Today, Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers voiced his support for the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, unveiled by lead Republicans in the House of Representatives. Small businesses generate over 60% of new jobs in this country but such startups are at a 30-year low. The JOBS Act is a package of six bills that removes existing barriers, like red tape and overregulation, to help small businesses raise capital and create jobs. 

“Kentucky small businesses and family farms are the backbone of our economy, and our pathway to future growth runs through the ingenuity of these job creators,” says Rogers. “In these tough economic times, Americans are calling for the federal government to get out of the way and allow small businesses and emerging companies to rebound and thrive. The onslaught of government regulation, threat of increased taxes, and bureaucratic red-tape proposed by this Administration has created an enormous burden to job creation, enterprise, and innovation. The JOBS Act is a step in the right direction.”

The JOBS Act seeks to restore economic confidence by ensuring that the United States remains a country of opportunity where businesses flourish without the risk of being stifled by costly regulations. This package contains various measures to help increase capital formation, spur the growth of startups, and pave the way for more small-scale businesses to create jobs. These measures include removing barriers for small businesses to go public, enabling entrepreneurs to pool investments from smaller investors, increasing the number of shareholders permitted to invest in a community bank, and removing a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulatory ban on using advertisements to solicit investors. Three key components of the JOBS Act were already approved by the House of Representatives in 2011 and supported by Congressman Rogers.  For a summary, visit JOBS Act.

Congressman Rogers has been committed to serving small businesses and boosting economic growth in Kentucky’s 5^th Congressional District since 1981. Through establishing organizations such as the Center for Rural Development and the Southern Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED), Congressman Rogers has helped to provide leadership that stimulates innovative and sustainable economic development solutions and a better way of life in Southern and Eastern Kentucky. For more information visit www.halrogers.house.gov.

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