Entrepreneurs’ wish list for Congress

Entrepreneurs operating all business types have expressed some key areas of concern, and a recent survey reveals a few common requests business owners have for the U.S. Congress.

Small business owners are specifically looking to reduce paperwork while gaining easier access to loans and the ability to bid on government contracts, according to a poll by BusinessNewsDaily.

Even though the U.S. Federal Reserve reported that terms for small business loans eased last quarter for the first time since the recession, entrepreneurs haven’t seen any effect.

Additionally, business owners say the extensive process required to bid on government contracts is prohibitive.

“I can sign up a $10,000 contract with a [private] business customer in a few minutes,” said Healy Jones, a business owner in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Spending hours writing proposals and mailing them in to government agencies is just too time consuming.”

Lastly, the healthcare reform bill means more paperwork in 2012, so business owners would like the government to abandon the additional filing requirements for a 1099.

Small businesses aren’t the only companies worried about the rising cost of doing business. The National Business Group on Health reported that large employers anticipate a 9-percent increase in healthcare costs in 2011.