Legislative Briefs

By Rep. Dennis Moore
 
I've been busy working with my colleagues in Congress and in the district and wanted to take a moment to update you on some important issues for small businesses and your customers.

Small Business Resource Conference
If you're looking for an affordable way to learn new strategies to boost your bottom line, make plans now to attend our Kansas Small Business Resource Conference at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 9, at the Reardon Center in Kansas City. This one-day conference provides an overview of resources available for small businesses in the Kansas City area, featuring information on how to get started in government contracting, access to capital and opportunities for women and minority business owners.

Registration is $20 and includes a continental breakfast, exhibits and lunch. The conference is hosted in cooperation with the Johnson County Community College Small Business Development Center and the Kansas Women's Business Center, which offer community resources to small businesses all year long. Contact my Overland Park office at (913) 383-2013 for a registration form or more information.
 
Preventing Identity Theft
As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I've heard many stories about the devastating effects of identity theft and the costs to businesses and their consumers. I'm proud to have helped craft the bipartisan Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act to provide new tools to protect your identity, monitor your credit and prevent theft.

Kansans became eligible on March 1 to obtain a copy of their credit reports once a year without charge. No longer will the cost of obtaining credit reports prevent consumers from taking the necessary steps to guard against identity theft. I encourage everyone to check credit records annually to ensure that the information is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

You can request a credit report by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com, calling (877) 322-8228, or mailing the Annual Credit Report Request Form to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
 
Access to Capital
Small businesses are the greatest job creators in this country and act as a catalyst of our economic growth. The 7(a) program—the Small Business Administration’s flagship access to capital program—is responsible for 30 percent of all long-term lending to our country’s small businesses.
For the second year in a row, the Bush administration's budget eliminates appropriations for small business 7(a) loans, and proposes to run the program solely through fee increases, substantially raising the cost for small businesses and lenders.

To cut off access to capital under the 7(a) loan program, as proposed by the administration, is not sound policy and will hurt our economy. Instead of meeting the capital needs of our small businesses, the administration is leaving them with no way to grow. Investing in small businesses is crucial to a strong economy. I will continue fighting to ensure entrepreneurs have access to the capital they need to succeed.
 
Rep. Dennis Moore represents Kansas’ 3rd U.S. Congressional District, which includes Johnson, Wyandotte and Douglas counties. Moore has offices in Overland Park, Kansas City, Lawrence and Washington, D.C. The Congressman's Overland Park office can be reached at (913) 383-2013. For more information about small business issues, please visit  www.house.gov/moore.