[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 165 (Friday, November 6, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H12473-H12477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2009

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1845) to amend the Small Business Act to modernize Small 
Business Development Centers, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1845

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Development 
     Centers Modernization Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS OPERATIONAL 
                   CHANGES.

       (a) Accreditation Requirement.--Section 21(a)(1) of the 
     Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(1)) is amended as 
     follows:
       (1) In the proviso, by inserting before ``institution'' the 
     following: ``accredited''.
       (2) In the sentence beginning ``The Administration shall'', 
     by inserting before ``institutions'' the following: 
     ``accredited''.
       (3) By adding at the end the following new sentence: ``In 
     this paragraph, the term `accredited institution of higher 
     education' means an institution that is accredited as 
     described in section 101(a)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 
     1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)(5)).''.
       (b) Program Negotiations.--Section 21(a)(3) of the Small 
     Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)) is amended in the matter 
     preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting before ``agreed'' 
     the following: ``mutually''.
       (c) Contract Negotiations.--Section 21(a)(3)(A) of the 
     Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(A)) is amended by 
     inserting after ``uniform negotiated'' the following: 
     ``mutually agreed to''.
       (d) SBDC Hiring.--Section 21(c)(2)(A) of the Small Business 
     Act (15 U.S.C. 648(c)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting after 
     ``full-time staff'' the following: ``, the hiring of which 
     shall be at the sole discretion of the center without the 
     need for input or approval from any officer or employee of 
     the Administration''.

[[Page H12474]]

       (e) Content of Consultations.--Section 21(a)(7)(A) of the 
     Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(7)(A)) is amended in the 
     matter preceding clause (i) by inserting after ``under this 
     section'' the following: ``, or the content of any 
     consultation with such an individual or small business 
     concern,''.
       (f) Amounts for Administrative Expenses.--Section 
     21(a)(4)(C)(v)(I) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
     648(a)(4)(C)(v)(I)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(I) In general.--Of the amounts made available in any 
     fiscal year to carry out this section, not more than $500,000 
     may be used by the Administration to pay expenses enumerated 
     in subparagraphs (B) through (D) of section 20(a)(1).''.
       (g) Non-Matching Portability Grants.--Section 
     21(a)(4)(C)(viii) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
     648(a)(4)(C)(viii)) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following: ``In the event of a disaster, the dollar 
     limitation in the preceding sentence shall not apply.''.
       (h) Distribution to SBDCs.--Section 21(b) of the Small 
     Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(b)) is amended by adding at the 
     end the following new paragraph:
       ``(4) Limitation on Distribution to Small Business 
     Development Centers.--
       ``(A) In general.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
     paragraph, the Administration shall not distribute funds to a 
     Small Business Development Center if the State in which the 
     Small Business Development Center is located is served by 
     more than one Small Business Development Center.
       ``(B) Unavailability exception.--The Administration may 
     distribute funds to a maximum of two Small Business 
     Development Centers in any State if no applicant has applied 
     to serve the entire State.
       ``(C) Grandfather clause.--The limitations in this 
     paragraph shall not apply to any State in which more than one 
     Small Business Development Center received funding prior to 
     January 1, 2007.
       ``(D) Definition.--For the purposes of this paragraph, the 
     term `Small Business Development Center' means the entity 
     selected by the Administration to receive funds pursuant to 
     the funding formula set forth in subsection (a)(4), without 
     regard to the number of sites for service delivery such 
     entity establishes or funds.''.
       (i) Women's Business Centers.--Section 21(a)(1) of the 
     Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(1)), as amended, is 
     further amended--
       (1) by striking ``and women's business centers operating 
     pursuant to section 29''; and
       (2) by striking ``or a women's business center operating 
     pursuant to section 29''.

     SEC. 3. ACCESS TO CREDIT AND CAPITAL.

       Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(o) Access to Credit and Capital Program.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
     grant program for small business development centers in 
     accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
     program, a small business development center must be in good 
     standing and comply with the other requirements of this 
     section. Funds made available through the program shall be 
     used to--
       ``(A) develop specialized programs to assist local small 
     business concerns in securing capital and repairing damaged 
     credit;
       ``(B) provide informational seminars on securing credit and 
     loans;
       ``(C) provide one-on-one counseling with potential 
     borrowers to improve financial presentations to lenders; and
       ``(D) facilitate borrowers' access to non-traditional 
     financing sources, as well as traditional lending sources.
       ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award 
     an entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under this 
     subsection.
       ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
     appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to 
     carry out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
     Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
     agreements to carry out this subsection.
       ``(4) Authorization.--There is authorized to be 
     appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes of 
     carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal years 
     2010 and 2011.''.

