Rep. Allen to Newsmax: Bill Will Address Needs of Modern Workforce

Rep. Rick Allen, who has introduced legislation aimed at boosting startups and small businesses through further access to training programs, said on Newsmax Wednesday that the bill if passed, it will address the needs of the modern workforce.

"A lot of my colleagues in Congress are stuck in the old days where they don't quite understand what this modern workforce is all about," the Georgia Republican explained on Newsmax's "American Agenda." "I spent 40 years in business in east Georgia, Georgia 12, my district, and primarily in South Carolina and Georgia, and I saw my industry change and the entrepreneurial opportunities in my industry" change and grow.

Allen founded the construction company R.W. Allen & Associates at the age of 25. He said it has since enhanced economic development in Georgia, creating thousands of jobs in Augusta and Athens communities for over 35 years.

Allen said he carried his experience to a friend, Eric Parker, who had initiated an organization, "The Clubhouse," that was addressing some of the needs in their community. 

"We now are considered the Silicon Valley of the East Coast because of the tremendous employment we have with the new cyber center of excellence and all of the companies that are moving into our area, to support that mission, which is very important to our national defense," said Allen. 

And now, many people want to start their own businesses, which are typically service-oriented, but he considers that the "American spirit."

"What we're trying to do is wake up Congress to the opportunities that exist out there," said Allen. "I've got a picture of Ronald Reagan in my conference room, and in his economic expansion, he said that small business was largely responsible for creating over 70% of all the new jobs created."

As a long-time entrepreneur, Allen said that one problem with starting businesses is overregulation. Large businesses can deal with the regulatory environment easier than small businesses, said Allen. 

"When we went through the Constitutional Review Act in 2016 under the Trump administration and the leadership of Speaker Paul Ryan, we stripped lots of that regulation, which then allowed these entrepreneurs to go out and fill a need for people, and thus we had this tremendous expansion," Allen said.

He added that the greatest economy in his lifetime was when Reagan was still president, so "what we're trying to do is get the government and the Department of Labor and these are the folks with all the opportunities there are as far as training and development to include our entrepreneurs in that process."