Letter to the House of Representatives to Support the Small Business Bill of Rights

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses of every size, sector and region, urges you to support passage of H. Res. 22, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that American small businesses are entitled to a “Small Business Bill of Rights.”

Fundamental rights have been the cornerstone of our current system of government since its inception. As a longstanding advocate for our nation’s 25 million small businesses, the Chamber believes that a resolution articulating commonsense rights for entrepreneurs is long overdue. H. Res. 22 is just such a resolution.

The Chamber’s small business members have repeatedly indicated that many of the issues contained in H. Res. 22 are top priorities they want lawmakers to deal with. Number one on the list is healthcare. Small businesses should have the right to join together in purchasing pools to obtain health insurance coverage. Additionally, legal reform and paperwork reduction must be addressed. Entrepreneurs must have an environment in which they can focus on creating jobs and growing their business without the distractions of frivolous lawsuits or an unending stream of government paperwork. And finally, the tax laws must allow family-owned small businesses to survive over several generations and offer them incentives to grow.

More than 96 percent of the Chamber’s members are small businesses with 100 or fewer employees. On behalf of these small employers, I again urge you to support passage of H. Res. 22, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that American small businesses are entitled to a “Small Business Bill of Rights.”

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten
Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
U.S. Chamber of Commerce