     SEC. 4. PROCUREMENT TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE.

       Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as 
     amended, is further amended by adding at the end the 
     following new subsection:
       ``(p) Procurement Training and Assistance.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
     grant program for small business development centers in 
     accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
     program, a small business development center must be in good 
     standing and comply with the other requirements of this 
     section. Funds made available through the program shall be 
     used to--
       ``(A) work with local agencies to identify contracts that 
     are suitable for local small business concerns;
       ``(B) prepare small businesses to be ready as 
     subcontractors and prime contractors for contracts made 
     available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 
     2009 (Public Law 111-5) through training and business 
     advisement, particularly in the construction trades; and
       ``(C) provide technical assistance regarding the Federal 
     procurement process, including assisting small business 
     concerns to comply with federal regulations and bonding 
     requirements.
       ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award 
     an entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under this 
     subsection.
       ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
     appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to 
     carry out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
     Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
     agreements to carry out this subsection.
       ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes 
     of carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal years 
     2010 and 2011.''.

     SEC. 5. GREEN ENTREPRENEURS TRAINING PROGRAM.

       Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as 
     amended, is further amended by adding at the end the 
     following new subsection:
       ``(q) Green Entrepreneurs Training Program.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
     grant program for small business development centers in 
     accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
     program, a small business development center must be in good 
     standing and comply with the other requirements of this 
     section. Funds made available through the program shall be 
     used to--
       ``(A) provide education classes and one-on-one instruction 
     in starting a business in the fields of energy efficiency, 
     green technology, or clean technology and in adapting a 
     business to include such fields;
       ``(B) coordinate such classes and instruction, to the 
     extent practicable, with local community colleges and local 
     professional trade associations;
       ``(C) assist and provide technical counseling to 
     individuals seeking to start a business in the fields of 
     energy efficiency, green technology, or clean technology and 
     to individuals seeking to adapt a business to include such 
     fields; and
       ``(D) provide services that assist low-income or dislocated 
     workers to start businesses in the fields of energy 
     efficiency, green technology, or clean technology.
       ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award 
     an entity more than $300,000 in grant funds under this 
     subsection.
       ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
     appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to 
     carry out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
     Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
     agreements to carry out this subsection.
       ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes 
     of carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal years 
     2010 and 2011.''.

     SEC. 6. MAIN STREET STABILIZATION.

       Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as 
     amended, is further amended by adding the following new 
     subsection at the end thereof:
       ``(r) Main Street Stabilization.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
     grant program for small business development centers in 
     accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
     program, a small business development center must be in good 
     standing and comply with the other requirements of this 
     section. Funds made available through the program shall be 
     used to--
       ``(A) establish a statewide small business helpline within 
     every State and United States territory to provide immediate 
     expert information and assistance to small business concerns;
       ``(B) develop a portfolio of online survival and growth 
     tools and resources that struggling small business concerns 
     can utilize through the Internet;
       ``(C) develop business advisory capacity to provide expert 
     consulting and education to assist small businesses at-risk 
     of failure and to, in areas of high demand, shorten the 
     response time of small business development centers, and, in 
     rural areas, support added outreach in remote communities;
       ``(D) deploy additional resources to help specific industry 
     sectors with a high presence of small business concerns, 
     which shall be targeted toward clusters of small businesses 
     with similar needs and build upon best practices from earlier 
     assistance;
       ``(E) develop a formal listing of financing options for 
     small business capital access; and
       ``(F) deliver services that help dislocated workers start 
     new businesses.
       ``(2) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award 
     an entity more than $250,000 in grant funds under this 
     subsection.
       ``(3) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
     appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to 
     carry out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
     Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
     agreements to carry out this subsection.
       ``(4) Authorization.--There is authorized to be 
     appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes of 
     carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal years 
     2010 and 2011.''.

     SEC. 7. PROHIBITION ON PROGRAM INCOME BEING USED AS MATCHING 
                   FUNDS.

       Section 21(a)(4)(B) (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)(B)) is amended by 
     inserting after ``Federal program'' the following: ``and 
     shall not include any funds obtained through the assessment 
     of fees to small business clients''.

[[Page H12475]]

     SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       Section 20 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 note) 
     is amended by inserting after subsection (e) the following 
     new subsection:
       ``(f) Small Business Development Centers.--There is 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Small Business 
     Development Center Program under section 21 $150,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2010 and $160,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.''.

