{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://mikethompson.house.gov//newsroom/press-releases/thompson-and-brady-s-bipartisan-small-business-efficiency-act-signed-into", "THOMPSON AND BRADYS BIPARTISAN SMALL BUSINESS EFFICIENCY ACT SIGNED INTO LAW", "2014-12-22", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Mike Thompson", "T000460", "mikethompson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Kevin Brady\u2019s (R-TX) bipartisan Small Business Efficiency Act (H.R. 3581) was signed into law on Friday by President Barack Obama. The legislation helps reduce burdens faced by small businesses and ensures better compliance with complex federal employment tax responsibilities. Specifically, the Small Business Efficiency Act provides clear rules for Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) that are voluntarily certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect and pay federal employment taxes for their small business clients. The legislation will provide certainty for small businesses that use certified PEO services and allow employers to focus on their business operations, not government paperwork.\n\u201cSmall businesses are the backbone of our economy and they shouldn\u2019t be held back because of Washington regulations and piles of government paperwork,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cThis law will remove bureaucratic burdens so that small businesses can focus on what they do best \u2013 growing their business, producing quality products and creating good-paying jobs.\u201d \nPEOs provide human resources services to small business clients. One of the most important tasks that PEOs perform for small businesses is the collection and payment of employment taxes, reducing the amount of burdensome paperwork for small businesses.\u00a0\nBefore the bill was enacted, there was ambiguity about a certified PEO\u2019s (CPEO) ability to assume employment tax responsibility. The Small Business Efficiency Act eliminates this ambiguity by implementing safeguards for the CPEO\u2019s small business clients.\nTo become a certified PEO (CPEO) Thompson and Brady\u2019s legislation requires a PEO to meet certain basic financial conditions, satisfy reporting obligations, and maintain ongoing certification with the IRS.\u00a0 After meeting certification requirements, the CPEO would assume full and sole responsibility and liability for employment taxes due as long as they are certified.\nThe Small Business Efficiency Act creates a voluntary IRS certification process\u00a0to help PEOs become certified so they can take on small business clients and accept liability for filing payroll taxes for their clients\u2019 employees.\nNot only will small businesses benefit from the legislation, the federal government directly benefits as well. The IRS has stated that CPEOs would improve compliance with employment tax requirements, reduce the number of returns the IRS has to process, and reduce errors in calculating and paying employment taxes.\u00a0 Presidents Bush and Obama have included very similar proposals in their budget submissions.\n\u00a0\nCongressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California\u2019s 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. \u00a0He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.\n\u00a0\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://mikethompson.house.gov//newsroom/press-releases/thompson-and-brady-s-bipartisan-small-business-efficiency-act-signed-into"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9966879151761532, "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"}