January 24, 2007
Senator David Vitter
U.S. Senate
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Vitter:
On behalf of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small-business advocacy group, I am writing to support the Vitter Amendment to H.R. 2, to suspend fines for first-time paperwork violations by small-business concerns.
NFIB research indicates that paperwork remains a significant source of anxiety for America’s small-business owners. While no one single difficulty creates the government paperwork problem, the most frequently cited problems by small-business owners are confusing instructions and overall volume of paperwork.
Due to the sheer volume and complexity of federal regulations, even the most diligent small business-owner may inadvertently make an error or miss deadlines associated with government paperwork. Not surprising, regulatory agencies are often quick to issue costly fines for the slightest of grievances.
Passage of your amendment would go a long way to ensure that, in cases of first time paperwork violations, small businesses are able to correct those violations without penalty. The legislation would allow small businesses to correct violations in a reasonable timeframe so that mistakes can be corrected and compliance can be achieved. Notably, your amendment would accomplish this without a loss to the safety and health protections provided under the laws designed to protect our communities.
I want to commend you for your leadership on this issue. An NFIB survey illustrates the support this kind of reform has amongst the small-business community with 92 percent of NFIB members indicating that they believe small-business owners should be exempt from first-time paperwork violations. I trust that your colleagues will follow your lead by voting on your amendment to H.R. 2. NFIB looks forward to working with you to pass this much-needed legislation. This will be considered an NFIB Key Vote for Small Business in the 110th Congress.
Sincerely,
Dan Danner
Executive Vice President
Federal Public Policy and Political