     SEC. 9. SMALL MANUFACTURERS TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

       Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as 
     amended, is further amended by adding at the end the 
     following new subsection:
       ``(s) Small Manufacturers Transition Assistance Program.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Administration shall establish a 
     grant program for small business development centers in 
     accordance with this subsection. To be eligible for the 
     program, a small business development center must be in good 
     standing and comply with the other requirements of this 
     section. Funds made available through the program shall be 
     used to--
       ``(A) provide technical assistance and expertise to small 
     manufacturers with respect to changing operations to another 
     industry sector or reorganizing operations to increase 
     efficiency and profitability;
       ``(B) assist marketing of the capabilities of small 
     manufacturers outside the principal area of operations of 
     such manufacturers;
       ``(C) facilitate peer-to-peer and mentor-protege 
     relationships between small manufacturers and corporations 
     and Federal agencies; and
       ``(D) conduct outreach activities to local small 
     manufacturers with respect to the availability of the 
     services described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C).
       ``(2) Definition of small manufacturer.--In this 
     subsection, the term `small manufacturer' means a small 
     business concern engaged in an industry specified in sector 
     31, 32, or 33 of the North American Industry Classification 
     System in section 121.201 of title 13, Code of Federal 
     Regulations.
       ``(3) Award size limit.--The Administration may not award 
     an entity more than $250,000 in grant funds under this 
     subsection.
       ``(4) Authority.--Subject to amounts approved in advance in 
     appropriations Acts and separate from amounts approved to 
     carry out the program established in subsection (a)(1), the 
     Administration may make grants or enter into cooperative 
     agreements to carry out this subsection.
       ``(5) Authorization.--There is authorized to be 
     appropriated not more than $2,500,000 for the purposes of 
     carrying out this subsection for each of the fiscal years 
     2010 and 2011.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Velazquez) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 1845, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 1845, introduced by Representative Schock, 
which would modernize the Nation's Small Business Development Centers, 
and I would like to take the opportunity to commend the gentleman for 
his great work on this important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, in today's challenging business environment, 
entrepreneurial assistance is a critical tool for the success of a 
small business. After all, even in good times, starting and running a 
small business is no easy lift. In fact, businesses that receive this 
kind of help are twice as likely to succeed.
  During economic downturns, Small Business Development Centers are 
critical to help aspiring entrepreneurs get their ventures off the 
ground. The SBDC program is an important resource for both new 
entrepreneurs and more established small business owners. H.R. 1845 
builds on this successful model, improving existing initiatives and 
giving entrepreneurs the tools they need to flourish.
  In this bill, we streamline the SBDC program, taking important steps 
to develop new service offerings for small businesses. One example is 
the bill's access to capital program for aspiring entrepreneurs that 
need to secure capital and repair damaged credit. By connecting these 
entrepreneurs and displaced workers with seed money, this initiative 
will help get more ventures off the ground. For more established firms, 
this legislation will help businesses tap into the booming Federal 
marketplace.
  Billions of stimulus dollars are now in play, making the Federal 
Government an even better customer for small businesses. In order to 
assist small firms in winning Federal contracts, this bill establishes 
a new procurement program. This will enable SBDCs to work with local 
agencies in identifying suitable small business contracts.
  Mr. Speaker, SBDCs are important resources for expert information and 
business development assistance for small firms. This legislation will 
make sure they are running at full capacity, giving entrepreneurs 
powerful tools to invest in their own success. With a renewed emphasis 
on entrepreneurship, the Nation can emerge from the current recession 
stronger and more resilient. This bill is an important step in allowing 
that to happen, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 1845, legislation that I introduced earlier 
this year to help modernize the Small Business Development Center 
programs, often referred to as SBDCs, with the resources they need to 
deal with increased demand and usage during this difficult time.
  First, I would like to thank Chairwoman Velazquez for her leadership 
and work on this important Small Business Committee and also Ranking 
Member Graves for working together with me to move this important piece 
of legislation through the committee and now here on the House floor.
  Nationwide, the over 1,000 SBDCs serve as important and informative 
resources for growing small businesses. SBDCs provide emerging 
entrepreneurs with the tools needed to successfully take their small 
business concepts into reality. Additionally, they provide existing 
small business owners with important financial and budgeting consulting 
to assist in long-term growth and management. The investments made into 
the SBDC network provide a cost-effective way to help grow the economy 
while also enhancing American competitiveness.

