Washington, D.C. , Jun 21 - By Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO); Alliance for Affordable Services

As a small businessman and a sixth generation family farmer, Representative Sam Graves has spent his life working to make Missouri a better place to live, work, and raise a family. He attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from the School of Agriculture. In 1992, before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, he served as a Missouri State Representative. Sam was elected State Senator for Missouri’s 12th Senatorial District in 1994 and was re-elected in 1998. In January, 2009, he became Ranking Member of the House Committee on Small Business.

Sam's leadership has been recognized by organizations such as the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Corporation, and the Missouri State Medical Association. He has received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Enterprise Award multiple times and has been named a Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business.

Growing up in a family business in Missouri, I knew there were things that could be done in Washington to streamline small business regulations and create an environment more conducive to growth. As Ranking Member of the House Committee on Small Business, my goals are to enact real solutions that will reduce federal spending and debt, help our small businesses grow, and put people back to work.

Businesses need lower taxes, fewer regulations and reduced mandates. Unfortunately, the new health care law will do exactly the opposite: instead of making things easier, the law is expected to raise health insurance premiums, create new hurdles for employers, and hike taxes for business owners.

In a weak effort to help small businesses manage the high cost of the new health care law, President Obama and Majority Leaders unveiled a small business health care tax credit. The credit was supposed to apply to companies with fewer than 25 workers and average annual wages under $50,000 that provide health care coverage. However, due to the complicated eligibility rules, the credit could apply to far fewer businesses than the Administration’s previous estimate. In fact, some estimate that less than one-third of U.S. small businesses would qualify for the tax credit.

We are all trying to learn how the cost of premiums and coverage will be affected by the massive new health care law. I’d like to share some resources that may help you determine your eligibility for the health care tax credit. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) webpage provides information and an interactive chart that may help employers find out if they qualify for the credit. You may also want visit the Small Business Administration’s website for more information about the health care law.

House Small Business Committee Republicans are working to provide business owners and employers with the most up-to-date information on important issues like health care. I encourage you to sign up for our weekly e- newsletter, Small Business Straight Talk, by visiting our website. While on the website, you can learn the latest news from Committee members, take our most recent survey, read relevant news articles, and see photos and videos. I hope that you find the website and e-newsletter to be helpful resources, and look forward to continuing to fight for small businesses in Congress.