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SIGNING CEREMONY: SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT ACT
Deputy House Speaker Christopher Williams (D-CA), along with Republican Congressman Russell Myers from Oregon - the original sponsor of the legislation, participated in a signing ceremony on Capitol Hill following the passage of Small Business Support Act. The bipartisan initiative was the first piece of legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in the 110th Congress and will be sent to the Senate to consider, delivered following the ceremony. While Congressmen Williams and Myers attended, all of the co-sponsors and members of congressional leadership in both parties are invited (and may indicate their presence by posting in this thread).
Christopher Williams: Thank you all for gathering here today. We were all elected to Congress out of a call to duty for ourselves from our constituents. Today, we see a sliver of that duty become fruitful progress. It is my belief that this legislation will have a positive impact on all of our constituents throughout the country, because small businesses are a backbone of our country and deserves every amount of support that this legislation provides, to equal the playing field and promote competition in our free market economy. And of course we hope the Senate will do its duty in assuring this legislation's swift passage. Thank you, Congressman Myers, for your leadership on this issue and to all in Congress who sought passage of this legislation. Today is for you and all of the small business entrepreneurs throughout the land. God bless you all!
Deputy Speaker Williams signed the legislation and handed Myers the pin. After showing the signed legislation, he handed the legislation to a congressional staffer tasked with handing it over to the Senate:
QuoteIN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Q1, 2007
Mr. Myers, for himself, Mr. Harman, Mr. Starnes, Mr. Butcher, Mr. Bauman, Mr. Williams and Mr. Hughes, with thanks to Mr. Carney, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Conaway and Ms. Hassan, introduces,
A BILL
To support small business and entrepreneurial activity in America through changes to regulation, the tax code and the Security and Exchange Commission .
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Small Business Support Act”.
SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS PAPERWORK RELIEF.
Section 3506 of title 44, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(j) Small Businesses.—
(1) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN.—In this subsection, the term ‘small business concern’ has the meaning given that term under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
(2) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a first-time violation by a small business concern of a requirement regarding the collection of information by an agency, the head of the agency shall not impose a civil fine on the small business concern unless the head of the agency determines that—
(A) the violation has the potential to cause serious harm to the public interest;
(B) failure to impose a civil fine would impede or interfere with the detection of criminal activity;
(C) the violation is a violation of an internal revenue law or a law concerning the assessment or collection of any tax, debt, revenue, or receipt;
(D) the violation was not corrected on or before the date that is 6 months after the date on which the small business concern receives notification of the violation in writing from the agency; or
(E) except as provided in paragraph (3), the violation presents a danger to the public health or safety.
(3) DANGER TO PUBLIC HEALTH OR SAFETY.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—In any case in which the head of an agency determines under paragraph (2)(E) that a violation presents a danger to the public health or safety, the head of the agency may, notwithstanding paragraph (2)(E), determine not to impose a civil fine on the small business concern if the violation is corrected not later than 24 hours after receipt by the owner of the small business concern of notification of the violation in writing.
“(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining whether to allow a small business concern 24 hours to correct a violation under subparagraph (A), the head of an agency shall take into account all of the facts and circumstances regarding the violation, including—
“(i) the nature and seriousness of the violation, including whether the violation is technical or inadvertent or involves willful or criminal conduct;
“(ii) whether the small business concern has made a good faith effort to comply with applicable laws and to remedy the violation within the shortest practicable period of time; and
“(iii) whether the small business concern has obtained a significant economic benefit from the violation.
SEC. 3. ESTATE TAX REFORMS
(a) In General.—Subsection (a) of section 2032A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to valuation of certain farm, etc., real property) is amended—
(1) by striking “$750,000” each place it appears and inserting “$1,850,000”,
(2) by striking “after 1998” in paragraph (3) and inserting “after 2008”, and
(3) by striking “1997” in paragraph (3)(B) and inserting “2007”.
(b) Restoration.—Subsection (j) of section 2057 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to termination) is amended to read as follows:
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 2057 of such Code is amended—
(A) by striking “$675,000” in paragraph (2) and inserting “$2,000,000”, and
(B) by striking paragraph (3).
SEC. 4. SEC SMALL BUSINESS ADVOCATE
(a) Office Of The Advocate For Small Business Capital Formation.—Section 4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78d) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(j) Office Of The Advocate For Small Business Capital Formation.—
(1) OFFICE ESTABLISHED.—There is established within the Commission the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation .
