The Survival of Main Street

Throughout the month of August, I’ve had a full schedule traveling across the Fourth District, which has given me the opportunity to engage with my constituents in a variety of settings. Whether brought together by a town hall meeting, chamber of commerce gathering or scheduled visit to a local business, it comes as no surprise that an issue of common concern is the future prosperity of Main Street. Due to an increasingly burdensome regulatory environment, many who work for or own a small business fear for its survival.

This unrelenting concern was brought up recently during a conversation I had with several local business owners, government officials and community leaders in Rush Springs. While I was at the discussion hosted by the Rush Springs Gazette, I heard the stories behind the establishment of local businesses and how a new idea or unmet need led to opening a new family-owned enterprise—-and in the process creating and providing jobs in the community. I was inspired by these examples of the American dream right here in the Fourth District, but I was also reminded of the great cost for small businesses to stay afloat in today’s business environment.

In order for small businesses to be established, create jobs and remain open, the environment must encourage and allow them to thrive. But as I’ve heard numerous times from those employed on Main Street in Rush Springs and other communities across the Fourth District and state, business owners are often so bogged down by excessive regulations and taxes that innovation is slowed down and expansion is forgone. For would-be entrepreneurs and innovators, those same barriers are often enough to keep them from entering the marketplace altogether. And in both scenarios, jobs are likely lost or not created at all.

This year, I am pleased to report that the U.S. House of Representatives has continued to take notice and act on legislation that would help Main Street. Republicans have led in providing solutions that empower small business owners and employees, whose salaries support countless families across the nation. Earlier this year, that included passage of the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act, which recognizes the important role small businesses play in creating job opportunities and includes them in the regulatory review and consideration process.

Without question, we owe much of our country’s success, past and present, to small businesses, entrepreneurs and inventors--which Oklahoma has in abundance. Once we clear red tape holding them back, they are empowered to innovate and expand. This opens the door to more job opportunities that support American families, encourages commerce and helps the economy.

When I hear firsthand the impact of regulations right in the Fourth District, it serves as a reminder that Congress must do whatever it can to relieve the burden weighing down and hindering the success of small businesses. In the days ahead, I remain committed to supporting reforms that encourage small businesses to stay open and help aspiring business owners or entrepreneurs pursue an idea with fewer barriers to entry.