To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the amount allowed as a deduction for start-up expenditures.

Mr. Speaker, small businesses created over 80 percent of the jobs in this country in the past decade, yet Washington continues to apply erroneous legislation that hurts and dampens the entrepreneurial spirit we have in this country.

Whether it is health care costs, high taxes, or promoting legislation which opens businesses up to more frivolous lawsuits, Washington is making it very difficult on hardworking Americans when we ask them to shoulder more burdens which they continually face.

That is what I heard yesterday when I conducted a small business roundtable in my district. One of these small business owners said, ``We don't want to depend on the government for anything, but they can help us by understanding that the burdens they are placing are trickling down and breaking the backs of small business.''

We can start to change that by passing H.R. 1552, legislation I have introduced with my colleague from Maryland, Frank Kratovil, that will give a boost to new small businesses by increasing the maximum tax deduction on their startup costs from $5,000 to $20,000. This bipartisan initiative will provide firms with the much-needed resources they need.