Roger Williams

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Patronis).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, H.R. 5788 provides transparency to the SBA's 504 loan program, a key program that promotes job creation and small business growth. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5784) to amend the Small Business Act to help small business concerns critically evaluate artificial intelligence tools, and for other purposes.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam 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.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5784, the Artificial Intelligence Wisdom for Innovative Small Enterprises Act, the AI-WISE Act. This bipartisan bill is led by Representatives Scholten and Downing. Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses operate in real time. While large corporations can afford expensive consultants and trial-and-error experimentation, many small businesses do not have the luxury to do that. For a small business owner like myself, every dollar matters. The AI-WISE Act helps bridge that gap. This bill directs the SBA to provide clear, accessible, and practical guidance that helps small business owners understand artificial intelligence in straightforward terms. It focuses on helping entrepreneurs evaluate whether an artificial intelligence tool is useful for their specific business, where it may fall short, and whether it is truly worth the cost before they spend their money to get that. Importantly, this bill does all of this without authorizing any new spending. It builds on existing programs, avoids picking winners and losers, and keeps the Federal Government focused on providing information, not mandates. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation and to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5784. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Madam Speaker, we cannot leave Main Street behind in the adoption of AI. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, due to an official engagement, I was unable to vote on H.R. 2683, H.R. 6500, and H.R. 6504. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 13, YEA on Roll Call No. 14, and YEA on Roll Call No. 15.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, due to an official engagement, I was unable to vote on H.R. 2965, H.R. 4305, and H.R. 1005. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 310, YEA on Roll Call No. 311, and YEA on Roll Call No. 312.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 916, I call up the bill (H.R. 2965) to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to ensure that the small business regulatory budget for a small business concern in a fiscal year is not greater than zero, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2965, the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act of 2025, introduced by my friend, Beth Van Duyne, from the great State of Texas. Throughout countless Democratic administrations, we have seen overregulation suffocate small businesses. The Biden-Harris administration alone imposed regulatory costs totaling $1.8 trillion on businesses in just 4 years. The Committee on Small Business has heard testimony from hundreds of small business owners from across the country who repeatedly tell us that excessive regulation is stifling their operations and undermining their bottom line. To revitalize the American Dream, Big Government, one-size-fits-all mandates must stop. The Trump administration fully recognizes this challenge and is taking aggressive acts to give small businesses the relief they deserve. In just the first 6 months of President Trump's second term, Republicans have worked to put an end to burdensome regulations through CRAs and carry out a deregulatory agenda. We are responsible for $86 billion in reduced regulatory costs and over 50 million hours of reduced paperwork burdens. That is why I am proud to support this bill which would advance President Trump's executive order, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. This straightforward bill would require the SBA to operate under a regulatory budget of zero, meaning that for each new regulation imposed, a costly or outdated regulation must be repealed. This bill would also require the SBA to provide annual reports on the true cost to small businesses imposed by government regulations. This seemingly simple requirement would have a major impact by bringing transparency to Federal regulatory actions each year and the true burden of those actions. The transparency measures in this bill are critical to expose the harmful actions taken by bureaucrats behind closed doors and to highlight the harm done to hardworking small and family-owned businesses across the United States. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2965, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2965 will make sure that the cost of new SBA rulemakings is at zero to ensure that only necessary regulations are in place. We must support Main Street, starting with our work here in D.C. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 916, I call up the bill (H.R. 4305) to direct the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration to establish a Red Tape Hotline to receive notifications of burdensome agency rules, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. 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. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4305, the DUMP Red Tape Act, introduced by Representative Wied from the great State of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, entrepreneurs across America are driving our economic growth, but too often they are forced to fight through layers of red tape just to keep their doors open. Every day, small businesses deal with outdated, duplicative, or unclear regulations that make it harder for them to hire, grow, and innovate. Since 1976, the SBA Office of Advocacy has served as a voice for small businesses across the country. The Office of Advocacy works to encourage small business success through the government's legislative, regulatory, and administrative process. When it comes to regulatory costs, Office of Advocacy is equipped to represent the interests of small businesses at the Federal level. To make this easier, Office of Advocacy launched the Red Tape Hotline, a necessary resource that gives small businesses a direct, real-time way to report burdensome regulations that are holding them back. The Red Tape Hotline empowers small business owners to speak up and help Office of Advocacy hold Federal agencies accountable for the red tape that is crushing their day-to-day operations. The Red Tape Hotline was created by following President Trump's executive order, ``Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation.'' The DUMP Red Tape Act codifies the executive order and ensures that small businesses always have a reliable channel to be heard. This bill strengthens Office of Advocacy's ability to deliver small business concerns directly to Congress, ensuring that we have the real- world data which we need to push for smarter, more effective regulatory policies. While the public can submit comments to proposed rules, this Red Tape Hotline provides small businesses the opportunity to provide feedback on the true burden of compliance with active regulations. This bill also requires Office of Advocacy to submit an annual report to Congress summarizing the notifications received through the hotline. By strengthening and formalizing this process, Congress will receive a clear picture of how Federal regulations affect different types of businesses nationwide. This will help ensure that Congress is acting on accurate, real-world information. Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle may argue that the hotline improperly focuses on burdensome regulations rather than collecting positive feedback, but it is simple: The purposes of this tool is to identify obstacles that need attention, and regulations that function well do not require intervention. Small businesses are not asking us to preserve the status quo. They are asking to eliminate the barriers that prevent them from thriving. By isolating problematic rules, we empower Congress and Federal agencies to focus time and resources where they are needed most, while still preserving the regulations that work. The DUMP Red Tape Act strengthens our commitment to a pro-job, pro- innovation economy by ensuring that Federal agencies remain accountable and responsive to the needs of Main Street. Mr. Speaker, with that in mind, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4305, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Wied).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt).

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, despite what my colleagues say, there is no hotline that exists exclusively for small businesses. H.R. 4305 will fix that problem. It will provide an avenue for small businesses to engage with the SBA Office of Advocacy, a voice that is focused on advocating for Main Street. This bill passed out of the committee on a bipartisan basis, and as chairman, I am committed to getting our Members the information they need to support Main Street. Ultimately, this information will come as an annual report to Congress upon enactment, but for now, we will continue to work with the Office of Advocacy to understand concerns from small businesses across the country. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas

Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3174) to increase loan limits for loans made to small manufacturers, and for other purposes, as amended.