| BILL NAME |
SUMMARY OF BILL AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU |
U.S. CHAMBER'S POSITION |
STATUS |
| Climate Change S. 3036 Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 |
This bill would have attempted to address global climate change through caps on emissions in the United States alone, even as developing nations such as China and India account for a growing percentage of emissions. Also, this bill would have required all sectors of the economy to reduce emissions to 15% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 70% below those levels by 2050. |
The Chamber opposed this bill because it did not address the international nature of global climate change, promote technology, preserve the economy, reduce barriers to climatefriendly energy sources, or promote efficiency measures. |
LAST ACTION Failed Senate cloture vote June 6, 2008. |
| Business Taxes H.R. 5267 Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2008 |
This bill would prevent states from levying business activity taxes—such as franchise taxes and business license taxes—on out-of-state businesses unless those businesses have a physical presence in the state. |
The Chamber supports this bill because it makes it easier to do business and serve customers in multiple states. |
LAST ACTION House subcommittee hearing held June 24, 2008.
NEXT STEP Committee Vote |
| Small Business Regulations S. 2902 Independent Office of Advocacy And Small Business Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 |
This bill would provide the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy with budgetary independence by creating a separate line item in the budget for funding transparency. The bill would also help enhance the role of small businesses in the federal rulemaking process by clearly defining the required lines of communication and responsibility between the Office of Advocacy and other federal agencies during the rulemaking process. |
The Chamber supports this bill because it would improve the regulatory environment for small businesses. |
LAST ACTION Referred to committee April 23, 2008.
NEXT STEP Committee Vote |
| Small Business Capital H.R. 5906 Small Business Capital Expansion And Improvement Act of 2008 |
This bill would permit small businesses with less than $5 million in annual gross receipts to expense up to $125,000 of qualified real property. |
The Chamber supports legislation that allows businesses to quickly recoup the costs of their investments because doing so increases cash flows, provides more capital to hire employees, and stimulates investment activity. |
LAST ACTION Referred to committee April 24, 2008.
NEXT STEP Committee Vote |
| Small Business Health Plans S. 2818 Small Business Health Plans Act Of 2008 |
S. 2818 would enable small businesses to pool together to negotiate and purchase health insurance benefits. |
The Chamber strongly supports the creation of small business health plans because they allow small businesses to leverage the same purchasing power as their larger competitors and to buy coverage that has flexibility from costly state benefit mandates. |
LAST ACTION Referred to committee April 3, 2008.
NEXT STEP Committee Vote |
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