{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://brat.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=267", "Rep. Brat: 'Lawless' Obama regulations hurting small businesses and American economy", "2016-10-14", "2016", "2016-10", "Republican", "House", "VA", "David Brat", "B001290", "brat.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.,) a recipient of the\u00a0National Federation of Independent Business\u00a0(NFIB) guardian of small business award,\u00a0issued the following statement after participating in the \"Coalition to Save Local Business\" round-table discussion:\"Today I heard from local business owners on the imposing number of costly rules and regulations that the federal government has saddled on them, including the new 'overtime' rule and the joint-employer rule. As an economist, I understand that these bureaucrat-imposed regulations will only reduce hiring and hurt employment, while increasing costs at a time of stagnant economic growth. It's time for Congress to reassert its authority to write laws and push back against the executive branch and its thousands of regulations imposed by unelected Washington bureaucrats. We cannot allow \u00a0this lawless administration to create such negative consequences for the American economy.\"Congressman Brat is a cosponsor of H.R. 4773, the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act,\u00a0a bipartisan bill endorsed\u00a0by the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial board. This bill would prevent the Department of Labor from finalizing their overtime rule and require them to fully consider the economic impact of any rule on small businesses, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and others who would be affected.\u201cSmall business owners in Virginia, and across the country, desperately need more time to comply with the new DOL Overtime Rule, or they could face severe penalties and costs,\u201d said NFIB/Virginia State Director Nicole Riley. \u201cIf Congress wants to ensure that as many employers are in compliance as possible, there should be no question whether to pass this legislation.\u00a0Small businesses in Virginia are very grateful that Rep. Brat has made this a high priority. The clock is ticking, and this bipartisan bill would protect thousands of small business owners within every single member of Congress\u2019 district.\u201d\u00a0Congressman Brat is a member of the House Education & the Workforce Committee where this legislation is currently being considered.\u00a0\u201cMany elected officials claim that they are champions of small business, but our Guardian Award shows our members and other small business owners who is really fighting for them,\u201d said\u00a0NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan.\u00a0 \u201cBased on his voting record, Rep. Brat is one of the most reliable advocates for small business in Washington.\u201dThe Guardian of Small Business is NFIB\u2019s most prestigious award and is reserved for lawmakers who vote consistently with small business owners on issues that matter most to them. House members and Senators who vote with NFIB members at least 70 percent of the time are eligible for the Guardian Award. Rep.\u00a0Brat received a 100 percent voting record during the 114th\u00a0Congress.  \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://brat.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=267"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7789707742631435, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}