U.S. Rep. Ron Barber Votes to Create Jobs and Cut Red Tape and Regulation for Business

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Ron Barber today joined a bipartisan majority in the House to pass a package of legislation that will create jobs by limiting the regulatory authority of the federal government.

"There are far too many Southern Arizonans who either are looking for work or are working only part-time when they need full-time jobs to support themselves and their families," Barber said today. "When there are regulations that are unnecessary or duplicative that stifle the ability of employers to create jobs, I will work to cut through that red tape for businesses."

Barber today voted to pass the Jobs for America Act, which passed the House by a 253-161 vote. In voting to pass the bill, Barber voted against the president and leaders of Barber's own party, all of whom urged a "no" vote.

The legislation lowers taxes on American innovators and job creators, reduces unemployment for our veterans, and increases access to capital for small businesses. It includes many bills that previously were approved by the House separately, but stalled in the Senate.

Included in today's legislation was the American Research and Competitiveness Act, which passed the House this spring with Barber's support.

That act makes permanent the research and development tax credit, paving the way for increased innovation and investment in American businesses.

Also included in the package of bills passed today was the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, which Barber supported a year ago when it passed the House.

The legislation authorizes the U.S. Forest Service to manage additional National Forest land through timber production. Some 25 percent of revenue generated by the timber will support rural schools and infrastructure projects, including schools throughout Arizona.

The bill also requires the Forest Service to implement fuel reduction and forest health projects in designated areas that are at a higher risk of wildfires -- such as areas affected by drought or deteriorating forest health conditions.

The increased timber production is expected to create 68,000 direct jobs and 140,000 indirect jobs.

Today's legislation includes all or parts of:

H.R. 2575, the Save American Workers Act;
H.R. 3474, the Hire More Heroes Act;
H.R. 4438, the American Research and Competitiveness Act;
H.R. 4457, the America's Small Business Tax Relief Act;
H.R. 4453, the S Corporation Permanent Tax Relief Act;
H.R. 4718, making bonus depreciation permanent;
H.R. 1105, the Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act;
H.R. 2274, the Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales and Brokerage Act;
H.R. 899, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act;
H.R. 2804, the Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency Act;
H.R. 367, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act;
H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act.
Barber is a member of the House Small Business Committee and he and his wife formerly owned their own small business. Barber has consistently worked to support small businesses and help them grow and expand, noting that it is small businesses that create most jobs in Arizona and America.

Barber's support today of the Jobs for America Act comes just two days after he joined his Republican and Democratic colleagues in supporting a robust package of pro-business bills that will promote job creation and reduce burdens on U.S. small businesses.

On Tuesday, the House, with Barber's support, passed the Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act, a package of 11 small business capital formation bills, with bipartisan support.

That package of bills cuts bureaucratic red tape for emerging job creators, improves the ability of companies to access capital through publicly traded markets, facilitates and streamlines the Security and Exchange Commission's filing process for companies and reduces regulatory burdens on Small Business Investment Companies that invest exclusively in domestic small businesses.

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