This year was not a good one for dealmaking on Capitol Hill. President Obama and the Republican Party spent 2012 positioning themselves for the fall election — maneuvering that left little room for compromise. But the two factions were able to come together to agree on the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, which eases regulations on newer and small businesses and allows companies to raise up to $1 million through crowdfunding. Though the bill faced resistance from consumer-rights activists who feared it would open the door for scammers to take advantage of unsophisticated investors, its boosters hope provisions of the law will give would-be entrepreneurs access to that crucial initial round of funding, so they can turn their bright ideas into job-creating businesses.