Mr. President, I rise to talk about small businesses. I think we all know and recognize--certainly they do--that small businesses and businesses in general face a mountain of paperwork to comply with a whole host of regulations, most notably our very complex tax laws. Instead of trying to aid that, now Washington is increasing that paperwork mountain through a new 1099 mandate found in, of all places, the new health care bill. This mandate has absolutely nothing-- absolutely nothing--to do with improving health care of this country, and it should not be a part of that law or any other law, for that matter. Thus, I am offering an amendment to repeal this mandate. The amendment says no to piles of unnecessary paperwork which the IRS itself admits is going to be virtually useless. Any taxpayer with business income will be required to issue 1099 forms to all vendors from whom they buy more than $600 of goods or services in any year. So now the most routine business expenses will be subject to this new burdensome paper trail. Let me give my colleagues some examples. A laundromat that buys soap each week would now have to issue a 1099 to their supplier and the IRS at the end of the year. A landscaper who buys lawn fertilizer a couple of times a month will now be forced to issue 1099s to the companies they do business with, and no one is excluded. The law applies equally to businesses and churches and charities and even State and local governments.…
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I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in…
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Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.





