mr. speaker , uninsured working families are looking to congress for answers to help give them access to quality health care , and before us today is a bipartisan bill that should give them hope .  the economic picture remains bright , and more americans are finding work every day .  earlier this month , the department of labor reported that 3.7 million new jobs have been created since may of 2003 , marking 25 consecutive months of positive job growth for the u.s. economy .  unfortunately , there are still millions of working families without health insurance .  they need access to quality health care , and they are asking for our help .  the bill we will consider on the floor later today responds directly to their needs .  it is simply unacceptable that more than 45 million americans lack health insurance today .  studies indicate that 60 percent of these uninsured americans either work for a small business or are dependent upon someone who does .  many of these americans work for small employers who can not afford to purchase quality health insurance benefits for their workers .  that is the crux of the problem .  more americans are finding new jobs , but many small businesses can not afford to offer health insurance because of rising premium costs .  our primary goal here in congress , mr. speaker , should be creating affordable options to help the uninsured .  with health care costs continuing to rise sharply across the country , more and more employers and their employees are sharing the burden of increased premiums .  employer-based health insurance premiums rose by 11 percent last year , following a 15 percent increase in 2003 .  as costs escalate , the ranks of the uninsured could continue to increase as well .  the small business health fairness act before us represents a bipartisan solution to this problem .  by creating association health plans , the bill gives small businesses the opportunity to band together through bona fide trade associations and purchase quality health insurance for their workers at a lower cost .  in the last year , we have seen how large corporations are now starting to band together to provide health care to their part-time workers .  small businesses and their workers deserve the same opportunities .  this bipartisan bill would increase small businesses ' bargaining power with health care providers , giving them freedom from costly state-mandated benefit packages and lowering their overhead costs by as much as 30 percent , which are benefits many large corporations and unions already enjoy .  by pooling their resources and increasing their bargaining power , association health plans will reduce the cost of health insurance for employers and allow more small businesses to provide health care to their workers .  last year , the house passed this measure on a bipartisan basis with the support of 37 of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle .  unfortunately , the other body has yet to act on this bill .  but there remains hope .  senator enzi , who chairs the senate committee on health , education , labor , and pensions , has expressed a strong interest in working on this proposal , and i am more optimistic than ever that the senate will address this problem .  this measure is supported by president bush , the labor department , republicans and democrats , and , moreover , a poll conducted last year reveals that 93 percent of americans support ahps as an option for providing affordable health care for american workers .  small businesses deserve the chance to obtain high-quality health insurance at an affordable price for their workers , and ahps are a prescription for helping the uninsured .  mr. speaker , i think the rule before us today is a fair rule , and i urge my colleagues to support it .  