The U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce recently held a field hearing in South Carolina to discuss the effects of regulations on small business participation in federal contracting, economic growth and job creation.
The hearing gave South Carolina small business owners the opportunity to discuss federal regulatory burdens and impediments caused by the new health care law, EPA regulations and requirements affecting small business procurement opportunities. Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics confirms that small businesses shed a dramatic number of employees during the recent recession.
Witnesses present at the hearing included Col. Charles O’Cain, owner of Owl Business Consulting LLC in Rock Hill, South Carolina; Doug Meyer-Cuno, president of Carolina Ingredients in Rock Hill, South Carolina; and Monty Felix, CEO of Alaglas Pools in Saint Matthews, South Carolina.
According to U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), subcommittee chairman: “Small businesses are disproportionately burdened by regulatory costs and face challenges competing for federal contracts now more than ever … One of the primary reasons our economy is stagnant is because the private sector, and particularly small businesses, are uncertain about how federal taxes and regulations will impact them, so they’re holding back. Small businesses are especially sensitive to expected regulatory policy because they must make important, long-term decisions today on investment, hiring and expansion in the future.”
Meyer-Cuno discussed his disappointment with the effects of federal regulations on his small business: “If you regulate us to death, surely you will suffocate us all. At best, Obamacare will weaken our entrepreneurial fortitude, thus minimizing our country’s sustainability as the world’s greatest economic engine. At worst, we’ll become a society dependent upon government to make our decisions that they think are in our best interests. This isn’t the model our country followed for the first 200 years. Or perhaps our politicians think they know what is best for me. History demonstrates all governments eventually fail under this philosophy. Do I want Obamacare to fuel the government’s desire to mandate me and our business through unaccountable regulations? No thanks, I’ll take my two percent chance of creating a company and surviving 20 years over our government regulating me to death. Historically speaking, the odds of survival are on my side."
Felix shared similar sentiments about the effects of federal regulations on small businesses: “As an owner of a small company, I depend on the federal government to regulate industry based on valid and transparent reviews of the scientific, economic and other relevant facts. Unfortunately, recent regulations and other actions by EPA and HHS are not based on valid assessments but appear to be driven by policy decisions that hide the real facts. When President Obama first took office, he made a commitment to the use of sound science and sound analysis. However, it seems this administration believes that an analysis is ‘sound’ as long as it supports its pro-regulation agenda. I strongly encourage the small business committee to continue its effort to promote business viability, innovation and job growth by holding the administration to the president’s promises to base regulatory and other decisions on sound, fair and transparent analysis of the relevant facts.”
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