ATLANTA – State Representative Allen Peake (R-Macon) is seeking input from small businesses in Bibb County for a special initiative currently underway by the Georgia House of Representatives to review and evaluate Georgia’s current regulatory environment. This effort, called Red Tape Watch, will be carried out by the Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation throughout the 2012 legislative session.
The Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation, chaired by Rep. David Knight (R-Griffin), will meet periodically throughout the session to hear directly from small business owners. These hearings will allow small business owners and operators an opportunity to discuss ways the state can streamline the government bureaucracy that impedes their ability to do business efficiently.
The committee would like to hear from as many industries as possible in order to create a comprehensive list of areas in need of regulation reform. Once this list is complied, the committee will begin work on reducing burdensome regulations, easing compliance, and ensuring Georgia small businesses are no longer hindered by outdated and oppressive state regulations.
Small business owners who would like to participate in this process but who cannot attend a hearing can fill out a form to voice their concerns at www.house.ga.gov/redtapewatch.
National studies show that small employers consistently rank government requirements and red tape as the second-most significant problem facing their. This is often because the cost of compliance ties up the limited resources most small business have to operate. Because small businesses account for over 70% of our nations job growth, the study also shows that over regulating small businesses is hindering our economic recovery.
The Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation was created by House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) in January 2010 to solely focus on sustaining and growing small businesses in Georgia and thereby creating job opportunities for Georgians. Rep. Peake is not only a member of the committee, but he is also a small business owner himself, with 19 restaurants throughout Georgia.
The next meeting of the Special Committee on Small Business Development and Job Creation will be held Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 2:00 PM in room 406 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building.
Representative Allen Peake represents the citizens of District 137, which includes portions of Bibb County. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2006, and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Small Business Development and Jobs Creation, Appropriations, and Ways & Means committees. Rep. Peake also serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the House Republican Caucus.
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