WASHINGTON, D.C. - In recognition of his efforts on behalf of small businesses, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE) has designated U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) as a Champion of the Entrepreneur, which is the highest designation the organization can offer based on the group’s scorecard for the 111^th Congress.

The SBE Council said it released its scorecard to help its members and the public get beyond the “talk” and posturing on Capitol Hill when it comes to issues and legislation impacting small business and entrepreneurship.“Your voting score demonstrates that you listen to the job-creating sector,” the group said in a letter to Luetkemeyer, who serves on the Small Business Committee. “America’s small business owners need champions like you in Congress.”

The group also praised Luetkemeyer for supporting entrepreneurs and working against legislation that raised taxes, health coverage costs and increased regulatory burdens.  The SBE Council also said its members appreciated Luetkemeyer’s “support of lower taxes, affordable health coverage, less government intrusion and fiscal sanity, all of which will bring confidence back to America's entrepreneurs.”

The scorecard can be found at www.sbecouncil.org.

Luetkemeyer has supported numerous pieces of legislation to strengthen our small businesses, including the  Small Business Liability Reform Act of 2010, which would limit liability costs to small businesses by reforming the litigation process and reducing insurance costs to small business owners. He also backs the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act, which would provide relief to small business owners who would otherwise face a great tax reporting burden under the recently enacted health care bill. Additionally, Luetkemeyer sponsored and the House then passed legislation to make the SBA’s programs more responsive to the needs of our small businesses, including the Expanding Entrepreneurship Act of 2009 and the Small Business Investment Company Modernization and Improvement Act of 2009, part of the Small Business Financing and Investment Act of 2009.

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