Trade Promotion Authority Should be Reauthorized
March 18, 2021Problem: The Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) is a time-limited authority used by Congress to establish trade negotiating objectives, notification and consultation requirements. It also establishes procedures to consider implementing legislation for some reciprocal trade agreements, provided they meet certain requirements. The TPA was first enacted in 1974 and for the...
READ MORE Fostering Entrepreneurship in Clean Energy
March 12, 2021Problem: Small businesses continue to face significant challenges when it comes to volatile energy costs. Yet, small firms are the main source of breakthrough innovation in America and are a driving force of improvements in the clean energy sector. These companies are developing creative products and services that slash carbon...
READ MORE Convene a White House Conference on Small Business
February 23, 2021Problem: Not since 1995 has an administration assembled a White House Conference on Small Business (WHCSB). It has been more than 25 years since the last WHCSB and it is time to convene a gathering to develop a cohesive small-business agenda to ensure the government is taking an active, appropriate...
READ MORE Reasonable Tort Reform is Needed
February 22, 2021Problem: Excessive litigation in the U.S. limits job creation, stymies innovation, and increases costs of goods and services. In 2018, small businesses faced $182 billion in commercial tort costs, even though they brought it only 19 percent of the revenue. The entire commercial tort liability bill for 2018 was $343...
READ MORE Support Pension Reform and Simplification
February 22, 2021Problem: When a small-business owner is considering his or her retirement needs and those of his employees, there are myriad different plans to consider with countless requirements and stipulations. Navigating an employee pension plan can be extremely complex and cumbersome and can lead to serious taxation issues for the small-business...
READ MORE Patent Reform Must Foster Growth
February 22, 2021Problem: Weakened patent laws continue to undermine the U.S. patent system. Changes over the last two decades discourage and deter investments in jobs and new technologies, stifles innovation, and weakens our intellectual property system. Patent protections are particularly important for small inventors, who operate on much smaller margins and often...
READ MORE Seek Restraint in OSHA Regulations
February 22, 2021Problem: With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers. Due to a complex set of regulations, many small-business owners simply do not know of or do not understand the OSHA regulations...
READ MORE Net Neutrality Helps Small Businesses
February 22, 2021Problem: In the last decade-plus, the debate over net neutrality has gained momentum, with Democrats and Republicans pushing back and forth on legislation. Net neutrality is the principle that an internet service provider (ISP) must provide access to all sites, content and applications at the same speed, under the same...
READ MORE Medical Liability Reform Can Help Reduce Health Costs
February 22, 2021Problem: Health care costs remain one of the main concerns for small businesses in terms of providing health insurance to their employees and their families. The costs of medical malpractice––both direct and indirect––are a significant component of the health care system that is contributing toward unsustainable health care costs for...
READ MORE Interstate Sales Taxes Pose Complex Regulatory Burdens
February 22, 2021Problem: E-commerce provides businesses with access to much larger markets, but it also complicates even the simplest of retail transactions. One of the most challenging aspects can be figuring out which sales taxes apply to individual sales, especially when selling to out-of -state customers. On June 21, 2018, the U.S....
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