America has always been a land of innovative entrepreneurs, hard working laborers, dedicated professionals and the most productive industries.

Today, our regulatory, judicial and tax environments are impeding businesses from prospering here. Sending jobs oversees is not simply a result of lower wages, and it is time we recognized that fact.

Recognizing this reality, Representative Tiahrt began working with House Leadership in late 2003 to unveil a competitiveness initiative that would focus on specific areas where the federal government could remove barriers to economic competitiveness for U.S. businesses.

The competitiveness initiative addresses eight areas in which U.S. businesses currently face obstacles in productivity and competition abroad. By passing legislation within these eight areas, Congress and the federal government can take steps to restore our nation's competitiveness and ensure that the United States remains the land of opportunity.

The Goal: More high-quality, high-paying jobs for today and future generations.

From this initiative, Todd founded and is Chairman of the House Economic Competitiveness Caucus (EC2). EC2 seeks to help create a long-term favorable environment in which U.S. businesses will hire U.S. workers.

EC2 carefully examines issues facing America's ability to compete economically both now and in future years. It works to focus congressional efforts on removing the barriers to American economic competitiveness; develops economic goals for the future; and finds the paths to get there.

Eight Steps to Competitiveness

Health Care Security

Skyrocketing health care costs are killing jobs. Employers want to provide health care insurance to their workers. We must stabilize health care costs so all employers are able to afford this crucial benefit.

Bureaucratic Red Tape Termination

The federal government has become a creeping ivy of regulations that strangle enterprise. The total burden of environmental, economic, workplace and tax compliance on the economy is in the order of $850 billion.

Lifelong Learning

Job training and retraining are necessary to keep up in today's environment. Our children must learning the fundamentals, become familiar with technology, and be exposed to enhanced math and science curriculums to be able to compete in a global economy. We must help our colleges and universities produce graduates who enter science and engineering careers.

Energy Self- Sufficiency and Science

Businesses cannot grow without reliable, cost efficient sources of energy. We have a plan that will not only stabilize our energy systems but also create over 800,000 jobs and strengthen our businesses.

Innovation and Investment

Technology is the engine of growth, yet America does not have a comprehensive federal plan to encourage research and development. Incentives for applying knowledge into the market place and for the deployment of technology such as broadband are critical. We also need to remove the barriers to investment in the United States for domestic and foreign employers.

Trade Fairness

Protecting American exports should be foremost in any trade agreements and policy Congress reviews and considers. The ultimate goal should be to put American businesses at the top of the global supply chain, which benefits small businesses and creates jobs.

Tax Relief and Simplification

Our tax structure puts American businesses at a disadvantage in the world market. We must simplify and eliminate the punitive nature of our current tax code. Incentives such as bonus depreciation encourage investment, moves production lines and increases revenues. We need to return integrity to our legal system by curtailing frivolous lawsuits and returning the court's attention to upholding the laws of the land rather than legislating from the bench.

Ending Lawsuit Abuse and Litigation Management

We need to return integrity to our legal system by curtailing frivolous lawsuits and returning the court's attention to upholding the laws of the land rather than legislating from the bench.