Steve Chabot

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher).

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, I just want to also thank all the folks who were previously mentioned by my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler). This is, I think, a very good bill. It is great to see something bipartisan around here get passed; and as we are wrapping up this year and this Congress, it is good to see this good legislation being passed. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of this legislation. I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership. I would like to highlight a specific portion of the bill. This provision preserves an important piece of American history and it supports American jobs. It would reinstate the Delta Queen's grandfathered status from a law that prohibits wooden boats from carrying overnight passengers. Congress granted the Delta Queen a reprieve from that grandfathered law, which adversely impacts it, for four decades. In doing so, Congress recognized that the Delta Queen was constructed before the law that adversely impacted it was in place and that the law was intended to regulate vessels at sea, oceangoing vessels. It was never intended for river-faring boats like the Delta Queen. That is why Congress granted this reprieve for 40 years. We failed to do that back in 2008. We are looking at $100 million in development, in economic dollars in the river areas of this country, including the city of Cincinnati, my area. It used to be the home port. It will be one of the stops. It means a lot of jobs for a lot of people. It will be safely done.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 3554) to extend the effective date for the sunset for collateral requirements for Small Business Administration disaster loans, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 20, 2018.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize October 11 as the International Day of the Girl, which falls this upcoming Thursday. The International Day of the Girl is a day to draw attention to, and seek solutions for, the challenges that confront girls throughout the world. This year's theme for the International Day of the Girl centers on educating girls for today's and tomorrow's economy. That is why I wish to highlight the Protecting Girls' Access to Education Act, legislation that I introduced last year with Congresswoman Robin Kelly, which seeks to better ensure that the educational needs of displaced girls are considered in the design, implementation, and evaluation of our foreign assistance. This legislation is vitally important since, according to the UN High Commission on Refugees, there are approximately 65 million forcibly displaced people worldwide and half are under the age of 18. Prolonged periods away from home result in low school enrollment rates for displaced children, which leaves girls vulnerable to early marriage, human trafficking, and child labor. With these urgent needs in mind, I urge the Senate to swiftly pass the Protecting Girls' Access to Education Act. The International Day of the Girl is a day to work towards ensuring that girls around the globe have access to safe, quality education. As this year's theme reminds us, girls have better opportunities when they have access to quality education and a safe environment in which to learn.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the upcoming Double Ten Day, the national day of the Republic of China, or as many of us like to call it, Taiwan, which is celebrated every October l0th. I would like to extend to the people of Taiwan and its government my best wishes for continued prosperity and security. Over many decades, Taiwan and the United States have stood together against numerous challenges, and time and again have displayed a steadfast commitment to one another's mutual security and prosperity. The Taiwanese people deeply appreciate the fundamental truth that people everywhere long to be free, and that representative government is essential to realizing this dream and the true prosperity, peace, and stability it brings. They've done the hard work of transitioning to democracy, with all the sacrifice and compromise that entails. This story shines as a beacon of hope to people all over Asia that democracy is not only possible but preferable. In March, President Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act. This legislation, which I introduced in 2017, will further strengthen and enhance our bilateral strategic partnership with Taiwan. It is generally accepted that high level official communication is an essential part of any alliance. I strongly urge the Trump Administration to follow through on the act soon. Our partnership with Taiwan will only be strengthened through such implementation. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my support and admiration for the people of Taiwan and their vibrant democracy, and offer my best wishes to them for a very happy Double Ten Day celebration.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and for his leadership on this very important issue. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6760, the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act. As chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I have closely examined the effects that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that we previously passed has had on America's small businesses, on startups, and on entrepreneurs. From a Small Business Committee hearing that I chaired in July that reviewed the impact of that law on Main Street companies to the many small business optimism surveys that are published on a monthly business, the results are in, and they are positive for our Nation's 30 million small businesses that about half of the workers in this country work for. They work for small businesses. The tax cuts have provided small businesses with the opportunity to invest in their workers, invest in their equipment, and invest in their dreams. A small business owner in my district in southern Ohio recently testified: ``The recent tax reduction will have a positive impact on our employees in 2018 and beyond.'' The shops on Main Street all across America are transforming our communities and neighborhoods with job growth and business expansion, and that means jobs for more Americans. With our economic engines starting to rev, Congress should take the next step in the tax debate, which is making the tax cuts for our Nation's job creators permanent. That is what we are doing here today. Making section 199A, the small business pass-through provision, stronger will be a benefit to small businesses from my State of Ohio and to our States all across the country, from coast to coast. I applaud the work of Mr. Davis, Mr. Brady, and the other members of the Ways and Means Committee on this issue. It has been very important. When our Nation's small businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups are thriving, so are their employees, the families of those employees, and America's consumers.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6348) to adjust the real estate appraisal thresholds under the section 504 program to bring them into line with the thresholds used by the Federal banking regulators, and for other purposes.