Part of any solution to get our economy going should include steps to free up our small businesses by peeling back unnecessarily burdensome regulations, ending the continual threats of tax hikes, and addressing the cloud of federal debt that hangs over our economy.
— Sam Graves
Growing up on a family farm, I know firsthand the challenges of running a small business... challenges that only seem to be growing for today's entrepreneurs.
Government should stand aside and let the business community prosper instead of imposing new regulations that will only stifle growth and limit access to capital.
Many small businesses rely on small financial institutions, like credit unions and community banks, to meet their capital requirements. Without them, these small businesses would have to close their doors.
The JOBS Act will allow entrepreneurs to utilize 'crowdfunding,' which permits them to raise equity capital from a large pool of small investors.
Having grown up on a family farm, I am all too familiar with the effects a drought can have on a crop.
Bringing buyers and sellers together through a single platform is not a new idea - most of us know about eBay's success - but with advancing technology comes new innovative methods for businesses to connect customers with those who want to offer services.
Small businesses win as they get more contracts; workers win as small businesses create jobs; and taxpayers win as prices are driven down.
Removing government-created obstacles to small business growth is what Washington should be addressing, and this focus should start with removing the herculean impediments to job creation found in the health care law.
The federal government spends nearly half a trillion dollars on contracted goods and services; therefore, we must ensure that the money is being spent efficiently, and small businesses have proven that they can do quality work cheaper and often faster.
The RFA requires federal agencies to assess the economic impact of their regulations on small firms, and if significant, consider less burdensome alternatives. Federal agencies sometimes fail to comply at all, or simply 'check the box,' fulfilling the letter of the law, while missing the purpose of the law entirely.
The SBA should be redirected to focus on its core missions of capital access, contracting, and counseling, while reducing duplication, overlap, and wasteful spending. Doing so will greatly improve its ability to better advocate for small businesses.
Claiming to 'fight for small business' is often used as a political tool in Washington D.C., but it is actually the policies behind that battle cry that small firms care about.
Economic recovery begins with our small businesses.
When the EPA says that property owners, farmers, and livestock producers must stomach higher costs, longer delays, and bigger headaches, it's up to Congress to put up a roadblock.
The mismanagement of the Small Business Health Options program is very frustrating.
There are 12 million illegal immigrants in this country - drawing welfare benefits, sending their children to public schools, and pushing down wages for American workers - but the problem extends well beyond amnesty and open borders.
The federal government has gone too far on many nonessential regulations that are harming small businesses. Employers are rightly concerned about the costs of these regulations - so they stop hiring, stop spending, and start saving for a bill from the federal government.
In order to help small businesses gain access to the credit and capital they need to run their business successfully, Congress must adopt policies that support functional capital markets without imposing undue restrictions on providers of debt and equity capital.
I have heard firsthand from several small business owners about their struggle to borrow and their fear of taking on additional debt.
Access to capital is critical for small business success and crucial to our economic recovery. Without access to capital, many small companies are not able to maintain operations, let alone expand and create new jobs.
Small companies need capital to invest, expand, and create jobs. And the economy needs a healthy small business community to bolster and sustain its recovery.
As newly created P2P businesses disrupt the status quo and compete with established companies, they face the difficulty of fitting a square peg into a round hole when it comes to existing regulatory regimes that don't contemplate their business models.
A P2P business is a company that creates a platform which allows individuals or 'peers' to directly buy and sell from each other. This activity has sometimes been called the 'sharing economy.' Some are wary of these new companies and the challenge they pose to the established market.
The value of small business contracting is indisputable. These firms bring healthy competition to the federal market to drive down prices. They are our nation's innovators and job creators, and securing a federal contract helps them grow and offers more benefit to the economy.
We have been fighting for solutions that will spur economic growth and create jobs for all Americans because we have been listening to what small business owners and employees have been telling us all along.
Small businesses all across this nation are tired of the uncertainty created by Washington.
Federal regulations should promote safety without unnecessarily burdening small firms and costing much-needed jobs.
Saying that you are advocating on behalf of small business does not grant a license to spend at will on more and more programs without congressional input, oversight, or statutory authority.
Trade agreements are important because they open up new marketplaces to small businesses, which ultimately translates into more jobs and greater economic growth.
Small business owners are experiencing great uncertainty because of the possibility of tax increases, the inconsistent flow of credit, an outrageous national debt, high energy costs, and overreaching federal regulations.
Administrator McCarthy and the EPA will soon find out that Washington bureaucrats are becoming far too aggressive in attacking our way of life. Administrator McCarthy should be apologizing to Missourians. EPA aggression has reached an all-time high, and now it must be stopped.
By necessity, budgets require hard choices.
I want people to be able to give their voice.
Simply put, our nation's economy will only go as far as our small businesses will take it.
Congress can protect small businesses by providing effective oversight over SBA policies and make sure they take into account the needs of small businesses while also protecting taxpayer dollars. Congress also needs to make sure that new banking regulations do not make it more costly for community banks to lend to small businesses.
Small lending institutions lack the capability of their larger counterparts to hire the additional manpower necessary to deal with the hundreds of additional regulations created by Dodd-Frank.
The few effective provisions of Dodd-Frank are masked by its many flaws - flaws that have been and will continue to be detrimental to the American economy and our financial future if not reversed.
Just as water is a key ingredient to growth on the farm, capital is required for businesses to thrive.
The P2P marketplace extends into other markets where individuals are monetizing underutilized assets. Lodging is one example. Instead of finding a hotel room, in the sharing economy you can rent a spare room from a local resident.
Competition is a powerful and essential part of this nation's economy and vital to cutting government costs.
At every turn, small businesses should be encouraged to compete. When they do, we all win.
By and large, small companies don't want to settle for part-time employees over full-time positions.
The economy needs thriving, job-creating small businesses, but excessive and ill-considered regulations too often get in the way of growth.
It's time for some common sense from federal agencies.
Time and time again, small businesses testify before the Committee on Small Business that they simply want the government to 'get out of the way.'
We must get government out of the way and help foster an environment where small businesses are free to grow and create jobs.
I want to thank the many Missourians who have reached out to me and asked me to consider running for the United States Senate.
I understand that the nature of politics sometimes involves fending off frivolous, anonymous allegations.
If we don't enforce visa laws, we basically have open borders.
