By Jordan Fabian – 08/27/10 06:00 AM ET

Democrats on Thursday touted the small-business records of several of their younger members who face uphill reelection battles.

The leadership office of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) circulated a memo that illustrated how several members have voted for legislation they say will help bring jobs back to the economy.

“Democrats know that small businesses are key to our economic recovery and, since day one of this Congress, Democrats have focused on a small business agenda that helps stabilize the economy, spur private sector job growth, and provides small business owners the tools they need to succeed,” the document reads. “This Congress has enacted eight separate tax cuts for small businesses, made health insurance more affordable, and fought to get credit flowing – time and again, over Washington Republican opposition.”

The effort, part of the Democrats’ six-week summer messaging campaign, is designed to tout Democrats’ accomplishments while pressuring Republicans on how they would lead if they took control of Congress.

The already simmering dispute between both parties over the economy reached a tipping point this week; Democrats went after House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio) for giving a major economic address.

Boehner then called for the ouster of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council head Larry Summers, two of President Obama’s top advisers.

Republicans have argued that the Democrats’ agenda has failed to create jobs, unemployment is still stuck at 9.5 percent, and that their big spending bill will plunge the nation deeper into debt.

The argument has deep implications for the fall midterm elections. The public has ranked the economy as the top issue in the contest, in which Republicans are expected to make gains on Democratic majorities.

The memo highlighted the votes of vulnerable Democrats such as Reps. John Boccieri (Ohio), Steve Driehaus (Oho), Dina Titus (Nev.), Tom Perriello (Va.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Harry Teague (N.M.) and Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), among others. Other members who are not considered vulnerable were also included.

It highlighted the $787 billion federal stimulus act and several other smaller measures that aided small-business.

Read the whole member after the jump:

Memorandum

To: Interested Parties

From: Office of the Assistant to the Speaker

Subject: Newest House Democrats Work Hard to Help Small Businesses

Date: August 26, 2010

House Democrats are using this week to highlight efforts to assist small businesses both here in D.C. and back home in their districts. Democrats know that small businesses are key to our economic recovery and, since day one of this Congress, Democrats have focused on a small business agenda that helps stabilize the economy, spur private sector job growth, and provides small business owners the tools they need to succeed. This Congress has enacted 8 separate tax cuts for small businesses, made health insurance more affordable, and fought to get credit flowing – time and again, over Washington Republican opposition. As part of this agenda, the House passed:

· The Recovery Act – which generated $29.5 billion in small business lending and, according to CBO’s latest report, boosted U.S. GDP by up to 4.5 percent in 2Q 2010 (H.R. 1);

· The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act (H.R.5297);

· The Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act (H.R. 4849);

· The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act (H.R. 2847);

· The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act (H.R. 3548);

· The Small Business Financing and Investment Act (H.R. 3854); and

· The Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act (H.R. 2352).

Central to these efforts have been the Freshman and Sophomore House Democrats. A total of twelve serve on the Small Business Committee and, as a whole, they have consistently demonstrated their commitment to small businesses over powerful corporate special interests. In Congress, they have spearheaded legislation and worked closely with small business owners from their districts to make sure that small businesses are represented throughout the legislative process. Back home, they are hosting small business resource workshops, holding roundtables with local Chambers of Commerce and workers, visiting with small business owners on Main Street tours, spending a day as an employee of a local small business, and many other new and innovative ways of reaching out to their constituents and getting things done for their districts.

Examples of Freshman and Sophomore House Democrats Helping Small Businesses

· Congressman Gary Peters (MI-09) played a big role in the Small Business lending package that passed the House last June. The bill, the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010, is comprised of two sections. The first will promote private sector small business lending using an approach Rep. Peters developed and called for last year. The second, written by Rep. Peters, will allow states to create or strengthen existing innovative small business lending programs. This is an example of our newest Members being hands on from the very beginning. Rep. Peters first started talking to Treasury about this idea in March 2009 and worked with the Michigan’s Governor’s office and the rest of the Michigan delegation to fight for it for over a year. (H.R. 5297)

· Congressman John Boccieri (OH-16) is visiting small businesses during his Community Walking Tours of the District. On these Community Walking Tours, Rep. Boccieri meets locally elected officials as they showcase their area’s small businesses and efforts to create local jobs and speaks to the small business owners about what he is doing in Washington to help small businesses hire back workers, create new jobs, and rebuild our local economy. So far Rep. Boccieri visited officials in Jackson Township, Louisville, Plain Township and East Canton and met with eleven small business owners on those tours.

o Rep. Boccieri also introduced the Back to Work Tax Credit Act, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand the work opportunity tax credit to include long-term unemployed individuals. (HR 3953)

· Congresswoman Dina Titus’ (NV-03) passed the Medicare Premium Fairness Act to make health care more affordable for small businesses. (H.R. 3631)

o Rep. Titus also had an amendment in the Education and Labor Committee to the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, which increased the size of small businesses that can choose to enter the Exchange in the first two years and will set minimum standards that the Commissioner must follow in year 3. (H.R. 3200)

o Rep. Titus will host her second small business workshop on August 31, 2010 in order help provide local small businesses with the tools they need to sustain and grow their business during this challenging economic time. The free small business workshop will focus on issues such as securing contracts with the federal government, financing options available through the SBA and community banks, and best practices for doing business with city and state agencies.

· Congressman Steve Kagen (WI-08) stopped at WireTech to ask Sturgeon Bay business and government leaders to show support for his “Loans for Main Street” amendment to the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010. The two-term representative also toured WireTech’s 6-week-old facility and greeted employees. Earlier in the day, Rep. Kagen had lunch with business leaders in Algoma and visited Hatco Inc. in Sturgeon Bay.

· Congressman Tom Perriello’s (VA-05) Main Street Tour across the 5th District has received significant m