U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., said Saturday he will host a small-business forum next week at UTC with the chairman of the Small Business Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., chairman of the House panel on small business, will join Fleischmann from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 22 in the Chattanooga Room of the University Center and later will tour a local business. Fleischmann said such forums allow him "to hear directly from those impacted by the laws passed in Washington, and how we can help - whether it be by taking action on an issue, or by simply getting out of the way."
In a prepared statement, Graves said House Republicans are trying to stimulate job growth, "but it's important for us to listen to our innovators and entrepreneurs out in the real-world."
Among those sounding off at the forum will be Jim Brown, the Tennessee head of the National Federation of Independent Business. Brown said NFIB members "are frustrated with excessive government oversight and requirements of their businesses, including the new health care law, which hampered job creation and free enterprise."
Anyone interested in attending the forum may call Fleischmann's Chattanooga office at 423-756-2342.