[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 172 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 172

    Honoring the vital role of small businesses and the passion of 
  entrepreneurs in the United States during ``National Small Business 
                Week'', from May 4, through May 8, 2015.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 6, 2015

Mr. Vitter (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Peters, Mr. Rubio, 
   Ms. Hirono, Mr. Gardner, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Coons, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. 
 Markey, Mr. Risch, Mr. Scott, Mrs. Fischer, and Mr. Hoeven) submitted 
      the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Honoring the vital role of small businesses and the passion of 
  entrepreneurs in the United States during ``National Small Business 
                Week'', from May 4, through May 8, 2015.

Whereas 2015 marks the 52nd anniversary of ``National Small Business Week'', a 
        designation that every President since 1963 has endorsed;
Whereas, as of 2008, the approximately 28,400,000 small businesses in the United 
        States, the leading force of the economy of United States, created 63 
        percent of net new private sector jobs and generated close to 50 percent 
        of the private, non-farm gross domestic product of the United States;
Whereas 22,735,915 of the small businesses of the United States have no 
        employees, and 86 percent are sole proprietorships;
Whereas, as of 2007, 2,450,000 veterans were small business owners, which 
        accounted for 9.3 percent of all businesses in the United States;
Whereas, in 2013, veteran small business owners accounted for 9 percent of all 
        business owners and 9 percent of the adult population in the United 
        States;
Whereas small businesses owned by women increased as a share of total businesses 
        in the United States from 26.4 percent in 1997 to 29.6 percent in 2007, 
        and, as of 2007, totaled nearly 7,800,000 businesses;
Whereas small businesses employ about 56,100,000 million people of the United 
        States, which is approximately half of the private workforce of the 
        United States;
Whereas small businesses account for 37 percent of employment in the high-tech 
        sector;
Whereas high-patenting small businesses produce 16 times more patents per 
        employee than large patenting firms;
Whereas small businesses in the United States represent nearly 98 percent of all 
        exporters and produce 33 percent of the export value of the United 
        States;
Whereas, on July 30, 1953, Congress created the Small Business Administration to 
        aid, counsel, assist, and protect the interests of small businesses in 
        order to preserve free and competitive enterprise, to ensure that a fair 
        proportion of the total sales of Federal Government property are made to 
        small businesses, and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of 
        the United States;
Whereas, for more than 50 years, the Small Business Administration has helped 
        more than 10,000,000 entrepreneurs reach the dream of creating and 
        maintaining a small business, and has played a key role in fostering 
        local and national economic growth; and
Whereas the President has designated the week beginning May 4, 2015, as 
        ``National Small Business Week'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the vital role of small businesses and 
        entrepreneurs in the United States during ``National Small 
        Business Week'';
            (2) supports the designation of ``National Small Business 
        Week'';
            (3) recognizes the important role of the Small Business 
        Administration as a valuable resource for entrepreneurs in the 
        United States;
            (4) supports and encourages young entrepreneurs to pursue 
        their passions and create more start-up businesses;
            (5) recognizes the importance of creating policies that 
        promote a business-friendly environment for small business 
        owners that is free of unnecessary and burdensome regulations 
        and red tape;
            (6) recognizes the National Small Business Person of the 
        Year and the National Lender of the Year; and
            (7) supports efforts to--
                    (A) encourage consumers to shop locally; and
                    (B) increase awareness of the value of locally-
                owned small businesses and the impact of locally-owned 
                small businesses on the economy of the United States.
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