[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 4, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1749-E1751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




MOTION TO CONCUR IN THE SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 2608 ``SMALL BUSINESS 
                   PROGRAM EXTENSION AND REFORM ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 4, 2011

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
motion to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 2608, ``The Small 
Business Program Extension and Reform Act of 2011'' which provides for 
an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business 
Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. This amendment has 
rectified a job killing flaw that was present in the previous version 
of this bill. Finally, we have a relatively clean continuing resolution 
that does not contain any of the job killing riders that I alongside my 
Democratic colleagues fought so hard against.
  Mr. Speaker the bill before us today is an attempt to reach a much 
needed compromise in the nick of time. By passing this bill today we 
will enable the government to remain open and continuing to serve the 
needs of the American people. At a time when the central issue before 
our country should be jobs and the creation of jobs to advance our 
economy. We keep retuning to measures that result in inaction and today 
we have done what the American people expect, found common ground. 
However, we lost a lot of precious time that should have been focused 
on jobs. Instead, we spent weeks on portions of this measure that were 
not going to garner support.
  The current Continuing Resolution would extend the FY 2011 
discretionary funding level at approximately 98.5 percent for agencies 
and programs through November 18 of this year. This approximate 1.5 
percent cut seeks to bring the level of funding in line with the Budget 
Control Act, which capped FY 2012 discretionary spending at $1.043 
trillion. It also contains various anomalies, including: keeping the 
postal service solvent through Nov. 18; extending flood insurance 
through Nov. 18; cutting funding for Overseas Contingency Operations 
(Pakistan, Afghanistan); giving DC access to its local funds; 
authorizing DHS to work on national special security events; and 
renewing import restrictions against Burma.
  I have consistently implored my colleagues to come to the aid of 
Americans as they have always done during times of natural disaster. 
This measure now provides $2.65 billion, a number which OMB Director 
Jack Lew has said should be sufficient through Nov. 18. Additionally, 
it requires the Homeland Security Department to provide a full 
accounting of disaster relief funding requirements for FY 2012 no later 
than 15 days after the date of enactment, and to provide an account of 
their requirements to meet the department's needs in FY 2013 in the 
President's budget request next year. It also extends, through Nov. 18,

[[Page E1750]]

