U.S. Rep. Graves: 2 Votes in Favor of Small Business Bills

From the Office of U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, who represents Paulding County

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) voted this week in favor of two bills that would reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses: the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 (H.R. 527) and the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act (H.R. 50).

H.R. 527 would give Americans employed by small businesses a voice in the government regulatory process, eliminate loopholes the IRS uses to avoid interacting with small businesses, and require agencies to consider the indirect economic effects of regulations. H.R. 527 passed the House by a vote of 260 to 163.

H.R. 50 would require the federal government to consider the impact of unfunded mandates before passing them to state and local governments or the private sector, bringing more transparency to the costs of these mandates. H.R. 50 passed the House by a vote of 250 to 173.

“Millions of people across the country support their families by working at a small business,” said Rep. Tom Graves. “But these small businesses are suffocating under the weight of federal regulations, which currently cost them a whopping $11,000 per employee. By reducing this regulatory burden, we will free small businesses to hire, grow and invest.”

According to the Small Business Administration, 7 out of every 10 new jobs are created by a small business. Additionally, according to the Congressional Research Service, half of America’s workforce is employed by a small business.