[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             NATIVE AMERICAN SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2001

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Native 
American Small Business Development Act. This bill will establish a 
three-year pilot project providing grants to Small Business Development 
Centers (SBDCs) for assisting the Native American, Native Alaskan, and 
Native Hawaiian populations with their small business development 
needs. The purpose is to stimulate the economies on reservation lands 
through the creation and expansion of small businesses by ensuring the 
targeted population has full access to important business counseling 
and technical assistance available through the SBDC program.
  Having traveled extensively throughout Indian Country, I can tell you 
that there is great need for such a grant program. I am pleased to 
serve as a cosponsor of this bill and I appreciate the hard work that 
my colleague, Mr. Udall, has put into bringing this important piece of 
legislation to the floor today.

                          ____________________