Whereas the 25,800,000 small business concerns in the
United States are the driving force behind the Nation's economy, creating more
than 2/3 of all net new jobs and generating more than 50
percent of the Nation's nonfarm gross domestic product;
Whereas small business concerns are the Nation's
innovators, advancing technology and productivity;
Whereas small business concerns represent 97 percent of
all exporters and produce 28.6 percent of exported goods;
Whereas Congress established the Small Business
Administration in 1953, to aid, counsel, assist, and protect the interests of
small business concerns in order to preserve free competitive enterprise, to
ensure that a fair proportion of the total purchases and contracts or
subcontracts for property and services for the Federal Government be placed
with small business concerns, to ensure that a fair proportion of the total
sales of Government property be made to such small business concerns, and to
maintain and strengthen the overall economy of the Nation;
Whereas the Small Business Administration has helped small
business concerns access critical lending opportunities, protected small
business concerns from excessive Federal regulatory enforcement, played a key
role in ensuring full and open competition for Government contracts, and
improved the economic environment in which small business concerns
compete;
Whereas for over 50 years, the Small Business
Administration has helped millions of entrepreneurs achieve the American dream
of owning a small business concern, and has played a key role in fostering
economic growth; and
Whereas the President has designated the week beginning
April 22, 2007 as National Small Business Week
: Now, therefore,
be it
That the Senate—
(1)honors the
entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the United States during
National Small Business Week, beginning April 22, 2007;
(2)applauds the
efforts and achievements of the owners of small business concerns and their
employees, whose hard work and commitment to excellence have made them a key
part of the Nation's economic vitality;
(3)recognizes the
work of the Small Business Administration and its resource partners in
providing assistance to entrepreneurs and small business concerns;
(4)strongly urges
the President to take steps to ensure that—
(A)the applicable
procurement goals for small business concerns, including the goals for small
business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, small
business concerns owned and controlled by women, HUBZone small business
concerns, and small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and
economically disadvantaged individuals, are reached by all Federal
agencies;
(B)guaranteed loans,
including microloans and microloan technical assistance, for start-up and
growing small business concerns and venture capital are made available to all
qualified small business concerns;
(C)the management
assistance programs delivered by resource partners on behalf of the Small
Business Administration, such as small business development centers, women’s
business centers, and the Service Corps of Retired Executives, are provided
with the Federal resources necessary to do their jobs; and
(D)reforms to the
disaster loan program of the Small Business Administration are implemented as
quickly as possible; and
(5)urges that, as
was the case in the President's budget for fiscal year 2008, the Small Business
Administration continue to be designated as a major agency in the President's
budget submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, and
that the Administrator of the Small Business Administration have an active role
as a member of the President's Cabinet.