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the House Small Business Committee strives to create an environment where small businesses can thrive and create jobs. Unfortunately, small businesses are often hampered by conflicting Federal rules and regulations. This is the case when it comes to the appraisal threshold for commercial real estate. Earlier this year, Federal financial regulators, including the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, increased the commercial real estate appraisal threshold from $250,000 to $500,000. Unfortunately, the Small Business Administration's threshold for the real estate-heavy 504/CDC loan program is set in statute at $250,000. The conflicting numbers produce confusion for and burdens on small business owners and the organizations that strive to assist them. H.R. 6348, the Small Business Access to Capital and Efficiency Act, also known as the Small Business ACE Act, modernizes and benchmarks the SBA's 504/CDC threshold value with the value set by the Federal financial regulators. This commonsense legislation will prevent future threshold changes from hampering small businesses that utilize SBA's many lending products. I want to thank Mr. Curtis of Utah for leading the efforts on this bill, as well as Ranking Member Velazquez and Mr. Evans. It has broad bipartisan support. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6348, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for her indications that we work very much in a bipartisan manner in our committee. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Curtis), whom I thank for his leadership in this effort.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans) for his leadership on this. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Mr. Speaker, to conclude, the SBA's 504/CDC loan program is vital to many creditworthy small businesses that cannot obtain credit elsewhere. To reduce confusion from conflicting Federal rules, H.R. 6348 will update and bring SBA's commercial real estate threshold to the same level as other Federal financial regulators. We must continue to work together to free small business owners from conflicting Federal regulations. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan reform instituted in H.R. 6348. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6347) to adjust the real estate appraisal thresholds under the 7(a) program to bring them into line with the thresholds used by the Federal banking regulators, and for other purposes.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, similar to the SBA's 504/CDC loan program, the SBA's 7(a) loan program assists small businesses that have a business plan in place for success but do not have the ability to obtain credit elsewhere. Through a partnership with financial institutions, the SBA provides a government guarantee to help the small business grow and create jobs. Importantly, this program has been running on zero cost to the American taxpayers for years. While the economy has been improving, conflicting Federal rules and regulations often present uncertainty and confusion for small businesses and those within the 7(a) loan program. When an SBA 7(a) loan is used in a commercial real estate transaction, a formal State licensed or certified appraisal is statutorily required on all transactions above $250,000. However, the value set by Federal financial regulators has recently been increased from $250,000 to $500,000. To provide clarity for small businesses, H.R. 6347 modernizes and mirrors the SBA's commercial real estate appraisal threshold with the value set by Federal financial regulators. Similar to H.R. 6348, H.R. 6347 does not provide an exact dollar threshold. Rather, it ties the SBA's 7(a) threshold to the value set by Federal financial regulators. This benchmark provision will prevent conflict as the threshold value is updated in the future. I would like to thank Mr. Evans and Mr. Curtis for working in a bipartisan manner to find a solution to this problem that is impacting small businesses. The bill has broad bipartisan support. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6347, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans) for his leadership on this bill. Small businesses do not employ an army of tax and accounting specialists. All too often, the small business owner must sacrifice time and energy away from growing his or her business to comply with Federal rules and regulations. While we are making progress on reducing regulations, at times, Federal rules conflict. As we have heard today, H.R. 6347 aims to reduce the confusion that exists for small businesses that utilize the Small Business Administration's 7(a) loan program when it comes to the commercial real estate appraisal threshold. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan updates proposed in this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6316) to clarify the primary functions and duties of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 6316, the Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2018, which clarifies the role of the Office of Advocacy of the United States Small Business Administration. The Office of Advocacy is charged with representing small businesses before Federal agencies whose policies and activities may affect small businesses. It also examines the role of small business in the American economy and the contributions small businesses can make in improving competition. This office plays a vital role in ensuring that small businesses are heard when the Federal Government makes policy decisions that will impact them. Currently, the law is silent regarding the Office of Advocacy's ability to study the role of small business in international economies, which is an important avenue for small businesses as they seek opportunities to expand overseas. This bill would clarify that the Office of Advocacy should include international economies as part of its research functions. The law is also silent regarding the Office of Advocacy's authority to represent small businesses before foreign governments and international entities. It is important for small businesses to have their views and interests on regulatory and trade initiatives represented in the international space. This bill clarifies the Office of Advocacy's ability to represent small business views and interests before foreign governments and other international entities for the purpose of contributing to regulatory and trade initiatives. I want to thank Mr. Comer and Ms. Adams for working on this issue and producing a simple solution to clarify the Office of Advocacy's role. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this straightforward legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), and I thank him for his leadership on this bill.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to, again, thank Mr. Comer and Ms. Adams for their leadership on this measure. The Office of Advocacy is a critical Federal agency charged with representing America's 30 million small firms across the Federal Government. They have done outstanding work on behalf of our Nation's small businesses. But as we have discussed, current law is silent on whether it can research and advocate on behalf of small business on international matters. This bipartisan legislation offers a simple solution to allow the Office of Advocacy to expand their role in international matters. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6330) to amend the Small Business Act to modify the method for prescribing size standards for business concerns.