Pawling residents.

 

Kelly shared details of the Small Employer Tax Relief Act that she co-introduced in Congress this fall to help ease the federal tax burden on small businesses. Kelly also noted that a major portion of a tax relief bill passed by the House last month is direct tax relief for small businesses. The House voted to extend increased expensing rules for small businesses, enabling them to continue using federal tax deductions of up to $100,000 for business expenses.

 

Kelly co-sponsored the Small Business Health Fairness Act that was passed by the House last year to help decrease health insurance costs for local small business owners, their families, and their workers. The bill is currently pending in the Senate. Small business groups estimate that if Kelly’s bill becomes law, it would help 8 million currently uninsured small business owners or workers gain access to affordable health insurance coverage. The Congressional Budget Office reported that passage of the bill would save the average small business owner or employee up to 30 percent on a health insurance premium.

 

Kelly also discussed legislation she introduced in the House last year that would enable Congress to better ensure that there is regulatory fairness for small businesses. The bill is called the Cut Unnecessary Regulatory Burden (CURB) for Small Business Act and would prevent federal agencies from implementing unnecessary or duplicative laws or regulations against small businesses.

 

Other Kelly bills that passed the House this past year include the Business Checking Freedom Act that repeals an outdated financial law and enables small businesses in Pawling to earn interest on their checking accounts, and the Increased Capital Access for Growing Businesses Act that would help small and medium-sized business owners gain increased access to capital to sustain or improve their businesses.