mr. speaker , i want to express my support for the legislation introduced today by my colleague from georgia . 
i am a cosponsor of all four of these bills on the floor today , and i believe they will improve the workplace safety level , the playing field for small business , and ensure that employers and employees are treated fairly . 
h.r. 742 encourages osha to really look at the merits of the case before it brings unnecessary enforcement actions to court against small businesses . 
current law already does allow small business owners to recover attorneys ' fees if they successfully challenge a citation ; but in the real world of osha , it simply does not work for small businesses . 
case in point : in the last 24 years , small business owners have been able to recover costs from osha only 38 times . 
in 2004 , only three employers were awarded attorneys ' fees , despite more than 86 , 000 citations issued by osha . 
h.r. 742 also limits its scope to small businesses with less than 100 employees or less than $ 7 million in net worth . 
this assures targeted and meaningful relief to those businesses that are least able to cope with these hefty and ongoing litigation costs . 
this reform is necessary for the vitality of america 's small businesses and the job security of america 's workforce . 
as chairman of the subcommittee on employer-employee relations , i have seen these bills through the committee and the full house in the past , and i look forward to their passing again today . 
again , i applaud my colleague from georgia for his hard work on behalf of american small business owners and their employees . 
