Representing North Carolina’s Ninth District                                                                        

House Accomplishments for Small Business
in the First 100 Days

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Representative Sue Myrick listed the small business accomplishments by House of Representatives in the first 100 days of the 109th Congress. 

 “The House has passed legislation that will create jobs and reduce the economic hardships small businesses face,” said Sue Myrick.  “We will continue to pass legislation that keeps government off the backs of businesses, and helps them expand and create jobs.”

• Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R. 6):  This legislation will create half a million new jobs, and save thousands of current jobs from being sent overseas.  This creates an energy roadmap for America so that we can always have proper energy supply for demand, and so that we are less dependent upon foreign sources of oil.  It will also help businesses by reducing natural gas and gasoline prices in future years.

• Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005 (H.R. 8):  Before the 2001 tax relief package, many small businesses and family farms had to pay as much as a 55% tax when the owner died and the estate was passed on to his or her heirs.  This caused many families to sell the business or the farm in order to pay the Death Taxes demanded by the government.  The permanent repeal of the Death Tax will allow businesses to make long-term financial planning decisions that can help them expand their business. 

• Class Action Fairness Act (S.B 5):  This bill is designed to curb class action lawsuit abuse in state courts.   Businesses have been unduly burdened by lawsuit abuse.  This bill will curb frivolous lawsuits and will prevent lawyers from seeking ‘jackpot justice’ that fills their pockets and leaves the true victims with little or nothing.  This legislation will save business millions each year because of litigation costs.  

• Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (S. 256): This bill will encourage personal responsibility and will make it more difficult for people to use bankruptcy as a tool to cheat their way out of debt.  Bankruptcies doubled in the 1980s, and then doubled again from 1990 to 2003.  Uncollected debt from bankruptcies hurts small businesses because it raises the cost of credit. 

• Highway Bill (H.R. 3): This legislation will correct problems of congestion, increase driver safety, and speed up highway projects, while providing for the creation of millions of new U.S. jobs in the transportation sector and related industries.  Funding for the Gaston Garden Parkway and the Monroe By-pass were included in this bill.  These local road projects will not only reduce traffic, but, more importantly, will create new jobs.

• Job Training Improvement Act (H.R. 27): 21st Century jobs need workers who have proper high tech training.  This bill cuts bureaucracy so that it is easier for workers to be trained properly and in a timely manner.    

• Fiscal Year 2006 Budget (H.Con. Res. 95): The budget passed last week by the House cuts spending so that the deficit can be cut in half in five years.  It also allows for more tax relief that will benefit businesses.
 

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