mr. speaker , increasingly , one of the things i hear from small business owners back in tennessee is they want congress to open the way , just to open the way and set the stage for more affordable health care choices . 
over 90 percent of the jobs in tennessee are small business jobs . 
it is the largest employer in my district . 
mr. speaker , one of the things that we hear is that these employers want to do the best they can for their employees . 
they feel like they are a part of their family . 
the gentleman from texas ( mr. sam johnson ) really should be applauded for introducing the small business health fairness act of 2005 . 
it is one of those things that will help small businesses , as we have heard from so many of the speakers , to pool together and to purchase association health plans through their national trade groups . 
i have joined him as a co-sponsor of the legislation , and i believe we do have that opportunity to extend affordable , quality health care to millions of americans . 
every small business owner knows that providing quality health care is one of the most costly items in running a business . 
it is a very difficult part , handling the mountains of paperwork and finding the right policies . 
we have the power to help by passing this commonsense legislation . 
i ask my colleagues to support the rule and to support the underlying legislation . 
