Guest post by Congressman Frank Guinta (R-NH-1)
Welcome to the first installment of “Frankly Speaking.” Every two weeks, this column will let you know what I’m doing in Washington and explain what it means to people here in New Hampshire. It’s important that you know the steps your Congressman is taking to fight for your interests, and to maintain an open dialogue with you about it.
Our country has just come through the national tragedy of the Tucson shootings. Our thoughts and prayers remain with Congresswoman Giffords and the others who are still recovering, as well as the families of the fallen. It was proper that the House paused from its activities to honor the victims of this senseless crime.
Now the House is turning its attention back to the people’s business, and the first major bill of the new Congress: repealing last year’s federal takeover of our nation’s health care system, commonly called “Obamacare.” It’s disturbing to many Granite Staters not only because it will lower the quality of the health care your family receives, but it will also kill jobs –1.6 million according to an estimate by the National Federation of Independent Businesses– at a time when we need to be creating jobs, not losing them. (In fact, I never stop looking for new opportunities to help encourage the creation of more jobs for our citizens.)
You sent me to Washington to do something about this dangerous law. That’s why I proudly added my name as a co-sponsor of House Resolution 2, Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act. Ending Obamacare is so important, I made it my very first piece of legislation in Congress. I have mixed news to share with you about our progress on it.
The good news: there is broad support for repealing Obamacare in the House. The bad news:
…it faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
But this fight is far from over. There are too many controversial provisions in this massive 2,049-page federal intrusion into your family’s health care to allow it to stand. So the repeal battle is being waged on several fronts. For starters, just a few days ago Wyoming became the latest state to join a lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality. Nearly half of all 50 states are now partners in that suit. Personally, I believe this new law strays far beyond the bounds of our Constitution, and I hope the courts will eventually rule it does, too.
On Capitol Hill, we are working hard to find opportunities to repeal the Act’s more onerous provisions, one at a time. One bill (H.R. 4) was put on the legislative fast track last week when it was moved to the top of House’s legislative list. H.R. 4 would protect small businesses, which are the backbone of New Hampshire’s economy, by stopping the 1099 tax provision before it goes into effect next year. What does that mean?
Obamacare requires that starting in 2012, businesses (no matter how small) must fill out an IRS Form 1099 every time they spend more than $600 a year for goods and services from a company. Even the smallest “mom and pop” businesses, such as your barber or hair stylist, or your local diner or neighborhood auto mechanic, will be buried under an avalanche of paperwork. That means lost productivity, which in turn means lower profits, and that translates into no new jobs. The bottom line: businesses would have fewer resources for hiring additional workers.
Instead of throwing roadblocks in the way of small businesses, we must clear the path for them to operate, innovate and expand. That will enable them to create new jobs and get more people back to work. With unemployment still hovering just below 10% nationally, doesn’t it make sense to assist the businesses that can help pull us out of this recession?
I’m dedicated to doing everything I can to help more businesses put a “now hiring” sign in their window. And the first step in doing that is dumping Obamacare as fast as we can.
I look forward to reporting back to you in two weeks on the latest developments in Washington. In the meantime, if I can be of service to you, or if you want to share your thoughts, suggestions or concerns with me, please call either my district office in Manchester at (603) 641-9536 or my Washington office at (202) 225-5456, or contract me through my website at www.Guinta.House.Gov. Until next time, please know that I am always on your side and actively fighting for New Hampshire’s interests in Washington.
