Congressman Chris Collins Talks State of Small Business at Hearing
Congressman and small businessman Chris Collins (NY-27) participated in a hearing on Capitol Hill today focused on the state of small business. Collins and the House Small Business Committee heard testimony from bankers, academics and small business owners related to the sluggish economy, the availability of small business loans, and the implementation of ObamaCare.
“Today’s hearing underscored what I have heard from countless small business owners over the last year – they lack the confidence to grow and expand in this current economy,” said Collins. “The success of small business is tied directly to the success of our economy. Small businesses employ about half of all American private sector workers. Right now, the small business community feels like Washington is working against them with growing economic uncertainty, increasing regulations and higher taxes. And the President’s State of the Union last night did nothing to alleviate those fears. Instead of talking about creating jobs, the President proposed raising the federal minimum wage which will have the opposite effect – killing jobs we so desperately need.”
Collins asked small business owner Sean Falk from Texas about the impact the implementation of ObamaCare is having on the small business employers and employees. Falk testified that many small business owners are planning to cut workers’ hours down to part-time to avoid ObamaCare regulations.
Mr. Sean Falk, Owner/President of WolFTeaM LLC/Nachogang LLC in Cedar Park, Texas, said, “Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a burdensome and complex business challenge for me in 2013 and beyond especially given the constant changes, waivers, extensions, regulations and clarifications of an already cumbersome new law. I am facing the legalities of health care exchanges, employer shared responsibility (ESR), and full-time equivalents. Now, I am also familiarizing myself with the government’s Federal Register, waiting to see what new regulations will become final from the Department of Health and Human Services or the Treasury regarding implementation. All of these tasks take me away from my core mission of growing my business.”
The National Federation of Independent Business released a survey Tuesday showing small business confidence mired at the fourth-lowest measurement of the poll’s history of nearly four decades.
“Small businesses are facing higher costs, new taxes and a growing volume of red tape,” said House Small Business Chairman Sam Graves. “That’s not a path to growth. We need to get the government out of the way and let small firms find their footing, while reducing the regulatory burden and providing more consistent access to capital. Despite their importance to our economy, the President only mentioned small businesses twice in his State of the Union last night. As our chief job creators, small companies can lead the economy back to a real recovery. Most small business owners report a lack of confidence in the economy, and from small business surveys and feedback to the Committee, we know that too many do not plan to hire. This administration’s first term legacy is a wave of federal regulations, health care law mandates, more taxes and an unsettling surge in the national debt. All these burdens have consequences in the decisions made by small business owners. It’s time for Washington’s actions to match the rhetoric on small business growth.”
Before being elected to Congress, Collins spent more than 35 years in the private sector creating and savings hundreds of American jobs.
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