                              {time}  1045

  Let us look at the facts. A new business is opened by an SBDC client 
every 41 minutes. A new job is created in the United States by an SBDC 
client every 7 minutes. And, in 2007, Small Business Development Center 
clients created over 70,000 new full-time jobs. With the recent 
unemployment figures over 10 percent nationwide, more and more small 
businesses are investing and visiting their local SBDCs seeking advice 
on how to best manage their companies.
  As such, I am pleased this House is considering H.R. 1845 today. This 
legislation will do a great deal to continue to help develop the 
resources and programs our small business owners depend on. 
Additionally, H.R. 1845 makes several operational changes to the SBDC 
program to eliminate waste, fraud, and duplicative programs within the 
SBDCs.
  Lastly, I am encouraged by the provisions in this legislation which 
will reward SBDCs which focus on access to credit and capital for small 
businesses. Everyone understands that the economic rebound for our 
country will be directly related to the growth and fortune of our 
Nation's small businesses. Their access to credit and capital is 
essential not only to keep them in business today but also for future 
expansion, growth, and investment within their business.
  This body voices its continued backing of the important support 
system on which our Nation's small businesses truly rely by passing 
H.R. 1845. I urge passage.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Shimkus) for such time as he may consume.
  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I again come down on the floor. It is a 
good time to talk about jobs and the economy and the importance of what 
the

[[Page H12476]]

