Three LeMieux Initiatives Headed to Obama's Desk

While Sen. George LeMieux may be leaving Washington later this year, the Florida Republican, who was appointed to the Senate last year, scored a major victory on Thursday.

LeMieux helped draft the Small-Business Lending Act, which passed the Senate last week and made it through the House on Thursday. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure into law.

The No. 1 one concern I hear from small-business owners is the lack of available credit, said LeMieux on Thursday. This bill will help free up credit so small-business owners can grow their operations, hire more workers, and help improve our economy.

I have visited with small-business owners all across Florida, and they tell me they cannot grow and create more jobs because banks are not making the loans they traditionally make, added LeMieux. Small business is the backbone of our economy, creating two out of every three jobs in our country. They need tax relief; they need access to capital. This bill will help achieve those goals, and will not raise taxes or add to the national debt.

Along with Minnesota Democrat U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, LeMieux wrote the Export Promotion Act, which was tacked on to the small-business bill,to increase the authority of the U.S. Department of Commerce to promote American exports.

Access to broader markets has helped a great number of businesses weather the current recession, said LeMieux. States like Florida greatly benefit from a vibrant export market. The return on export promotion is well worth the investment.

LeMieux also included an anti-fraud measure in the bill, allowing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to use predictive modeling to crack down on Medicare fraud. LeMieux maintained that this would save the government $20 billion annually.

Our health care system is rife with fraud, costing as much as $250 billion a year, said LeMieux. We need to use up-to-date technologies to stop improper payments. Putting predictive modeling in place will save taxpayers money and make Medicare a better program. Unfortunately, Florida is ground zero for health care fraud and I am hopeful this program will help.