(2) ADVOCATE FOR SMALL BUSINESS CAPITAL FORMATION.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The head of the Office shall be the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, who shall—
(i) report directly to the Commission; and
(ii) be appointed by the Commission, from among individuals having experience in advocating for the interests of small businesses and encouraging small business capital formation.
(4) FUNCTIONS OF THE ADVOCATE FOR SMALL BUSINESS CAPITAL FORMATION.—The Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation shall—
(A) assist small businesses and small business investors in resolving significant problems such businesses and investors may have with the Commission or with self-regulatory organizations;
(B) identify areas in which small businesses and small business investors would benefit from changes in the regulations of the Commission or the rules of self-regulatory organizations;
(C) identify problems that small businesses have with securing access to capital;
(D) analyze the potential impact on small businesses and small business investors of rules and regulations the commission is proposing—
(E) conduct outreach to small businesses and small business investors, including through regional roundtables, in order to solicit views on relevant capital formation issues;
(F) to the extent practicable, propose to the Commission changes in the regulations or orders of the Commission and to Congress any legislative, administrative, or personnel changes that may be appropriate to mitigate problems identified under this paragraph and to promote the interests of small businesses and small business investors;
(G) consult with the Investor Advocate on proposed recommendations made under subparagraph (F); and
(H) advise the Investor Advocate on issues related to small businesses and small business investors.
(5) REGULATIONS.—The Commission shall establish procedures requiring a formal response to all recommendations submitted to the Commission by the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, not later than 3 months after the date of such submission.
(6) GOVERNMENT-BUSINESS FORUM ON SMALL BUSINESS CAPITAL FORMATION.—The Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation shall be responsible for planning, organizing, and executing the annual Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation described in section 503 of the Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980.
(b) Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee.—Title I of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 40. SMALL BUSINESS CAPITAL FORMATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment And Purpose.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within the Commission the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee.
(2) FUNCTIONS.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall provide the Commission with advice on the Commission’s rules, regulations, and policies with regard to the Commission’s mission of protecting investors, maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitating capital formation, as such rules, regulations, and policies relate to—
(i) capital raising by emerging, privately held small businesses (‘emerging companies’) and publicly traded companies with less than $250,000,000 in public market capitalization (‘smaller public companies’) through securities offerings, including private and limited offerings and initial and other public offerings;
(ii) trading in the securities of emerging companies and smaller public companies; and
(iii) public reporting and corporate governance requirements of emerging companies and smaller public companies.
(b) Membership.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The members of the Committee shall be—
(A) the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation;
(B) not fewer than 10, and not more than 20, members appointed by the Commission, from among relevant individuals.
(g) Review By Commission.—The Commission shall—
(1) review the findings and recommendations of the Committee; and
(2) each time the Committee submits a finding or recommendation to the Commission, promptly issue a public statement—
(A) assessing the finding or recommendation of the Committee; and
(B) disclosing the action, if any, the Commission intends to take with respect to the finding or recommendation.
SEC. 5. INCREASING ACCESS TO RESEARCH CREDIT FOR STARTUPS
(a) In General.—Paragraph (4) of section 41(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
“(D) SPECIAL RULES FOR QUALIFIED SMALL BUSINESSES.—In the case of a qualified small business (as defined in subsection (h)(3))—
“(i) subparagraph (A) shall be applied by substituting ‘20 percent’ for ‘14 percent’, and
“(ii) if subparagraph (B) applies to such taxpayer, at the election of the taxpayer—
“(I) subparagraph (B)(ii) shall be applied by substituting ‘10 percent’ for ‘6 percent’, or
“(II) in lieu of applying subparagraph (B), the average under subparagraph (A) shall be determined by disregarding any taxable year in the 3-year period described in such subparagraph in which there were no qualified research expenses.”.
Plain English Summary:
Section 1: Short title
Section 2: Amends the Paperwork Reduction Act to direct agency heads not to impose civil fines for first-time paperwork violations by small business concerns unless there is potential for serious harm to the public interest, the detection of criminal activity would be impaired, it is not corrected within 6 months and other exceptions.
Section 3: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase to $1.85 million the maximum reduction amount for alternative valuations of farmland and other business property for estate tax purposes; and (2) restore after 2007 the estate tax deduction for family-owned business interests and increase such deduction to $2 million.
Section 4: Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to establish within the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) an Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation.
The bill also establishes the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, which shall provide the SEC with advice on SEC rules, regulations, and policies regarding its mission of protecting investors, maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitating capital formation. The SEC shall assess the committee's recommendations.
