[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IMPROVING ACCESS TO CREDIT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

  (Mr. KLEIN of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this week, we took important 
action to address a critical issue in south Florida and around the 
country, to improve access to credit for small business owners.
  Small businesses generated more than 70 percent of the new jobs every 
year for the past decade, and even beyond that. And they will fuel our 
economic recovery, both where I live in south Florida, and nationwide.
  I recently visited Uniweld Products, a family-owned business in Fort 
Lauderdale. This small business has been operating for 60 years, yet 
because of the frozen credit markets has been unable to secure vital 
loans and has been forced to lay off a quarter of its workforce in 
recent months. The plan announced by the administration this week will 
help businesses like Uniweld access the credit they need to keep their 
doors open and to thrive.
  I strongly support this aggressive and immediate action and look 
forward to continuing to work with entrepreneurs and community leaders 
in south Florida to support our small businesses as they lead our way 
toward economic recovery.

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