Henry Cuellar for Congress | Proven Leadership for Texas

Henry Cuellar supports small businesses-the backbone of the American economy. Small businesses create the majority of our jobs in our congressional district. Henry will fight to cut taxes and to get rid of duplicate, unnecessary and burdensome federal rules and regulations that stifle small businesses. In Austin, he authored and passed this type of legislation and he will do the same in Washington, D.C.

As State Representative, Henry Cuellar has been a champion of small business, by authoring and sponsoring legislation that:

• passed the largest tax-cut in Texas history that helps small businesses
• sanctioned frivolous lawsuits to protect small businesses
• updated the Fraudulent Transfer Act to modernize the law and prevent fraud in business transactions
• established a School of International Trade at Texas A&M International University to educate young business people to engage in international commerce
• established economic centers at several universities to study border economics and business development; established the first border port authority to facilitate international commerce
• established the “International Trade Awareness Week” in May to emphasize the importance of international commerce
• encouraged the State Board of Education to develop a curriculum of international studies and foreign languages in our public schools
• promoted tourism to help small businesses
• established foreign trade offices to improve trade between Texas and Mexico and other countries
• established the Texas Exporters Loan Fund to help small businesses expand their markets to other countries
• reduced and simplified paperwork to make it easier to deal with state agencies
• helped disadvantaged small businesses get more state contracts
• established the Texas Academy of Foreign Languages to help small businesses and students learn foreign languages and culture to better engage in international trade
• established the Regional Import/Export Training Center at Laredo Community College to train workforce in international trade
• created a license for the storage of imported beer, ale, and malt liquor to create jobs in Texas instead of other states
• directed higher education programs to help with small business research and development to create more jobs
• directed each state agency to review and delete all of its unnecessary and burdensome rules to make easier to deal with state government
• strengthened the career and technology education programs offered by public schools districts to develop a better workforce
• provided more funding for adult education to better prepare the workforce
• established a Ph. D program in business at Texas A&M International University to further educate business students
• created annual three-day, back to school “sales tax holiday”
• eliminated sales tax on internet charges and on 20% of data processing and information services
• created a small business exemption from corporate franchise tax
• provided corporations with tax credits for research and development, day-care expenses, after school programs, and job creation

As a five-term member of the House Appropriations, Henry Cuellar supported the Texas Department of Economic Development creation of the Office of Border Initiation to facilitate trade and investment opportunities for Texas communities and companies in the Texas-Mexico border region. This office helps small businesses expand into international commerce.

Henry supports workforce development by developing employer-focused education and training systems, connecting high school to work, providing training funds to firms that are upgrading technology and skills or that are training workers in transferable skills, and integrating job training with adult education.

Henry feels that not only should we help establish new small businesses but we also should help the existing small businesses expand their operations. All small businesses in the congressional district, rural and urban areas, should be able to compete in the new knowledge-based economy where the focus on improving the education and skills levels of the American people.

Henry is a small business owner and has taught Business Law at Laredo Community College and International Commerce Law at Texas A&M International University Masters Program. Henry is an American Arbitration Association trained arbitrator and mediator and can practice law in the United States Court of International Trade.

Henry has served in leadership positions to assist small businesses as Chairman of the International Trade Committee of the Council of State Government, the International Trade Advisory Committee of the U.S. Trade Representative Office (invited), the Chief Protocol Officer for the State of Texas as Secretary of State, the Chief Depository for all business filings in Texas as Secretary of State, Vice-Chair of State, Federal, and International Relations Committee, the House Financial Institutions Committee, the Service and Technology House Committee, the Subcommittee on Latin America of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the House Subcommittee on International Trade between Texas and Mexico, the House Subcommittee on Minorities and Women in Business, the House Subcommittee on Oversight of the Texas Department of Commerce and the State Comptroller’s E-Texas Legislative Advisory Committee.

Henry Cuellar’s advocacy for small businesses has been recognized by Texas Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Association of Colleges and Technical Educators, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Career Institute, the City of Laredo and Cigarroa High School Arts Tech Program, the Laredo Association of Human Resource Management, Texas A&M International 5th Annual Conference Western Universities, the Laredo Business and Professional Women’s Association, the Texas U.S. Customs Brokers Association, the Free Enterprise Public Action Committee and Free Market Committee, the Laredo Development Foundation, the Texas Association of Mexican American Chamber of Commerce (TAMACC), the Texas Economic Development Commission, and the Laredo Mexican American Chamber of Commerce.