Jefferson City, MO - Sen. John Cauthorn, R-Mexico, joined other Republican lawmakers at a Monday press conference to show support for legislation that will create a Small Business Regulatory Fairness Board to serve as a liaison between state agencies and small businesses.

"Nearly 120,000 small business owners will benefit from the creation of this board," said Cauthorn. "This legislation is crucial to small business owners who spend enormous amounts of time and money trying to comply with burdensome regulations."

As a small business owner himself, Cauthorn has a special understanding of the difficulties these business owners deal with. Cauthorn has operated his own farm since 1967, raising pork and beef, and growing corn.

Under Senate Bill 69, a Small Business Regulatory Fairness Board would be created within the Department of Economic Development. This board would provide state agencies with input on proposed small business rules, consider requests from small business owners for review of agency rules, and make recommendations to state agencies and the General Assembly regarding the need for a rule or legislation.

The board would also conduct public hearings that would allow small businesses a greater voice in the creation of new regulations.

"The intent of this legislation is to compel regulatory agencies to consider small businesses in the process by which regulations are developed and particularly consider the disproportionate impact that those regulations might have," Cauthorn said.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, small businesses employed 1,164,560 or 49.5 percent of Missouri's 2,350,965 employees (non-farm private sector) in 1999. The industry with the most small business employees was retail trade.

"There is no question that small business is the backbone of Missouri's economy," said Cauthorn. "The continued growth of small business is essential to jump-starting our state's economy."