Growing up as a young man working on my family's farm and then going on to own my own small business, celebrating National Small Business Week is particularly special to me.
Working on my small family farm and learning the trials and tribulations of owning my own business taught me the importance of working hard - and that as a small business owner, you are often the first one to work each day and the last one paid.
Each year I look forward to National Small Business Week because it serves as a way for us to focus on the importance of small business employers, their employees, and the products and services they offer.
Whenever I travel through central and eastern Missouri and stop to talk with small businesses, I greatly enjoy hearing the triumphant stories of how businesses have blossomed. However, often those conversations are shadowed with the overbearing and counter-productive government regulation that keeps them from growing even more.
The House of Representatives is working hard to push against the administration's regulations. Earlier this year, the House voted on the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act.
This bill would ensure that government agencies are completing the proper cost-benefit and economic analyses when proposing rules that affect not only small businesses, but businesses of all sizes.
This bill also increases the transparency of the rule-making process by requiring agencies to provide a detailed summary outlining the disproportionate effects the proposed rule would have on small businesses.
This bill, and other pieces of legislation the House has already passed, is intended to level the playing field for our nation's small businesses.
The endless regulations coming out of Washington are often given little to no thought from bureaucrats who probably have not worked in a small business before. And the implications these regulations have on our nation's small businesses are very real.
However, Americans are resilient and I know the entrepreneurial spirit is still out there. As vice chair of the House Small Business Committee, I have heard from small business folks around the nation that, while they are facing many hard times, the spirit is still alive and well.
The motivation and dedication of our small business friends, and the people that work for them, is at the heart of economic growth and prosperity.
As a member of Congress, I take my role seriously to support policies that enhance opportunities for entrepreneurs by providing conditions that set-up folks for success.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., represents the state's 3rd District, which includes Jefferson City. His local office can be reached at 573-635-7232.
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