[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10284-S10285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMENDATION TO THE ``BACK TO BUSINESS'' RADIO PROGRAM

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, as chair of the Senate Committee on 
Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I rise today to commend the 
University of Maine and Machias Savings Bank for underwriting the 
``Back To Business'' radio program hosted by Deb Neuman for a second 
year.
  Heard on WVOM in Old Town, ME, Back To Business is an advice and news 
program geared specifically toward fostering the creation, development, 
and continued success of small businesses in Maine. It has been a 
strong, supportive, and unwavering voice for Maine's small businesses, 
providing an interactive forum that discusses pressing issues of the 
day, such as small business access to investment capital, regulatory, 
and tax compliance burdens, and the lack of affordable health insurance 
options in Maine.
  The small business owners that appear on ``Back To Business'' 
frequently cite Maine's business climate as challenging on several 
fronts. Moving forward, it is critical that we also think forward and 
equip America's small businesses with the knowledge and tools to 
confront the challenges of tomorrow so that they can create jobs and 
continue to strengthen our economy. I can proudly report that ``Back To 
Business'' offers Maine small businesses vital knowledge and useful 
tools and resources. We must not forget that the Federal and State 
governments should be partners, working together with the business 
community to support small businesses.
  Small businesses create nearly three-quarters of all net new jobs, 
represent 97 percent of all business in Maine, and employ 61 percent of 
Maine's workers. Mainers are more than ever relying upon small business 
ownership as an alternative to the traditional workplace where the 
manufacturing industry and corporate America once offered life long 
futures for workers.
  As chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, I have introduced an 
ambitious legislative agenda to break down small business barriers. I 
recently introduced a bill that would expand the Small Business 
Administration's Historically Underutilized Business Zones or HUBZones 
program to include rural Maine towns and regions that were previously 
ineligible. According to the SBA, 110 Maine businesses in 11 counties 
received more than $12.7 million in HUBZone Program dollars in fiscal 
year 2005. Unfortunately, current law is preventing more regions in 
Maine from being certified as HUBZones. Under my bill, small businesses 
in rural Maine, including the Katahdin region, would be classified as 
HUBZones to qualify and compete for Federal contracts and subcontracts.
  I have also worked hard to find a solution to the small business 
health insurance crisis. Small businesses in Maine and across the 
country are trapped in stagnant, dysfunctional insurance markets with 
premiums that are increasing at exponential percentage levels. Last 
year, I requested a Government Accountability Office Report that showed 
a startling market consolidation. In Maine, five large insurance 
companies control 98 percent of the market, leaving small businesses 
with few affordable coverage options.
  This is why I have long championed legislation that would create 
Small Business Health Plans, which would allow small businesses to pool 
together nationally, to offer quality health insurance products to 
their employees at significantly lower costs. This year we came closer 
than ever before to passing SBHPs into law, and I will continue to push 
forward with my colleagues on both sides of the political aisle, to 
fashion bipartisan legislation that can be

[[Page S10285]]

signed into law to bring small businesses relief.
  Mr. President, I again commend WVOM's ``Back to Business'' program, 
which is a true public service to Mainers. Their mission to educate 
elected officials, opinion leaders, and the people of Maine about the 
importance of small businesses to our economy and our country is 
invaluable.

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