Section 5: Increases the maximum amount eligible for the tax credit for new and small businesses and increases to 20% the rate of the credit for business startups.
By the Powers vested in the House of Representatives of the United States, this Act is PASSED
/s/ Christopher Williams /s/
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives
110th Congress of the United States
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This is smart as hell. How soon can we get a bill drafted?
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3 hours ago, John E said:
All I would say in response to my colleague's manifesto is that it is better to underpromise and overdeliver. Rep. Williams lays out a very ambitious agenda that he says he will accomplish while simultaneously running for President.
I simply want to get bills passed and hopefully signed into law. And I am not runming for President. Thus, there is also no risk of my using the Speakership as a stepping stone or platform for campaigning.
Which of our approaches do you think is more achievable?
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Quarter 1, 2007 | Press Release: Congressman Williams WILL NOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. - United States Representative Christopher Williams is announcing today that after exploring a run for president of the United States over the last several weeks, he has decided not mount a campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination.
Here's the full statement:
"After several weeks of discussion with staff, friends and family, I have decided that now is not the time to mount a campaign for President of the United States. I do, however, look forward to the campaigns of fellow Democrats who have decided to run and wish all current and eventual candidates well in their quests."
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Christopher Williams
Deputy Speaker of the House
Dear Members of our beloved House Democratic Caucus,
The first few months of this session, as you know all too well, has been riffed with tumult, abandonment, and, quite frankly, embarrassment. This election of the next Speaker of the House is our moment to turn over a new leaf, start fresh, with clarity and direction. Having recognized early the lack of duties being fulfilled by our leadership, I rose to action, offering myself up to work on the mundane tasks associated with keeping the House of Representatives running on all cylinders. Now, I've made my fair share of mistakes, as we've all this session, but I want to continue what we've begun to start following all of this tumult - continuing bigger and better, to use the victories the people of the country gave us to deliver results and progress. In that vein, I am announcing my acceptance of my nomination to continue as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and appreciate the support of my colleagues who've nominated me.
One of my first acts as Speaker will be to anoint not one, but two members of our caucus to serve as deputies to take the gavel IF there is any need for me to take a leave of absence, or, God forbid, not be able to physically direct the business of the House. The Temporary Succession Plan will see the first deputy take the gavel to direct tasks of the House in the event of 48 hours of inactivity, automatically, or if directed by the Speaker's office through an official memorandum to Members of Congress. There will also be the anointing of a backup-deputy to do the same upon a 24-hour period in which the first deputy does not take gavel under the succession plan.
In the meantime, my mission is simple, clear and wide-ranging: to focus on the issues impacting the American people by bringing our party together in the astute formulation and expert promotion of a comprehensive agenda on these issues.
The first three issues I will pursue as the agenda of the House are the War on Terror and America’s Role in the War in Iraq; Ethics Reform and Anti-Corruption Initiatives; and issues related to the Economic Prosperity of America’s Poor and Middle Class. This agenda will be, truly, the work of cohesive effort. If you’re willing to put in the work; contribute your ideas; and compromise with your colleagues, under my leadership you will receive the distinct opportunity to deliver for your constituents and this party’s success. This effort will be anchored through the formulation of HOUSE DEMOCRATIC POLICY COMMITTEES. Dedicated members of Congress - at least one from all three official caucus factions (New Democrat; Progressive; and Blue Dog) if applicable - will have the chance to sit on internal party committees tasked with the mission of drafting legislation related to various policy matters. Early policy committees include but aren’t limited to: the International Affairs & Defense Appropriations Committee; Combating Poverty and Economic Stagnation Committee; and the Ethics in Government Committee. These policy committees will be directed to meet, given a timeframe to deliver ideas and craft legislation; and will be, with the help of the Speaker’s office and the DNC Chair, stapled with a clear messaging strategy to communicate to the American people. Of course, other policy committees will be constructed internally on a case-by-case basis out of an abundance of need and progress.
Now, I know everyone is not going to agree with everything their colleagues propose or the positions they take. The job, in my view, of the Speaker, is to guide and direct. MAKE NO MISTAKE, CONTRARY TO WHAT FELLOW NOMINEE JOHN MATHESON HAS PROPOSED, WE WILL HAVE AN OFFICIAL AGENDA THAT REPRESENTS OUR PARTY AND A DOCKET THAT REFLECTS THAT AGENDA, WITH OR WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. Those who break away from a cohesively-crafted legislative agenda are free to do so but are encouraged greatly to not only compromise but be open to alternative agreements that result in protecting from the derailment of our party’s message and strategy and promote other elements of their own personal legislative agenda for their district and constituents. Those who aren’t willing to even meet and hammer out an agreement will not be tolerated. While we may not all agree, we all must work together.
