James T. Callahan: “I have been in meetings during most of the debate. But I did want to come to the floor and bring out one important…”

“I have been in meetings during most of the debate. But I did want to come to the floor and bring out one important point, and that is the impact of cost to small businesses in the event that this ergonomic thing is continued as proposed by the Clinton administration. Any small business person would tell us today that their number one problem is even securing workman's compensation. It is very seldom that any major insurance company will insure any business for a period longer than 3 years. They come in, and they give one a rate that seems reasonable. Two years later, they raise that. Three years, they raise it out of the possibility of affordability by small business. So I encourage my colleagues to think what is going to happen. Workman's compensation is going to at least double in cost to small business people, if, indeed, they can get it at all. There is a possibility, because of the extreme changes in coverage as proposed under this regulation, that it could even triple. So when my colleagues are back in their district, think about addressing these small business people who are having to pay these exorbitant costs now, and think about the impact that it is going to cause if, indeed, we do not repeal this through this effort today.”