House Lawmakers̢??? Attempt to Revive Immigration Reform is Step Forward for Small Businesses, Economy
Statement by John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority on House lawmakers̢??? decision to file a discharge petition to help advance immigration reform legislation
We're pleased to see lawmakers in the House of Representatives attempting to revive immigration reform by voting to use a legislative procedure, called a discharge petition, that would force a vote on comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
The discharge petition filed today is an important step in getting the debate over immigration reform back on track. Small employers have voiced their strong support for immigration reform because they believe it will be good for our country and for their businesses, while providing major economic benefits.
Our scientific opinion polling found entrepreneurs believe our immigration system is broken and see reform as a crucial part of small business and overall economic success. What̢???s more, they support many of the elements of the Senate-passed bill, such as allowing for visas for high- and low-skilled workers, and believe creating a path to earned citizenship is the most appropriate solution for handling our country̢???s 11 million undocumented immigrants. Everyone benefits when we encourage hard-working immigrants to bring their skillsets to the U.S. and let previously undocumented immigrants legally join our workforce, pay taxes and contribute in a meaningful way to our economy.
Small business owners understand that fixing our country̢???s immigration system will help them foster better workforces and encourage immigrant entrepreneurship, which will bolster their bottom lines and our economy. It̢???s encouraging to see some House lawmakers attempting to move forward on this front. We hope lawmakers will come together soon to pass a comprehensive bill that will allow for a pathway to citizenship and will not enforce burdensome requirements on small businesses. This is the best thing for our country, our economy and our small business community.
<p><strong>About Small Business Majority</strong><br />
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/SBM_Media" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessMajority" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://instagram.com/smlbizmajority/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</p>