Small businesses make up a huge part of our local economy, and that's why one lawmaker says they need a bigger voice in Washington.

Tuesday, Representative Scott Tipton announced the formation of a new bipartisan caucus that will focus specifically on issues that impact them.

The representative says it’s surprising that a caucus dedicated to small business wasn't formed sooner.

He teamed up with Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine. Together, their goal is to create an open dialog, addressing the issues that most impact small businesses, such as regulation, taxation, and legislative solutions.

Tipton hopes by starting to talk about these concerns with real small business owners, action can be taken in Washington to help.

“Government is becoming not a stepping stone but an obstacle to be able to create jobs at a time where we've got to be able to get people back to work,” Rep. Tipton said.  

Both Representative Tipton and Pingree are small business owners themselves.

More than thirty other state representatives have joined the effort, hoping to provide a new platform for small businesses and entrepreneurs to be heard.

Plans are still in the early stages, but the representative hopes to meet with some of the members in the next month to kick off the work of the caucus.