It is my position that we have not the time nor the luxury of being “non-partisan”. We have to be clear, concise, and of conviction in progressing an agenda for all of America and combating political and policy malpractice from across the aisle.
I hope that I can gain your vote and, as always, my office is open for communication at all times.
Thank you and God bless,
/s/ Christopher Williams /s/
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives
110th Congress of the United States
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With the vote of no confidence of the Speaker approved. We shall begin the election process for another Speaker of the House.
24 hours for nominations; second; and acceptations. 24 hours following for a vote, if necessary.
Nominated Matheson, Williams
Seconds Matheson, Williams
Acceptations Matheson, Williams
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Pursuant to the DNC Charter, the motion of VONC of the Majority Leader goes forward.
24 hours to vote. If the current leader wishes to defend themselves, they may.
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Pursuant to the DNC Charter, the motion of VONC of the Majority Whip goes forward.
24 hours to vote. If the current leader wishes to defend themselves, they may.
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*RAPS GAVEL*
The House shall come to order! Voting shall commence for 24 hours on the first Allen amendment of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act of 2007. The text of the amendment is as follows:
QuoteStriking Section 2, Subsections 19-21
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*RAPS GAVEL*
The House shall come to order! Voting shall commence for 24 hours on the first Harman amendment of the D.C. Voting Rights Act of 2007. The text of the amendment is as follows:
QuoteStriking sections 3 and 4 of the Act
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*Raps Gavel*
The time allotted to vote on this motion has concluded. The last vote attempting to be cast was done so upon the conclusion of the time allotted and will not be counted. In the meantime...
The yeas are 202.
The nays are 178.
Those voting present are 55.
The bill is hereby tabled.
*Raps Gavel*
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*Raps Gavel*
Ladies and gentlemen, members of Congress. By unanimous consent, this bill has passed!
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Quarter 1, 2007 | Public Event: Prayer Vigil for Victims of Virginia Mall Shooting | San Diego, California
Congressman Williams' office (with approval from @Vesica) organized a prayer vigil outside of an historically-Black Bethel AME Church in San Diego, California. Congressman Williams was joined by his family. After the pastor and various ministers prayed, a member of the choir sung 'Amazing Grace'. Congressman Williams was then asked to speak before the crowd:
Congressman Williams: We gather here today, with the hearts of any family that has lost a loved-one at the hands of senseless violence. We pray to the Lord for our safety and for peace throughout the land. Some may say thoughts and prayers are enough - that it's all we can give at a time like this. I think our Lord and Savior would call upon us to act. Faith without works is dead. Right now, we're raw with grief. Raw with sorrow. Raw with rage. Soon and very soon, though, that rawness shall turn into reckoning and resilience and that rage shall turn into resolution. The God we serve teaches us to not just sit idly by and let the world dictate our circumstances, but for us to do all we can to be a vessel for peace and prosperity in our society. We will pick up that mantle; we will encapsulate that vessel; we will pursue a movement of safety and security; peace and prosperity. We shall, from this day forward, do all we can do to stand against all forms of violence and vigilantism. And when we tire; keep going. We are fueled with determination. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to our communities; our families. We owe it to our country and our world. We owe it to God. May the Lord's grace be bestowed upon all of us. And may the souls we've lost today and everyday from gun violence rest in eternal peace. God bless you all!
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I second Bolster
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Upon the resignation of our DNC Chair, we shall begin the process yet again for this incredibly important position.
24 hours for nominations. (any self nomination will be assumed to have accepted their nomination, you cannot second yourself.)
Nominations
Seconds
Accepted
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*RAPS GAVEL*
Voting shall be halt as the motion to table this piece of legislation was made prior to amendment being seconded. If the motion to table is not agreed to, voting shall resume on this amendment.
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*RAPS GAVEL*
The House shall come to order! Voting shall commence for 24 hours on the MOTION TO TABLE the Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007.
Voting shall begin! *Raps Gavel*
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*Raps Gavel*
The gentleman's point of order is well-taken. Voting shall halt on the amendment and voting on the motion to table shall commence momentarily. The House is appreciative of the gentlemen for bringing this to the attention of the Speaker.
[PASSED THE HOUSE] Small Business Support Act
in Archive of the 110th Congress
Posted