[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 469 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 469

 Honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the 
United States during National Small Business Week, which begins on May 
                               20, 2012.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2012

  Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. 
Enzi, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Ayotte, 
    Mr. Risch, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Merkley) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of small business concerns in the 
United States during National Small Business Week, which begins on May 
                               20, 2012.

Whereas the approximately 27,500,000 small business concerns in the United 
        States are the driving force behind the Nation's economy, creating 2 out 
        of every 3 new jobs and generating more than 50 percent of the Nation's 
        non-farm gross domestic product;
Whereas small businesses are the driving force behind the economic recovery of 
        the United States;
Whereas small businesses represent 99.7 percent of employer firms in the United 
        States;
Whereas small business concerns are the Nation's innovators, serving to advance 
        technology and productivity;
Whereas small business concerns represent 97.5 percent of all exporters and 
        produce 31 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 and competitive enterprise, to ensure that a fair 
        proportion of the total Federal Government purchases, contracts, and 
        subcontracts for property and services are placed with small business 
        concerns, to ensure that a fair proportion of the total sales of 
        government property are made to such small business concerns, and to 
        maintain and strengthen the overall economy of the United States;
Whereas every year since 1963, the President has designated a ``National Small 
        Business Week'' to recognize the contributions of small businesses to 
        the economic well-being of the United States;
Whereas in 2012, National Small Business Week will honor the estimated 
        27,200,000 small businesses in the United States;
Whereas the Small Business Administration has helped small business concerns by 
        providing access to critical lending opportunities, protecting small 
        business concerns from excessive Federal regulatory enforcement, helping 
        to ensure full and open competition for government contracts, and 
        improving the economic environment in which small business concerns 
        compete;
Whereas for more than 50 years, the Small Business Administration has helped 
        millions of entrepreneurs achieve the American dream of owning a small 
        business, and has played a key role in fostering economic growth; and
Whereas the President has designated the week beginning May 20, 2012, as 
        ``National Small Business Week'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the entrepreneurial spirit of small business 
        concerns in the United States during National Small Business 
        Week, which begins on May 20, 2012;
            (2) applauds the efforts and achievements of the owners and 
        employees of small business concerns, whose hard work and 
        commitment to excellence have made such small business concerns 
        a key part of the economic vitality of the United States;
            (3) recognizes the work of the Small Business 
        Administration and its resource partners in providing 
        assistance to entrepreneurs and small business concerns; and
            (4) recognizes the importance of ensuring that--
                    (A) 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;
                    (B) 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 provide invaluable 
                counseling services to entrepreneurs in the United 
                States;
                    (C) the Small Business Administration continues to 
                provide timely and efficient disaster assistance so 
                that small businesses in areas struck by natural or 
                manmade disasters can quickly return to business to 
                keep local economies alive in the aftermath of such 
                disasters;
                    (D) affordable broadband Internet access is 
                available to all people in the United States, 
                particularly people in rural and underserved 
                communities, so that small businesses can use the 
                Internet to make their operations more globally 
                competitive while boosting local economies;
                    (E) regulatory relief is provided to small 
                businesses through the reduction of duplicative or 
                unnecessary regulatory requirements that increase costs 
                for small businesses; and
                    (F) leveling the playing field for contracting 
                opportunities remains a primary focus, so that small 
                businesses, particularly minority-owned small 
                businesses, can compete for and win more of the 
                $400,000,000,000 in contracts that the Federal 
                Government enters into each year for goods and 
                services.
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