Congressman Tim Mahoney
Representing Florida’s 16th Congressional District

Congressman Mahoney is a member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition, a group of representatives focused on restoring fiscal responsibility to Congress. He is also a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a moderate group of representatives which maintain a focus on economic growth. Before being elected to Congress, he was Chairman, COO and co-founder of vFinance, Inc. and the founder and President of the Center for Innovative Entrepreneurship. For more information visit www.mahoney.house.gov

Small businesses are the economic engine that runs our economy. As someone who worked in the computing and financial service industries for 25 years before being elected to Congress, I understand the important role government can play in spurring innovation and helping our entrepreneurs turn ideas into successful enterprises. I am proud to help pass important legislation to help small business and keep America at the forefront of the global market.

As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I believe that building the small business sector will help provide opportunities for our young people to participate in industries of the future. In 2006, the Small Business Administration estimated that 99.9% of American businesses had fewer than 500 employees. As the global market continues to expand, small businesses and entrepreneurship will be even more important to America’s economy.

I was proud to cosponsor the Small Business Tax Relief Package, a $4.84 billion tax relief package for America’s small business owners that was signed into law in May. This legislation helps small business grow by offering incentives to hire economically disadvantaged workers, allowing more equipment to be written off each year, providing tax incentives to help businesses affected by hurricanes, allowing married business owners to both receive tax deductions for paying Social Security and Medicare taxes; and ensuring that entrepreneurs who owe the alternative minimum tax still qualify for tax deductions for good business practices.

There are several other bills currently before Congress to help small businesses grow and prosper. I am proud to have helped pass H.R. 2397, the SBA Women's Business Programs Act of 2007 and H.R. 2366, the SBA Veterans' Programs Act of 2007. These important pieces of legislation expand both Women Business Centers and Veteran Business Centers and increase their services in underserved communities. These centers provide important resources such as business plan development help and information on how to acquire loans and grants to both women and veteran owned small businesses.

Another win for small business is the SBA Entrepreneurial Development Programs Act of 2007. I was proud to support this legislation, which would expand all Small Business Development Centers so that they are able to provide additional resources in the areas of health care costs, energy efficiency and regulatory compliance costs to more small business owners. Each of these bills has recently passed the House of Representatives, and I am working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that this legislation becomes law.

America’s ability to compete and prosper is contingent on the ingenuity of our small business community. Congress has an important role to play to make sure our entrepreneurs and small businesses have access to the resources they need to grow, create good jobs, and drive our economy. I will continue to support efforts to strengthen our innovative economy to help American’s small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed.