mr. speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. speaker , the third bill we will debate today is another narrowly crafted bill that addresses a specific problem we found in the osha law . 
in 1970 , when it created osha , congress also created the occupational safety and health review commission to independently review all osha citations . 
the commission was intended to hold osha in check and ensure that it did not abuse its authority . 
congress passed the osha law only after being assured that judicial review would be conducted by `` an autonomous independent commission which , without regard to the secretary , can find for or against the employer on the basis of individual complaints. '' congress even separated the commission from the department of labor . 
it was truly meant to be independent . 
the bill before us , the occupational safety and health independent review of osha citations act , restores the original system of checks and balances intended by congress when it enacted the osha law , and ensures that the commission and not osha would be the party who interprets the law and provides an independent review of osha citations . 
now , let me try to put this in simpler terms . 
if you are stopped by a police officer and issued a citation for speeding , would you want the same police officer to be your judge and jury and decide whether you are guilty ? 
of course you would not . 
and unfortunately for small businesses today , the law is ambiguous and it is vague . 
since 1970 , the separation of power between osha and the review commission has become increasingly clouded because of legal interpretations , mostly argued by osha in efforts to expand its own authority . 
congress intended there to be a truly independent review of disputes between osha and employers , and when a dispute centers on osha 's interpretation of its authority , congress intended the independent review commission , not the prosecuting agency , osha , to be the final arbiter . 
h.r. 741 restores this commonsense system of checks and balances . 
small businesses are the real engine of job growth in this country , and we should be helping them , not hindering their progress . 
last week , the department of labor reported that more than 3.7 million new jobs have been created since may 2003 . 
we want to make sure that onerous government regulations do not hamstring small businesses ' ability to continue to hire workers and compete in our economy . 
that is another reason why all of these osha reform bills are important . 
the measure before us is a narrowly crafted , commonsense bill that address a specific problem in the osha law . 
it passed the house last year and deserves the support of all of our members . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
