BUSINESS MEMO: `GUARDIANS' OF BUSINESS

U.S. Sens. John Ashcroft and Christopher Bond have been named "Guardians of Small Business" by the nation's largest small business advocacy organization, the National Federation of Independent Business.

Ashcroft's small-business voting record during the 104th Congress, based on 29 recorded votes, was 100 percent and Bond's record was 93 percent.

Representatives named by the NFIB as "Guardians" included Jo Ann Emerson and Jim Talent, each with 100 percent small-business voting records. Other U.S. representatives receiving the honor from Missouri were Mel Hancock and Pat Danner.

NFIB, which represents more than 600,000 small and independent businesses, including about 12,000 in Missouri, honors U.S. lawmakers who provide consistent support for free enterprise by voting favorably on key small business issues at least 70 percent of the time.