[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 102 (Friday, June 22, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1390-E1391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SBA WOMEN'S BUSINESS PROGRAMS ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2007

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H.R. 2397, to reauthorize the women's entrepreneurial development 
programs of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes.
  I would first begin by applauding my esteemed colleague from 
Oklahoma, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, for her work on, and undertaking 
of this important piece of legislation. The SBA Women's Business 
Programs Act of 2007 will help to restore the goal of the Federal 
Government to award grants to Women's Business Centers, originally 
operating as a non-profit organizations in conjunction with 
institutions of higher learning. This bill will also restore the 
balance of funding between new and existing Women's Business Centers, 
originally envisioned at the start of the program.
  Women Business Centers (WBCs) are community-based projects that are 
funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration through grants that 
require matching funds. They provide long-term business skills 
training, counseling, and mentoring to benefit emerging and existing 
small businesses that are owned and controlled by women, especially 
those who are socially or economically disadvantaged. Its goal is to 
continually ensure that those WBC's that are indeed serving an unmet 
need in their underserved communities remain sustained. They also work 
to provide valuable technical assistance to women entrepreneurs.
  The SBA's Women's Business Programs Act of 2007 authorizes the 
National Women's Business Council to conduct annual studies on problems 
hindering the success of women entrepreneurs and to submit reports to 
the President and the House and Senate Small Business committees. By 
offering a three-tiered system of funding and lower caps on spending 
for older business centers, SBA hopes to make certain that a balanced 
percentage of the funding is used to support both new and existing 
business centers. This system will offer assistance to newly 
established centers, while slowly reducing the older centers dependency 
on federal grant funds.

  Grants awarded to these business centers in their first 5 years were 
awarded with the intention that after this 5-year period had ended,

[[Page E1391]]

the center would be financially self-sustaining. These grants were not 
intended to be a source of permanent funding. With that said, one of 
the main objectives of the SBA has been to provide direction and 
resources to those desiring to start and expand their small business 
firms.
  As once stated by the House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia 
M. Velazquez, ``today's small business owners are leading the way when 
it comes to job creation and economic development in communities 
nationwide. [H.R. 2397] will ensure that the needs of the drivers of 
our economy--small businesses--are met.'' This legislation dedicates 
resources to strengthen centers and ensure stability in the program.
  I rise today to support, as well as to encourage my other colleagues 
to join Representative Fallin and myself in helping to increase the 
effectiveness of Women's Business Centers nationwide by supporting the 
SBA Women's Programs Act of 2007, H.R. 2397. I thank you once again, 
Representative Fallin, for introducing this important piece of 
legislation. I am looking forward to witnessing the tremendous effects 
and positive results that this bill has to offer.

                          ____________________