[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 134 (Tuesday, October 9, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 203, THE NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY ACT OF 
                                  2001

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 9, 2001

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 203, the 
National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2001. H.R. 203 
establishes a pilot program at the Small Business Administration (SBA) 
to allow Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to provide 
regulatory compliance counseling to small businesses. Currently, SBDCs 
provide invaluable free business advice to entrepreneurs thinking about 
starting a new small business or to those struggling in their current 
business. The Small Business Development Center program is the largest 
management and technical assistance program for small businesses in the 
United States.
  H.R. 203 would expand the role of SBDCs to include: (a) training and 
education in regulatory compliance, which would assist small business 
owners who are often unaware of or overwhelmed by federal regulations; 
(b) confidential, free-of-charge regulatory compliance counseling; and 
(c) technical assistance and referral to experts for more complicated 
compliance issues.
  In my district of El Paso, Texas, there is a SBDC located at the El 
Paso Community College. The Center promotes growth, expansion, 
innovation, increased productivity, and improvement of small 
businesses, as well as supporting entrepreneurs in the service area. 
The El Paso Community College SBDC is one of twelve service centers in 
the region serving El Paso and Hudspeth counties. They have been open 
for more than 17 years and have assisted more than 12,000 businesses 
over the years. Advisory services are provided at no cost to the 
client. As you can imagine, this is invaluable to those who are 
starting their first business and are looking for guidance. The 
economic impact of the services provided by the SBDC to the El Paso 
region is $210 million. This additional funding for the added services 
available to businesses will be very helpful to the many businesses 
that utilize the SBDC and for the many businesses that will need the 
services of the SBDC in the future.
  I strongly support this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to 
vote for this bill.

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