[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 63 (Wednesday, May 9, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S4613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 86--TO EXPRESS THE SENSE OF THE SENATE RECOGNIZING 
   THE IMPORTANT ROLE PLAYED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ON 
          BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY

  Mr. BOND (for himself, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Burns, Mr. Levin, Mr. Bennett, 
Mr. Harkin, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. 
Crapo, Mr. Cleland, Mr. Ensign, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Edwards, Ms. 
Cantwell, and Mr. Daschle) submitted the following resolution; which 
was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 86

       Whereas small businesses comprise 99 percent of all firms 
     in the United States;
       Whereas small businesses offer a significant number of job 
     opportunities, with 52 percent of all private sector workers 
     employed by small businesses;
       Whereas small businesses contribute to the economic well-
     being of the Nation by providing 51 percent of the private 
     sector output;
       Whereas small businesses represent 96 percent of all 
     exporters of goods; and
       Whereas the 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 enterprises, to ensure that a fair 
     proportion of the total sales of Government property be made 
     to such enterprises, and to maintain and strengthen the 
     overall economy for the Nation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Small Business Administration should continue to be 
     the leading advocate in the Federal Government for small 
     business concerns;
       (2) the Senate strongly urges the President to strengthen 
     and expand assistance to small business concerns through 
     Federal Government programs to ensure that--
       (A) a growing number of small business concerns receive 
     contracts for goods and services from the Federal Government;
       (B) the Federal Government undertakes steps to increase the 
     number of opportunities provided to women-owned and minority-
     owned small business concerns for contracting with the 
     Federal Government for the provision of goods and services;
       (C) 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;
       (D) special programs are implemented in economically 
     distressed urban and rural areas in order to create new 
     business opportunities for small business concerns that will 
     create meaningful jobs and economic growth; and
       (E) the management assistance programs delivered by 
     resource partners on behalf of the Small Business 
     Administration, such as the Service Corps of Retired 
     Executives (SCORE) and the Small Business Development Center 
     and Women's Business Center programs, are provided with the 
     Federal resources necessary to do their jobs;
       (3) the Senate strongly urges the President to adopt a 
     policy to achieve the applicable procurement goals for small 
     business concerns, including the goals for women-owned small 
     business concerns, HUBZone small business concerns, socially 
     and economically disadvantaged small business concerns, and 
     small business concerns owned by service-disabled veterans;
       (4) the President should hold the head of each Federal 
     department and agency accountable to ensure that the small 
     business procurement goals are achieved during the term of 
     his Administration;
       (5) the President should direct the heads of each Federal 
     department and agency to comply fully with the requirements 
     of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act and 
     the Regulatory Flexibility Act; and
       (6) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration 
     should have an active role as a member of the President's 
     Cabinet and the Domestic and National Economic Policy 
     Councils.

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