As a third-generation small business owner, I understand the job-crushing impact of Washington overregulation. With the U.S. economy struggling and American families hard pressed to pay their bills, the cost of onerous regulations has never been higher.

According to data provided by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, federal agencies promulgated an unprecedented 43 major regulations in FY 2010 alone, with $28 billion in additional costs that could ultimately be passed along to consumers. Small businesses with fewer than 20 employees face yearly regulatory costs of $10,600.

Burdensome Washington regulations destroy jobs and perpetuate uncertainty in the marketplace. That’s why I have played a leading role in Congress to focus on common sense regulatory policy that achieves important workplace, safety and environmental objectives without crippling our job creators during tough economic times.

There is no better example of this regulatory struggle than when the EPA imposed strict federal Numeric Nutrient Criteria standards on Florida alone, exempting the other 49 states. I have worked with leaders at all levels of Florida government to play a leading role in trying to turn back these severe water nutrient standards, which could cost Florida taxpayers $2.7 billion annually and destroy 14,500 agriculture jobs in our state. These new Washington-based regulations cast aside the significant progress that has already been made at the state and local levels to ensure the health of our waterways without destroying sorely needed jobs.

I also voted for H.R. 2401, the TRAIN Act, which creates an oversight structure for implementation of EPA rules and regulations and requires the agency to consider the economic impact on American businesses when it sets environmental standards.

As the lead freshman cosponsor of H.R. 1744, the American Job Protection Act, I helped lead the charge to repeal the onerous employer mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), health reform legislation that was signed into law in 2010. I also cosponsored legislation that was signed into law eliminating the costly small business 1099 tax reporting requirement imposed under PPACA.

Among my first votes in Congress was a provision ordering a top-down review of all federal agencies to identify duplicative regulations and formulate methods to cut red tape and improve efficiency.

I believe that restrained, common sense federal oversight is important, but Washington has accumulated far too much control. Only by getting Washington out of the way can our job creators truly be empowered to do what they do best – innovate, invest, and expand job opportunities for the American people.