By JACK FARIS

There is no surer sign of summer’s arrival in the nation’s capital than the appearance of flocks of camera-toting tourists. But while these sightseers are trekking through the museums and climbing the monuments, one group of Americans arriving in Washington, D.C., soon will have little time to frolic.

Headed for Capitol Hill are legions of the nation’s small-business owners focused on making sure Congress and the White House will hear their concerns. Instead of T-shirts and cameras, these dedicated entrepreneurs will be loaded with questions and armed with ideas about ways the federal government can help them create jobs and spur economic growth.

From June 12-15, the third biennial NFIB National Small Business Summit will offer a forum for these politically active business people to tell their stories, make suggestions and share information with lawmakers and regulators. They will suggest constructive corrections the government must make to revitalize and re-energize this dynamic sector.

Every year, Americans launch some four million businesses. Three-fourths of those start from scratch. Most are tiny enterprises. Two in three begin life in someone’s home.

Worrying these innovators is the fact that official Washington’s attention seems focused on investigating the failures of highly leveraged big businesses or dallying among the daisies of dead dot coms. They believe the energies and resources of the federal government should be concentrated where they can do the most good: promoting and protecting free enterprise by clearing the path for small firms.

Good news. Their voices are going to be heeded by some of the government’s top leaders. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Small Business Administration head Hector Barreto will be at the Summit, as will Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Dennis Hastert and Karl Rove, Senior Advisor to the President.

The timing of the Small Business Summit is no coincidence. Awaiting action in Congress are vital pieces of legislation that could determine the future direction of small-business growth and profitability. On the congressional calendar are major pieces of legislation addressing the cost and availability of health care, possible mandated hikes in the minimum wage, permanent repeal of the death tax, regulatory reform and the beginning of efforts to rein in one of the worst threats facing small firms, unwarranted lawsuits.

For nearly six decades NFIB has fought to keep Washington out of the pockets and off the backs of small-business owners. Much of the organization’s success is due to its ability to mobilize the grassroots-hundreds of thousands of small-business owners. It isn’t easy to get those time-crunched entrepreneurs to leave their businesses and come to Washington. They aren’t professional lobbyists, nor are they steeped in the ways of politics, but when government officials get the message that small business is the nation’s largest industry, employing six of every 10 Americans, they sit up and take notice.

If you are one of those small-business owners who’d rather help improve your business climate than wander through Washington’s museums or admire the monuments, there is still time to join the crowd at the Summit.

Call NFIB at 1-800-552-6342 or visit www.nfib.com for details.

JACK FARIS is president of The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s largest small-business advocacy group.