House Small Biz Committee Hears from Main Street Business Owners

The House Small Business Committee heard from entrepreneurs in a hearing called “From Nothing to Something: The Story of the American Dream.”

Committee Chairman Roger Williams (R-Tex) and the full committee heard from small business owners from all over the country.

Williams called small business owners “the fabric of their communities” and said that Congress should prioritize the concerns and issues facing small businesses.

What Two Small Business Owners Said

Roy Heim, owner of Heim Construction in Pennsylvania, mentioned navigating regulatory requirements as a challenge.

“Over the many years that we have been in business, the number of federal and state regulatory requirements affecting the construction industry has grown significantly,” Heim said. “Ask yourself if government has created too big of a hill to climb”

“It is my hope that this committee can help cut regulations that threaten the American dream for entrepreneurs like myself, who want to work hard in pursuit of starting and maintaining a small business to provide for our families and support our communities,” Heim concluded.

Corrine Hendrickson, owner and operator of Corrine’s Little Explorers Family Child Care in rural New Glarus, WI, has been a member of the Main Street Alliance for two years. Hendrickson said that federal rescue fund dollars helped her provide for her employees.

She said that access to federal rescue funds allowed her to hire a substitute and increase wages by $3 an hour and include a monthly bonus of $250.

“The only reason I can be here today is that I was able to hire a couple of substitutes last year utilizing federal rescue fund dollars,” said Hendrickson. “This allows me to attend appointments, take classes, and appear before you today without closing my business, subsequently allowing parents to work.”

Small Business Committee Goals

Empowering entrepreneurs is one of 5 goals of the Committee. The other goals are: Reforming the Small Business Administration, enhancing private sector funding, improving small business federal contracting and improving oversight and transparency.

Watch the full hearing here:

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