Sam Graves

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Ann Campbell. Ann is a very special young woman who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Girl Scouts of the USA and earning the high honor of the Gold Award. Ann's outstanding achievement reflects her hard work and dedication. Ann has exhibited unique and creative examples of service that have made a difference in her community. I am confident that she will continue to hold herself to the highest standards in the future. This is an accomplishment for which Ann can take pride in for the rest of her life. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Ann Campbell for her accomplishments with the Girl Scouts of the USA and for her efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of the Gold Award.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Katrina Laffoon. Katrina is a very special young woman who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Girl Scouts of the USA and earning the high honor of the Gold Award. Katrina's outstanding achievement reflects her hard work and dedication. Katrina has exhibited unique and creative examples of service that have made a difference in her community. I am confident that she will continue to hold herself to the highest standards in the future. This is an accomplishment for which Katrina can take pride in for the rest of her life. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Katrina Laffoon for her accomplishments with the Girl Scouts of the USA and for her efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of the Gold Award.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Melissa Anderson. Melissa is a very special young woman who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Girl Scouts of the USA and earning the high honor of the Gold Award. Melissa's outstanding achievement reflects her hard work and dedication. Melissa has exhibited unique and creative examples of service that have made a difference in her community. I am confident that she will continue to hold herself to the highest standards in the future. This is an accomplishment for which Melissa can take pride in for the rest of her life. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Melissa Anderson for her accomplishments with the Girl Scouts of the USA and for her efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of the Gold Award.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Mazie Early. Mazie is a very special young woman who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Girl Scouts of the USA and earning the high honor of the Gold Award. Mazie's outstanding achievement reflects her hard work and dedication. Mazie has exhibited unique and creative examples of service that have made a difference in her community. I am confident that she will continue to hold herself to the highest standards in the future. This is an accomplishment for which Mazie can take pride in for the rest of her life. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Mazie Early for her accomplishments with the Girl Scouts of the USA and for her efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of the Gold Award.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 165, 166, and 167 to attend to a family matter. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 165, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 166 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 167.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, I missed rollcall votes No. 163 and No. 164 to attend to a family matter. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 163 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 164.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, our nation's small businesses create 7 of every ten 10 new jobs. They represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms, and employ 97.5 percent of all identifiable exporters. They are the entrepreneurs that can lead us out of the economic downturn. We are depending on them to reinvigorate our economy. But the fact is, Washington has not provided them with an environment in which they can thrive. At House Small Business Committee hearings, owners of small firms have told us week after week that they want Washington to get out of the way so they can do what they do best: create jobs and help move our economy forward. But Washington keeps piling on mandates that hold them back. The expanded 1099 information reporting requirement is a perfect example. At one of our recent hearings, a small manufacturer from North Carolina said, ``The expanded 1099 reporting requirement included in the healthcare law is a good example of the kind of misguided policy that works against the interest of small businesses. Tax filing is never a task small business owners look forward to, but making filing more burdensome only drains resources from already struggling companies.'' Few industries have been as affected by the economic downturn as home builders. A small home builder from Kentucky said, ``. . . [T]here will be significant costs involved to track, aggregate and report required transactions.'' Madam Speaker, at a time when we should be making it easier to create jobs and promote economic growth, small businesses don't need another costly and burdensome mandate. I thank Chairman Camp for his work in advancing this important legislation to the House Floor, and recognize Chairman Lungren for his leadership on this issue. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 4.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Jaron Walker Hendrix. Jaron is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 75, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. Jaron has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Jaron has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Jaron has contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Jaron Walker Hendrix for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, during consideration of H.R. 1, I voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 101 when it was my intent to vote ``nay.'' I am writing to request that this position be noted in the Record. In addition, I wish the Record to reflect that I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 81.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado, the chair of the Subcommittee on Investigation, Oversight and Regulations, Mr. Coffman.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. West).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to say that this resolution before us, as has been said, it is not a Democratic or a Republican issue; rather, it is an issue of good government and it identifies those irrational rules that represent barriers to job growth. Mr. Speaker, the last Congress and this administration passed bill after bill after bill that either taxed or regulated businesses and small firms right out of business, and it is going to take time to unravel that mess. With this bill, again, we are going to identify a lot of those irrational rules that represent those barriers. With that, I would strongly urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Landry). (Mr. LANDRY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade, Mr. Tipton.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers), the chair of the Subcommittee on Health Care and Technology. (Mrs. ELLMERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. No.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I often see the impact that regulations have on small businesses. Harmful Federal regulations can put serious hurdles in the way of entrepreneurship, making it difficult to create jobs and expand businesses. As we try to encourage a lasting, stable economic recovery, it is critical we review and analyze the impact of proposed and existing regulations on small businesses. We must make sure regulators are not making irreversible decisions that could strain the competitive ability of small businesses, prevent expansion, reduce access to capital and harm the overall growth of the American economy. Not only are regulations potentially harmful to small businesses, there are simply too many regulations for businesses to follow. In 2010, the Federal Register, the daily digest of the Federal agency regulatory announcements, contained about 82,000 pages, in comparison to the roughly 42,000 pages in 1980. President Reagan and every President since ordered Federal bureaucrats to review regulations. Despite this, very few rules are ever repealed. President Reagan and every President since has ordered the Office of Management and Budget to review new regulations. And despite this review, Federal agencies continue to issue new regulations. President Reagan and every President since has issued an Executive Order mandating that agencies only promulgate rules in which benefits exceed the costs. Despite this, agencies continue to issue regulations imposing undue costs on small businesses. President Reagan and every President since has sought to strengthen the enforcement of the Paperwork Reduction Act. But despite this, reporting and record keeping requirements continue to bury small business owners. Ultimately, what is at stake is whether small businesses will succeed in the free market or have their success determined by the whims and dictates of Federal bureaucrats. If the President and agencies are unable to stem this tide and allow small businesses to do what they do best--that is create jobs--then Congress has to act. The resolution before us today is just that, a call for Congress to act. I strongly endorse this resolution and look forward to the Committee on Small Business reviewing agency regulations that are duplicative, unnecessary, or otherwise inhibit small business expansion. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Alexander Bryce Hager. Alexander is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 120, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. Alexander has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Alexander has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Alexander has earned the Arrow of Light and the rank of Firebuilder in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. Alexander has also contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. Alexander renovated a cabin at the United Methodist Church of Chillicothe, Missouri, by leveling the floors, painting the exterior, repairing the roof and constructing a deck for the cabin. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Alexander Bryce Hager for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Eli James Cooper. Eli is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 351, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. Eli has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Eli has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Eli has contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Eli James Cooper for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Joshua Samuel Hoppe. Joshua is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 351, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. Joshua has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Joshua has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Joshua has contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Joshua Samuel Hoppe for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.