mr. speaker , my legal career of 25 years was to represent small business owners . 
and since coming to congress 3 years ago , i have worked consistently to make it easier for small businesses to grow and succeed in our country . 
i appreciate the leadership of the chairman , the gentleman from ohio ( mr. boehner ) xz4000360 , and my next-door neighbor , the gentleman from georgia ( mr. norwood ) xz4002960 , for their promotion of small businesses . 
however , osha regulations placed upon our small businesses continue to be among the most complex and difficult legal mandates imposed on employers . 
the occupational safety and health small employer access to justice act is a vital piece of legislation that significantly reduces burdensome government regulations . 
h.r. 742 levels the playing field for small businesses and encourages osha to better assess the merits of a case before bringing unnecessary enforcement actions to court against small businesses . 
by passing this vital legislation , congress will enhance fairness for employers , especially small businesses ; and give them new tools to defend themselves against osha citations they believe are unjustified . 
small businesses provide , in the district i represent , 99 percent of businesses , creating 85 percent of jobs for working people ; and congress should act now to help them succeed . 
as a member of the committee on education and the workforce , and cosponsor of the four bills today , i have been honored to work with chairman boehner and the gentleman from georgia ( mr. norwood ) xz4002960 . 
i applaud their efforts to provide commonsense legislation that will reduce the burden placed upon america 's small business owners . 
i urge my colleagues to support osha reform , h.r. 742 . 
