mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman from ohio for yielding me this time .  as you know , mr. speaker , the cost of providing health care for employees has become the number one issue for small businesses around this country .  it is especially important to me , because in my home state of texas , one in four workers are uninsured .  small businesses have it especially tough because there is an inherent problem in a small number of people .  you need to be able to pool risk to make insurance work .  to make matters worse , there is a lack of competition in the small group health insurance market , allowing a few insurers to charge whatever they want .  that is why we need association health plans .  these ahps would allow small businesses to pool together to purchase health insurance .  so instead of one individual company shopping for health care insurance , they would bring an entire trade association , for example , the u.s. chamber of commerce , to the table with much better bargaining power .  however , pooling risk and buying in bulk is not enough .  if your association had members all across the united states , you would have to abide by 50 different sets of mandated benefits in order to offer your insurance .  not only is that a headache , but it is more costly .  some of the mandates that have been enacted by state legislatures include infertility treatment and alternative health solutions such as acupuncture .  these mandates drive up the cost of premiums .  to resolve this , ahps would allow small businesses to buy insurance under the same terms that large corporations and unions enjoy today .  erisa , a law that governs employer benefits , lets these sort of self-insured plans use one set of federal rules , not 50 state rules .  talk about a quick way to lower administrative costs .  and lower administrative costs , mr. speaker , means lower premiums , up to 30 percent lower by some estimates , and that means affordable health care for employers and their employees alike .  so who would not want ahps to pass ?  some critics say ahps will be an opportunity for fly-by-night groups that front as insurance companies and then leave employers with unpaid claims .  the ahp bill in both the house and the senate has tough safeguards to protect small businesses and their employees .  a bona fide trade organization must have been in existence for 3 years before enactment of the law in order to offer an ahp .  and there are federal solvency standards set up for these health plans , including requirements for a reserve fund and stop-loss coverage .  this is beyond and above what erisa requires .  moreover , the department of labor would be charged with the oversight of these plans , and the bill gives them the power to pursue criminal penalties against those who commit fraud .  the department of labor has testified in hearings that they are up to the task and support the legislation .  who else ?  groups that have worked so hard to get coverage for their particular treatment mandated by state legislatures do not want ahps to be exempt from the 50 different state laws .  let me say it plainly : that is the point of the legislation .  one uniform set of benefits lowers administrative costs .  if it is good enough for large corporations and unions , it ought to be good enough for small businesses .  mr. speaker , ahps are a big step in the right direction for our hard-working families who need health insurance now .  