Congressman Cantor Unveils The JOBS Act To Spur Small Businesses and Startups

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Eric Cantor (VA-07) unveiled the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act, a legislative package designed to jumpstart our economy and restore opportunities for America’s primary job creators: our small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs. Congressman Cantor made the announcement with Speaker John Boehner, Laurie Cunnington President of Ward Williston Oil Company, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, Chairman Jeb Hensarling, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. Stephen Fincher, Rep. Nan Hayworth, Rep. Patrick McHenry, Rep. Robert Dold, Rep. Ben Quayle and Rep. David Schweikert. These measures have broad bipartisan support in Congress, from President Obama, and from successful entrepreneurs like Steve Case, the former Chair and Founder of AOL and a member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Economic Competitiveness.

Congressman Cantor said: "Thanks for joining us. As you will see, we are here joined by many entrepreneurs from across the country who have come here today with success. Their success was earned by running businesses and succeeding in the very tough economy that we are in. These entrepreneurs made it through the crash years of 2006 and 2008. There are plenty of entrepreneurs who have not, and it is for them that we are here. We are here to make sure that we can jumpstart this economy.

"We are here all behind the JOBS Act that we will be voting on in the House next week. This is the JOBS Act, Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act. It is a compilation of bills, some of which have been voted on the floor of the House with heavy bipartisan support. These are bills which also reflect the work of the President's Jobs Council.

“Today, the White House has said we need to get started jumpstarting our business startups, and that is exactly what the bill does. Many of the Members who are here have bills in the package. The bills range from increasing the ability for small businesses to access capital, to bills which reduce the regulatory burden on startup businesses and allow them to flourish and grow. That's what we believe is the secret to the success of growing this economy, it is to get the small business engine started again.

“So with that, it's my pleasure to call upon Laurie Cunnington. She's the President of Ward Williston Oil Company in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She is a successful entrepreneur who's here in Washington to join the effort to try to jumpstart our small businesses."

Laurie Cunnington, President of Ward Williston Oil Company said: “Thank you. First of all, I want just want to say, as we look at our country and how to motivate our economy, it's entrepreneurs. Every company in this country was started by an entrepreneur. What Leader Cantor has done for us is he's given us this opportunity to unshackle some of these things that have been binding us. At my company, which is an energy company, this is going to let us have the opportunity to create jobs and we're just really grateful for that. Thank you.”

Steve Case, former Chair and Founder of AOL stated: “As we seek to jumpstart our economy, create jobs and ensure our global competitiveness, we need to double down on entrepreneurship. The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act introduced today by Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Congressman Stephen Fincher does just that, combining a series of bills that have broad bipartisan support in the House into a single pro-entrepreneurship bill. This legislative package complements the bipartisan Startup Act introduced in December and the AGREE Act introduced in November - and builds on the proposals President Obama called for in September and released in his Startup America Legislative Agenda last month. I am encouraged that our nation's leaders have made passing pro-entrepreneurship legislation a priority, and that - despite a difficult, highly partisan political climate - Democrats and Republicans are coming together in a bipartisan manner to ensure America remains the world's most entrepreneurial nation." 

Watch Congressman Cantor's remarks HERE.

Learn more about the JOBS Act HERE.