[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 27 (Friday, February 12, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 57--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF THE 
     WEEK OF FEBRUARY 13 THROUGH FEBRUARY 20, 2021, AS ``NATIONAL 
 ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK'' TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS 
OF ENTREPRENEURS AND STARTUPS TO THE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY OF THE UNITED 
 STATES AND THE WELL-BEING OF EVERY COMMUNITY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. Scott of South Carolina) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                               S. Res. 57

       Whereas the experiment of self-governance is a profoundly 
     entrepreneurial undertaking, grounded in the spirit of 
     freedom, adventure, and enterprise;
       Whereas the entrepreneurial spirit, which is the ability, 
     freedom, and courage to strike out on one's own and build 
     something new, is central to the identity of the United 
     States and woven into the national consciousness;
       Whereas the United States is a nation of entrepreneurs, 
     with small businesses--
       (1) comprising 99 percent of all businesses in the United 
     States; and
       (2) employing nearly half of all workers in the United 
     States;
       Whereas the Partnership for 21st Century Skills identified 
     financial, economic, business literacy, and entrepreneurship 
     skills as the types of skills students need in order to 
     enhance workplace productivity and career opportunities;
       Whereas students who participate in entrepreneurship 
     education programs have better attendance records, perform 
     better on core subjects, and have lower drop-out rates than 
     those who do not participate in those programs;
       Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has--
       (1) closed hundreds of thousands of new businesses, also 
     known as ``startups'', and small businesses, which has 
     disproportionally affected women and people of color; and
       (2) destroyed millions of jobs, heightening the urgency of 
     accelerating the post-COVID-19 recovery;
       Whereas research has demonstrated that startups--
       (1) are disproportionately responsible for the innovations 
     that drive gains in productivity, which, in turn, propel 
     economic growth; and
       (2) account for an outsized portion of net new job creation 
     in the United States;
       Whereas research has demonstrated that rates of 
     entrepreneurship in the United States have been in decline in 
     recent decades, and that this decline is occurring in all 50 
     States and across a broad range of industry sectors;
       Whereas, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United 
     States has seen an increase in startup applications as 
     individuals in the United States embody the entrepreneurial 
     spirit to respond to the crisis;
       Whereas, given the importance of a thriving entrepreneurial 
     spirit to innovation, economic growth, job creation, rising 
     wages, and expanding opportunity in the United States, the 
     circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 amount to an 
     emergency;
       Whereas reversing the decline in entrepreneurship in the 
     United States requires changes in public policy; and
       Whereas National Entrepreneurship Week will focus on 
     innovative ways in which innovation, entrepreneurship 
     communities, and policymakers in the United States can work 
     together to improve the environment for entrepreneurs in the 
     United States with the aim of--
       (1) reversing the multi-decade decline in entrepreneurship; 
     and
       (2) expanding the rate of participation among women 
     entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of February 13 through February 20, 
     2021, as ``National Entrepreneurship Week'';
       (2) celebrates the importance of entrepreneurs and startups 
     to the United States economy;
       (3) recognizes the contributions entrepreneurs make to 
     expand opportunity, provide more inclusive prosperity, and 
     increase the well-being of every community across the United 
     States;
       (4) affirms the importance and urgency of enacting policies 
     that promote, nurture, and support entrepreneurs and 
     startups; and
       (5) encourages Federal, State, and local governments, 
     schools, nonprofit organizations, and other civic 
     organizations to observe National Entrepreneurship Week 
     annually with special events and activities--
       (A) to recognize the contributions of entrepreneurs in the 
     United States;
       (B) to teach the importance of entrepreneurship to a strong 
     and inclusive economy; and
       (C) to take steps to encourage, support, and celebrate 
     future entrepreneurs.

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