Olympia Snowe

The industry has already assessed it is going to be a $2.1 billion effect on their industry.

They have to anticipate those costs. They have to incorporate them into their business plan.

We should know in advance before they are issuing these kind of rules for rulemaking, frankly, as to what the effect is going to be.

We need to save this industry. They can be competitive, but they are facing enormous disadvantages, as we well know, from abroad and in particular China.

It is a deep-seated frustration. We have had 21 consecutive months of an unemployment rate of 9 or above.

Every time they are issuing rules, they have to understand in this tough economy where we are not really creating jobs, they have got to be sensitive and responsive to that.

I think the report should have been released because I think it would have shown the extent to which it would have had major, wide-ranging implications that serves as notice to agencies.

I am concerned that we haven't yet realized the goal of establishing a nationwide interoperable public safety wireless broadband communications network.

But, you know, these companies don't have any direction. They don't have, really, the benefit until it's too late of any information.

So obviously, these are major global manufacturers. So they obviously have enormous implications.

We're seeing more malicious cyber activity targeting U.S. companies, that almost two-thirds of U.S. firms have reported that they've been the victim of cyber security incidents.

I wanted to follow up on some of the issues that were raised by my colleague, Senator Kent Conrad, about the issue of cybersecurity.

In December 2010, Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine gave a delegation of legislators from the Chechen Republic a joint resolution encouraging the peace process, a return to civil society and international cooperation, and signed by 200…

I would always advocate the more you can bring in input from the outside of how is this going to be felt before it is felt, would be hugely beneficial.

That is why Senator Enzi and I sent a letter, because of all these increased penalties on small businesses that are going to go from $1,000 to $3,000.

It makes me wonder what the hidden agenda is, let alone what is described as a de facto tax.

I could not understand why there was such strong resistance to the idea of ascertaining what the effects would be of any potential regulations before they were promulgated.

It is just staggering, the disconnect, between the reality of what we do here and what actually occurs on Main Street.

Unquestionably we are facing what I describe as a regulatory stampede.

Your singular mission, Dr. Sargeant, is on the whole rulemaking process, and making sure that these regulations are not burdensome to small businesses.

Hopefully it does get repealed soon, and unfortunately it did not happen earlier, but I hope it does happen now in this Lame Duck because I think it is going to represent serious consequences.

Many have labeled it as a de facto tax, it certainly is.

Are you taking steps overall to triage all these new regulations that are going to be coming to the forefront among the various newly enacted legislation and all the other regulations?

Exactly why is it that you felt it was necessary to deal more confidentially with the Treasury Department, on the implementation of the 1099 requirement?

The more we discuss these issues, it underscores that we ought not pass regulations without knowing the effects before their implementation or enactment.