[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H6097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5849) to provide for an additional temporary extension of
programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment
Act of 1958, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5849
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF
PROGRAMS UNDER THE SMALL BUSINESS ACT AND THE
SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT ACT OF 1958.
(a) In General.--Section 1 of the Act entitled ``An Act to
extend temporarily certain authorities of the Small Business
Administration'', approved October 10, 2006 (Public Law 109-
316; 120 Stat. 1742), as most recently amended by section 1
of Public Law 111-162 (124 Stat. 1129), is amended by
striking ``July 31, 2010'' each place it appears and
inserting ``September 30, 2010''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall take effect on July 30, 2010.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
New York (Ms. Velazquez) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Westmoreland) 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
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
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.
In every previous recession, small businesses have been central to
our economic recovery. The Small Business Administration has an
important role to play in giving businesses tools they need to succeed.
Technical assistance programs operated by the SBA provide critical
expertise in everything from writing a business plan, to finding new
customers, to marketing a product.
{time} 1340
While our Nation's financial landscape has improved, many small firms
cannot find the financing they need. To bridge this gap, the agency's
lending programs put over $15 billion into the economy, making them the
single largest source of long-term capital. So that entrepreneurs can
better tap into the Federal marketplace, there is also assistance to
help businesses navigate our government's procurement process. Taken
together, this portfolio of services can empower small businesses to
create new jobs and accelerate our recovery.
Since the start of this Congress, the House has passed 16 bills to
strengthen and modernize the SBA initiatives. However, before these
programs are fully updated, they must be extended. This legislation
ensures these programs keep operating.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTMORELAND. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the gentlelady from New York,
the chairlady's request to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 5849, a bill
to provide a 2-month extension of the Small Business Administration's
core programs through September 30, 2010. The previous extension that
passed last April will expire at the end of this week.
In this tough economy, small businesses need all the help they can
get. However, as the economic downturn has continued, entrepreneurs
have lost the support they need from Congress and the administration to
help them do what they do best--create jobs and opportunities. Instead
of listening to the needs of the small business community, Congress has
continued along with the destructive course of tax increases,
government expansion, massive deficits, and job-killing regulations.
Mr. Speaker, as we move toward extending these SBA programs, yet
again a temporary effort to shore up our economy and small businesses,
we must remember that uncertainty is the enemy of growth. Certain
legislative and regulatory proposals that have been considered in
Congress lately have injected a tremendous amount of certainty into our
markets, uncertainty into our markets. This ambiguity creates unique
difficulties for entrepreneurs. It makes them less willing to take
risk, to expand operations, or hire new workers.
Entrepreneurs have created nearly 70 percent of all new jobs in the
U.S. in recent years. We can all agree that their contributions to our
economy and job force will be what will lead us to our recovery. It's
time to show our small business owners that we recognize and support
this central role they play in our economy. We can do so by approving
this temporary extension of SBA programs, and then we must continue our
work by crafting and implementing a more thoughtful and complete
reauthorization of these critical programs.
I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the gentlelady
from New York for her leadership in the small business committee. Her
determination to work for the betterment of America's small businesses
has allowed us to produce numerous pieces of bipartisan legislation
that have reauthorized and modernized the SBA in these programs.
Although we have not yet been able to successfully negotiate a
compromise between our bills in what have previously passed the House
and those that the Senate has passed, I remain confident that we will
reach an agreement soon and look forward to working with the chairwoman
to that end.
Again, I thank the chairwoman for her leadership and support her
request to pass H.R. 5849, and I urge all Members to vote for the
measure.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. 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. 5849.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________