Small Business Committee here does. I applaud my colleague from 
Illinois for addressing the Small Business Development Centers because, 
guess what, they are going to be needed. They are going to be needed to 
help train and find jobs when we have this massive loss of jobs that 
will occur because of the Democrat health care bill.
  Don't take my word for it, take the word of Christina Romer, who is 
the adviser to the President. She says that the Democrat bill would 
impose $150 billion in taxes on businesses who cannot afford to finance 
their workers' health coverage. So what will happen, these employees 
will be laid off. People will lose their jobs to try to make the 
payment on the new tax that is going to be burdened by this bill.
  CBO confirmed this tax on jobs could reduce, and CBO is the 
Congressional Budget Office, nonpartisan, they confirmed this tax on 
jobs could reduce the hiring of low-wage workers and could also lead to 
wage stagnation as wage compensation is diverted to comply with new 
Federal taxes and mandates. Roemer indicates that as many as 5.5 
million jobs could be lost. So we are really going to need these SBDCs, 
and we will need them to be current to help find positions for these 
displaced workers.
  This Democrat Affordable Health Care for America Act will destroy 
jobs, hundreds of billions in taxes on businesses. In addition to the 
tax on jobs, the Democrat health care bill includes nearly half a 
trillion dollars in other taxes, including a surtax, more than half of 
those whose intended targets are small businesses.
  So as the Small Business Committee is bringing bills to the floor, 
they ought to be worried about what is reported today, 10.2 percent 
unemployment. But, no, we are not talking about how to create jobs on 
the floor of this House. We are talking about how to destroy jobs by 
new regulations, new taxation, hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes 
on businesses. H.R. 3962, the Democrat health bill, includes nearly 
half a trillion dollars in other taxes, including a surtax, more than 
half whose intended targets are small businesses. Imposing a total of 
$729.5 billion in higher taxes on a struggling economy would be a 
recipe for years, if not decades, of prolonged stagnation.
  So I appreciate the time from my colleague. We are going to need 
these Small Business Development Centers because of the massive tax 
regulatory regime being passed by Democrats on the floor of this House 
which will continue to destroy jobs, not create jobs.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.
  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree, based on the 
current climate here in our country, it is always a good time to invest 
in our small businesses but especially now with unemployment at an all-
time high. Once again, I appreciate the work of Members on both sides 
of the aisle.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would yield to my other good friend from 
the great State of Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) for such time as he may 
consume.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, today, we are considering a lot of bills, 
good bills, to help out small business people. But I find it ironic 
that at the same time we pass more programs and try to fund what is out 
there, the same Congress continues to pass, one after the other, job-
killing bills. We can start with cap-and-trade that will kill millions 
and millions of jobs across this country.
  The largest city in the congressional district I represent, Rockford, 
Illinois, is close to 17 percent unemployment. One out of four families 
in Rockford is on public assistance. No news has hit that city in a 
long time, but the news from Washington is we want to raise your taxes, 
give you more regulations, and here we are on the eve of passing one of 
the biggest small business job-killing bills, this massive so-called 
health care reform bill that will put between 4 and 5 million people 
out of work, small businesses.
  There is something wrong in this city that says it wants to help the 
small business people and turns right around, and the very people that 
the majority in this Congress say that they want to help, they are 
hurting, making them bleed with regulation after regulation, tax 
increase after tax increase, mandate after mandate, penalty after 
penalty.
  I was raised in small business. When I was 4, my father bought a 
small grocery store in the rough-and-tough part of Rockford, Illinois; 
and he personally grubstaked. That is, he gave credit to thousands of 
people coming in from the displaced persons camps of Eastern Europe and 
people coming from Arkansas with the massive crop failures. All we know 
is small business.
  He went from the grocery store business into the drive-in restaurant 
business and the family Italian restaurant business. After awhile, my 
brother, who ran the restaurant business for 41 years, said, Donnie, 
all I do is work for the government and for higher insurance premiums.
  He and the people and the rest of the Frankie Manzullos out there 
shouldn't have to go to another government agency and beg for help. 
This city should be recognizing the fact that the best way to help the 
small business people is not to suck $544 billion in taxes from people 
working in small businesses. Because, Mr. Speaker, what we are doing 
here is, by raising taxes on these small business people, this money is 
going to the government which squanders it, as opposed to the money 
staying in the private sector, which is used to keep the businesses 
going, to nurture them, and create more businesses.
  The city has it all wrong. No wonder the people of America are upset. 
No wonder there is a revolution going on, with the small businessmen 
saying, We can't take it anymore. We don't want any more help from 
Washington. Just leave us alone.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is kind of ironic that the previous gentleman spoke 
about the impact of health care on small businesses, but for the 10-
plus years that they were in the majority, we saw double digits in 
terms of premiums going up, and they didn't provide any vision, any 
leadership, any legislation to deal with the unsustainable health care 
costs that small businesses were suffering from.
  And then, the gentlemen from Illinois, let me just remind him that 
last week we passed a bill, H.R. 3854, which provides $44 billion in 
financing and investment for small businesses. It is quite ironic that 
he comes to the floor to speak on small businesses and how we are 
impacting small businesses, but let me remind that, in the last 10 
years, the other side, all they cared about was providing tax breaks 
for the wealthiest people in this country, not for small businesses. 
And, today, we are passing four bills under suspension. In fact, more 
bills than he passed in the years that he was the chairman of the Small 
Business Committee.
  I welcome the debate on health care, and for that we will have time 
tomorrow.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Manzullo) for such time as he may consume.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, there is no irony here. When the 
Republicans controlled this body, on two different occasions we passed 
association health plans only to have them fail in the Senate because 
there weren't 60 votes.
  And I believe on three different occasions when the Republicans 
controlled the House of Representatives, we passed meaningful medical 
liability reform. That wasn't even taken up in the Senate. It wasn't 
taken up in the Senate, even though the Republicans controlled the 
Senate because you needed 60 votes to get it through.
  And we had to fight tooth and nail to eliminate the horrible death 
tax that destroyed small businesses. In fact, some of the statistics 
show that three out of four small businesses could not go down beyond 
three generations because of the confiscatory death tax. And farmers 
were losing their farms. I know. I practiced law in the country for 22 
years, and I was there when one of the family farms had to be sold to 
pay for death tax.
  We got those changes through. It was difficult, but we got those 
changes through.
  And of course we know what is going to happen now. Neither the White 
House nor the Democratic leadership is interested in making sure that 
the death tax stays repealed in this country.

[[Page H12477]]

