|
Click here to return to this month's Article Index The Cutting Edge™ January 2005Public PolicySmall Business Legislative Council Announces 2005 Priorities (SBLC News Release)By John Satagaj, WMMA Legislative Counsel and President and General Counsel, Small Business Legislative Council, email@jsatlaw.com WASHINGTON, D.C. - "Health care costs, estate tax, transportation infrastructure, product liability litigation, and manufacturing in America," said Ralph J. Nappi, the incoming Chairman of the Small Business Legislative Council (SBLC), "are the top five priorities for our organization in 2005." Continued Nappi, "There are no surprises on our list. The only surprise is that we have not resolved the problems facing small business in these areas by now. We believe we have the best opportunity in 2005 to secure a fix for at least some of them." " The estate tax problem is a clear example of an unfinished project. Almost everybody knows that there is a one-year repeal of the estate tax in 2010 and it returns in 2011. What everybody might not know, is that small business owners continue to spend time and energy on estate tax planning. There is no peace of mind for them. The only way we can really put this matter behind us is to enact a permanent solution and do it now. Until we do so, we are wasting the productive energy of the small business community," said Nappi. " There is a long laundry list of things we can do to restore common sense to our legal system. We believe a good place to start is to reduce the potential for unnecessary product liability litigation. We need to give product sellers some peace of mind that they won't be sued just because they have a deep pocket. We need to give product manufacturers some peace of mind that if they produce high quality products they won't be liable forever for their products, no matter what." " Over the last year, we have made some strides in addressing the needs of those companies that engage in manufacturing in the United States. The recent passage of a new deduction for domestic production will help. But we need to do more to make sure manufacturers not only survive but also grow. The report issued by the Department of Commerce last year has a lot of good ideas in it. We hope to turn some of those ideas into real progress." " Health care costs continue to put a strain on the cost of doing business for small business. In the short term, the President's campaign platform offers good suggestions for addressing parts of the problem, such a medical malpractice liability reform and the expansion of Health Savings Accounts. In the long term, we need to 'go bold,' and find a solution that works for everybody. We know it will not be easy, but the alternative is a rapid growth in the number of the uninsured followed by a cost meltdown that crushes the current system." " Finally, we need to pay more attention to our transportation infrastructure, our highways, our ports, our airports, and our rail systems. Small businesses, from the retailer who could not get her seasonal products off the ship and across the country in time to the service provider who cannot get his service trucks around town to help his customers, rely on our transportation infrastructure to be successful. The internet is not the solution to everything. The reality is that the small business economy depends on moving products and people around the town, around the state, around the region and around the country." " We look forward to working with the President and the 109th Congress to get the job done," concluded Nappi. The Small Business Legislative Council (SBLC) is a permanent, independent coalition of over 60 trade and professional associations that share a common commitment to the future of small business. Our members represent the interests of small businesses in such diverse economic sectors as manufacturing, retailing, distribution, professional and technical services, construction, transportation, and agriculture. Our policies are developed through a consensus among our membership. Individual associations may express their own views.
Table of Contents
|