parts of the flood insurance program, including the extension of 
potential new contracts for flood insurance under the National Flood 
Insurance Program. Finally we as a body are reflecting the level of 
compassion that the American people have come to expect. We have 
stopped using Disaster Relief funding as a political football; and 
instead addressing the needs of Americans who find themselves the 
victims of unforeseeable natural disasters.
  I hope that this is a reflection that now is not the time to trample 
on the needs of small business owners. Now is not the time to delay 
assistance to those who need support from FEMA. Now is the perfect time 
to come together for a partisan position that would only have caused 
more Americans to suffer while they have to wait on Congress to find 
balance. Now is the time for balance and reason.
  Small businesses have long been the bedrock of our nation's economy. 
Even with the advent of modern-day multi-national corporations most of 
our day-to-day purchases take place at ``mom and pop'' small 
businesses. Small businesses need access to loans and other lines of 
credit in order to build their businesses and create jobs. They are the 
life blood of our economy. These businesses, the ``mom and pop'' shops 
across our nation are no longer being held hostage by my colleagues 
across the aisle at the expense of jobs.
  At a time when our nation needs every single job we can create. 
Before us is finally a measure that would allow small businesses to get 
the support they need. We need job creation to help families survive on 
smaller and smaller pay checks.
  As the Representative for Houston, which suffered severe damage in 
2008 as a result of Hurricane Ike, I understand the importance of clean 
up and rebuilding in the wake of natural disaster. Federal Emergency 
Management Administration, FEMA, addresses the challenges our 
communities face when we are confronted with a catastrophic event or a 
domestic terrorist attack. It is important for people to understand 
that our capacity to deal with hurricanes directly reflects our ability 
to respond to a terrorist attack in Texas or New York, an earthquake in 
California, or a nationwide pandemic flu outbreak.
  We must continue to fund disaster relief. These are unforeseeable 
events. The devastating hurricanes we have had in Texas in recent years 
is a perfect example. Our federal response to those events in the past 
only demonstrates a need for significant and consistent improvement. 
During Hurricane Katrina, there were insufficient quantities of 
generators, forcing hospitals to evacuate patients. Local governments 
waited days for commodities like ice, water, MREs, and blue tarps. 
Evacuees from Texas arrived in Shreveport and Bastrop shelters that 
were grossly unfit for occupancy, and 2,500 people were forced to use 
the same shower facility.
  We must prepare our first responders with the best information and 
training to quickly analyze and share information to understand alerts 
and warning systems, evacuation planning, mission assignments to other 
agencies, contingency contracting, pre-staged resources, Regional 
Hurricane Plans and exercises, communications support, citizen 
preparedness, disaster housing, and long-term recovery planning. In 
order to accomplish this we must fund FEMA, not at the expense of Small 
business but because Americans come together at times of crisis. This 
should be what it has always been emergency funding.
  Emergency preparedness is not the exclusive responsibility of the 
federal government or individual agencies within it. State and local 
officials, nonprofit organizations, private sector businesses, and 
individual citizens must all contribute to the mission in order for our 
nation to succeed at protecting life and property from disasters. 
Recovery and mitigation are critical to protecting communities from 
future threats, and our ability to respond will suffer if we do not 
focus attention and resources on those missions.
  On any given day the City of Houston faces a widespread and ever-
changing array of threats, such as: terrorism, organized crime, natural 
disasters and industrial accidents. Cities and towns across the nation 
face these and other threats. Indeed, every day, ensuring the security 
of the homeland requires the interaction of multiple Federal 
departments and agencies, as well as operational collaboration across 
Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments, 
nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. This 
collaboration and cooperation undergirds our security posture at our 
borders and ports, our preparedness in our communities, and our ability 
to effectively react to crises. Consider the devastation that was 
brought by the tornadoes in Alabama and the Southern United States, the 
flooding that has impacted the entire Mississippi river region, from 
Montana to Tennessee, and tornado that claimed more than l00 lives in 
Joplin, Missouri, have shown us that there are disasters we cannot 
predict, and forces of nature for which we cannot plan.
  We should not be focused on any measure that would be a job killer, 
or any measures that would be an affront to growing small businesses or 
will destroy thousands of jobs.
  I have been firmly committed to supporting small businesses and this 
legislation as written will fail to help create the jobs we need at 
this time. Moreover, 99 percent of all independent companies and 
businesses in the United States are considered small businesses. They 
are the engine of our economy, creating two-thirds of the new jobs over 
the last 15 years. America's 27 million small businesses continue to 
face a lack of credit and tight lending standards, with the number of 
small business loans down nearly 5 million since the financial crisis 
in 2008.
  According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, these small 
businesses account for 52 percent of all U.S. workers. These small 
businesses also provide a continuing source of vitality for the 
American economy. Small businesses in the U.S. produced three-fourths 
of the economy's new jobs between 1990 and 1995, and represent an entry 
point into the economy for new groups. Women, for instance, participate 
heavily in small businesses.
  The number of female-owned businesses climbed by 89 percent, to an 
estimated 8.1 million, between 1987 and 1997, and women-owned sole 
proprietorships were expected to reach 35 percent of all such ventures 
by the year 2000. Small firms also tend to hire a greater number of 
older workers and people who prefer to work part-time.
  A major strength of small businesses is their ability to respond 
quickly to changing economic conditions. They often know their 
customers personally and are especially suited to meet local needs. 
There are tons of stories of start-up companies catching national 
attention and growing into large corporations. Just a few examples of 
these types of start-up businesses making big include the computer 
software company Microsoft; the package delivery service Federal 
Express; sports clothing manufacturer Nike; the computer networking 
firm America OnLine; and ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's.
  We must always ensure that we place a high level of priority on small 
businesses. It is important that we work towards ensuring that small 
businesses receive all the tools and resources necessary for their 
continued growth and development.
  American small businesses are the heart beat of our nation. I believe 
that small businesses represent more than the American dream--they 
represent the American economy. Small businesses account for 95 percent 
of all employers, create half of our gross domestic product, and 
provide three out of four new jobs in this country.
  Small business growth means economic growth for the nation. But to 
keep this segment of our economy thriving, entrepreneurs need access to 
loans. Through loans, small business owners can expand their 
businesses, hire more workers and provide more goods and services. The 
Small Business Administration, SBA, a federal organization that aids 
small businesses with loan and programs, is a key provider of support 
to small businesses. The SBA's main loan program accounts for 30 
percent of all long-term small business borrowing in America.
  I have worked hard to help small business owners to fully realize 
their potential. That is why I support entrepreneurial development 
programs, including the Small Business Development Center and Women's 
Business Center programs. These initiatives provide counseling in a 
variety of critical areas, including business plan development, 
finance, and marketing. We must consider what impact changes in this 
appropriations bill will have on small businesses.
  There are 5.8 million minority owned businesses in the United States, 
representing a significant aspect of our economy. In 2007, minority 
owned businesses employed nearly 6 million Americans and generated $1 
trillion dollars in economic output.
  Women owned businesses have increased 20 percent since 2002, and 
currently total close to 8 million. These organizations make up more 
than half of all businesses in health care and social assistance.
  My home city of Houston, Texas is home to more than 60,000 women 
owned businesses, and more than 60,000 African American owned 
businesses.
  According to a 2009 report published by the Economic Policy 
Institute, ``Starting in 2004, the Small Business Administration, SBA, 
set goals for small business participation in federal contracts. It 
encouraged agencies to award contracts to companies owned by women, 
veterans, and minorities or those located in economically challenged 
areas and gave them benchmarks to work toward. The targets are 
specific: 23 percent of contracts to small business, 5 percent to 
women-owned small businesses, and 3 percent to disabled veteran-owned 
and HUBZone small businesses.''
  Women and minority owned businesses generate billions of dollars and 
employ millions

[[Page E1751]]

of people. They are certainly qualified to receive these contracts. A 
mandatory DOD outreach program would make women and minority owned 
businesses aware of all of the contract opportunities available to 
them.
  Facts: Small businesses are important because they:
  (1) Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms, (2) employ just 
over half of all private sector employees, (3) pay 44 percent of total 
U.S. private payroll, (4) generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the 
past 15 years, (5) create more than half of the nonfarm private gross 
domestic product, GDP, (6) hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such 
as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers), (7) are 52 percent 
home-based and 2 percent franchises, (8) made up 97.3 percent of all 
identified exporters and produced 30.2 percent of the known export 
value in FY 2007, and (9) produce 13 times more patents per employee 
than large patenting firms and twice as likely as large firm patents to 
be among the one percent most cited.
  Republicans appear to be on a mission to cut programs that help 
families and that will buttress small businesses. At a time when there 
are Americans faced with the perils which arise during cleaning up 
after a natural disaster. Now. There needs to be a balance when 
determining which programs to cut and when. A balance to finding the 
funds that will address national disasters. A balanced approach is 
important to ensuring that small businesses receive the support they 
need. We have temporarily achieved that balance in this measure.
  I stand here once again calling for measures that will advance job 
growth, create new jobs, and help small business. American families 
need measures that are job growers rather than measures that are jobs 
killers.

                          ____________________