                              {time}  1100

  These are all job killers for small business people.
  It doesn't make sense for us to continue to pass bill after bill 
after bill after bill to laud the efforts of the small business people 
of this country, to say that without the small businesses--the ones who 
produce more than 57 percent of all the employees in this country--why 
is it that they will be the beneficiaries of the lack of capital that 
is sucked up on $454 billion worth of new taxes--yes, on those, the 
third wealthiest, if you want to call it that, that make more than 
$250,000 a year?
  But instead of paying money in taxes, they would be putting that 
money back into keeping their businesses going and helping their 
employees keep their jobs.
  I have visited hundreds, hundreds of factories across the district 
that I represent, several parts of Illinois, talking to the people who 
own these factories, trying to find out what is it that they need so 
they can continue to be more productive. And what I hear from them is 
the fact that they want to be left alone by Washington. They look at 
what this cap-and-trade will do to them--and this is a valid debate, 
we're talking about helping small business people--but they look at 
what cap-and-trade will do to the factories, to the productivity, to 
push more jobs offshore.
  In fact, we got a call from a national company that has employees all 
over the country that has a call center, a series of call centers. To 
keep the jobs in this country, they decided to close the physical 
facilities and to allow the people to work from home part-time to make 
those phone calls, to keep the call centers here in America as opposed 
to being exported overseas. The people from one of these call centers 
says, If this health bill passes mandating health insurance for part-
time employees, it's easy for them, they will close their facilities, 
and 50,000 more jobs will be exported overseas.
  This doesn't help the small businesses of this country. What we need 
is to start retracting these regulations. What we need to do is to 
start reducing the taxes. What we need to do is to make it easier for 
people to have the capital.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. I continue to reserve, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. SCHOCK. May I inquire as to how much time is remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Holden). The gentleman from Illinois has 
4\1/2\ minutes remaining, and the gentlewoman from New York has 15\1/2\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my good friend from 
California (Mr. Gary G. Miller).
  Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California. Thank you for yielding.
  We have been led to believe that the AMA, the doctors, now support 
this health care bill that is before us today, and the board of 
directors was somehow coerced to come out publicly and say they do. But 
the AMA House of Delegates Conference is convening today in Houston, 
Texas. It's made up of elected representatives from across the country. 
These representative doctors represent members of the AMA within their 
region. They meet to vote on policy issues affecting their doctors. 
They believe this was an unauthorized vote before the delegates 
arrived, that the board of directors should not have taken this vote.
  Today, the AMA doctors are circulating a petition requesting a vote 
of ``no confidence'' against the board of directors of the AMA. I 
repeat again, the doctors and delegates of the AMA believe this vote of 
their board was unauthorized, it should not have taken place prior to 
their convening, and there is a petition being circulated today by 
doctors who are extremely angry that their board would have taken this 
position.
  There are thousands of delegates meeting today in Houston who never 
had an opportunity to even voice an opinion or a concern or even have 
the light of day shine on this issue before they convened, before their 
board took this decision.
  I believe that AARP should be absolutely ashamed of coming out and 
voting for a bill that is against the interest of their people. I have 
over 70,000 Medicare-eligible seniors in my district; $500,000-plus 
dollars of cuts to Medicare. Now, many individuals in my district love 
the concept of Medicare Advantage. They say it's a great program, it 
covers things that they need covered, and there is no other opportunity 
for them to get this type of coverage. $170 billion in cuts to Medicare 
Advantage: that's not waste, fraud and abuse; that's cuts to Medicare 
Advantage--$23.9 billion in cuts to skilled nursing facilities, $143.6 
billion in cuts to hospitals, skilled nursing rehabilitation 
facilities, psychiatric hospitals and hospice cares. Again, $143.6 
billion in cuts to the very hospitals that Medicare recipients need to 
go to.
  They need to look at this bill and say, Is this good for the people 
of this country? We were told that if we passed this huge stimulus 
bill, unemployment would not go above 8 percent. We are at 10.2 percent 
today. In reality, it's about 17.5 percent when you figure the 
individuals who are discouraged and have given up trying to get a job. 
The underemployed people who have part-time jobs that would love to 
have a full-time job, they are not being considered. They need to be 
taken into consideration. This bill destroys jobs in our Nation.
  These are letters from business people within my district that I've 
received in this last week that say it is going to kill jobs in our 
communities. The Orange County Department of Education, I received a 
letter from them today saying many jobs in education will be 
eliminated. ``I firmly believe that if Congress passes the proposed 
health care legislation that many jobs in education will be eliminated. 
Passing this legislation in this form will have a tremendous impact on 
students, their education, and the workforce in Orange County.'' Even 
one franchise dealer with Pizza Hut says it will cost him $3.5 million 
each year, on an annual basis, $3.5 million.
  You need to say, what are we doing in this country when doctors who 
are delegates representing other doctors are livid at this bill saying 
we are being accused of supporting something we do not support.
  Let's see how this vote goes. Let's see if they will even allow this 
vote to come to fruition tomorrow as it should. But think of the people 
we're supposed to be helping that we're going to hurt.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Illinois has 30 seconds 
remaining.
  Mr. SCHOCK. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the cooperation of our members 
on this committee on this important piece of legislation. With 
unemployment at an all-time high, it is now more than ever important 
for us to invest in our SBDCs, to support our small businesses, to 
expand their access to credit and capital, thus allowing them to keep 
their doors open and invest and expand their businesses, employing more 
Americans.
  Now more than ever it is important to pass H.R. 1845, and I urge 
passage and a ``yes'' vote by all Members.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1845, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________