Is Congress broken? Startup Act shows what can work.

The Startup Act is a modest piece of pro-business legislation unveiled Tuesday. It won't change the world, but that's why it may pass. In a partisan Congress, 'good' may be better than 'perfect.'?

By David Grant,?Staff writer / May 22, 2012

From left, Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida, AOL founder Steve Case, Sen. Jerry Moran (R) of Kansas, Sen. Mark Warner (D) of Virginia, and Kauffman Foundation vice president Bob Litan stand next to a job creation chart during a news conference unveiling Startup 2.0 legislation at the Capitol in Washington Tuesday.

Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

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Much of the time, Congress is, well, Congress. Gridlocked, combative, dysfunctional are only three of the adjectives that might be routinely applied.

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But some days, like Tuesday, there is a hint of a different institution ? you might call it the Voltaire Congress, refusing to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

That phrase, borrowed loosely from the 18th century French philosopher,?leads to legislation like the Startup 2.0 Act, unveiled Tuesday.

The bill is not perfect. It does not deal with America's most pressing legislative issues, such as the looming budget "sequester" or the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, nor is it a magic bullet for the American economy. But the act has sponsors on both sides of the aisle who say it is attempting something good ? making life easier for startup businesses by easing immigration rules for highly skilled workers, paring back some regulations, and changing taxes.

"What I would encourage is that we not take the attitude or the approach that unless we do everything, we don't do anything," Sen. Jerry Moran (R) of Kansas, one of the bill's sponsors, told reporters at a press conference.

The goal of the Startup Act is not to resuscitate the economy in one fell swoop. But rather to water the green shoots of future economic growth, sponsors say.

"You can't cut and tax your way alone out of this challenge around the debt if you don't have the third leg of the stool, which is growing the economy," Sen. Mark Warner (D) of Virginia, an other sponsor, told reporters.

The legislation provides a window into how Congress can sometimes take the grand issues that are vexing it ? from immigration to tax reform ? and attenuate them into a more palatable and passable form.

The Startup 2.0 Act builds on the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which also eased regulations on a number of small businesses. That legislation rocketed through the House of Representatives but faced spirited opposition from a handful of Democratic senators who said it weakened investor protections. However, the bill's momentum ? and President Obama's endorsement of the measure ? prevailed. Mr. Obama signed it into law in April.

The JOBS Act "was hotly debated on the [Senate] floor, but with presidential leadership and with active sponsorship of the leadership of the House and Senate, we were able to move forward some genuinely good ideas about capital access,"?said Sen. Chris Coons (D) of Delaware, one of the Startup Act's sponsors.?

He argued that the Startup Act could follow a similar path, despite some concern about the immigration reforms. "Even in the midst of a hotly contested presidential election we can find some consensus that moves pieces of immigration reform forward," he said. "Obviously not all of [immigration reform] but important pieces so that we don't miss another year or two or three in the global competition for talent."

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