[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 5 (Thursday, January 10, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H364-H365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
the small business development centers located throughout my district 
and throughout the country. These development centers are Statewide, 
nationally accredited programs that provide one-on-one consulting, 
training, and information resources to empower new and existing small 
businesses.
  They are a public-private partnership between the Small Business 
Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce and Economic 
Development, and universities and colleges across the Commonwealth.
  Clarion University and Penn State both have fantastic small business 
development centers whose mission is to provide entrepreneurs with the 
knowledge needed to make smart decisions and to see their businesses 
grow and prosper.
  Over the past few months, I have received many letters in support of 
small business development centers from constituents who have utilized 
these services to start or maintain a small business of their own.
  Lisa from Smethport wrote that, after growing up working in her 
family's restaurant, it had always been a dream to operate her own 
restaurant. Through the help of the Clarion University Small Business 
Development Center, her dream became a reality.
  Joseph from Punxsutawney worked with the center to help manage his 
business's financial records and receive a line of credit. He wrote 
that the information and advice they provided helped him make critical 
business decisions with confidence.
  And Emily from Franklin recently opened up a charming bed and 
breakfast after working with the development center staff to write up a 
business plan and organize the financial aspects of her business. She 
hopes to continue working with the development center and said she 
truly feels as though they want her to succeed.
  Mr. Speaker, these are just some of the stories I have received, and 
I thank all of my constituents that took the time to share their 
stories with me. The success stories of small business owners that work 
with development centers are endless. They have greatly helped economic 
progress in my district.
  The Clarion University center helped start up 55 new businesses in 
2017 and supported more than 500 constituents.
  Nationally, small businesses make up 99.7 percent of U.S. employer 
firms. In 2018, there were more than 30 million small businesses that 
employed 58 million people.
  The development center program, operated through the Small Business 
Administration, was allocated $130 million for fiscal year 2018. 
Through the continued funding of small business development centers, 
paired with the passage of probusiness legislation like the Tax Cuts 
and Jobs Act, entrepreneurship can continue to thrive in Pennsylvania 
and all across this country.
  Mr. Speaker, that is something every American can applaud and that we 
should be proud of.

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