[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 25318]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SENATE FAILS NATIVE AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I am pleased that Congress will soon 
complete it's work on the remaining fiscal year 2005 Appropriations 
measures. While this bill is not perfect, it represents an important 
and sincere effort to work in a bipartisan effort to fund the nations 
goals and priorities.
  I am, nonetheless, sincerely disappointed that extensive 
authorization language regarding the Small Business Administration was 
inappropriately inserted into this important bill. The inclusion of 
this language is a deliberate and deceptive effort to circumvent the 
legislative process. It prevents honest and important debate about 
important issues that face this Nation, and ultimately it characterizes 
an enormous failure on behalf of the bill's authors.
  A quality SBA reauthorization bill could stand on it's merits. The 
bill's authors would come to the floor and deliberate these matters 
openly. We would have an honest discussion about how to best serve the 
entrepreneurial interests of our country. We would pursue a full and 
complete review of these matters by all Members, and we would seek to 
enhance and improve the bill in every way we could.
  Unfortunately, this bill is terribly lacking. So the sponsors have 
chosen to hide it in this Omnibus Appropriations bill and walk away 
from their responsibility to the entrepreneurs of America.
  This is a shameful perversion of the legislative process. However, 
these matters will become law, not because Congress has debated and 
passed this bill on behalf of the American people, but because it was 
attached to a bill funding nearly every spending program that exists in 
the country.
  The plight of the first-Americans and reservation communities is 
among the most glaring and disappointing omissions to this SBA 
reauthorization legislation. These communities remain among the most 
disadvantaged and disenfranchised in the nation. They face significant 
barriers to investment capital, technical assistance, and related 
entrepreneurial opportunities.
  The concerns of Native Americans are not addressed in this 
legislation. Their opportunities will not be enhanced in this 
legislation. There will be no debate or discussion about initiatives to 
bring prosperity to their communities. In fact, any reference to Native 
American and tribal concerns is utterly lacking.
  This is a disturbing oversight, it is a tremendous failure, and I 
could not be more disheartened on behalf of those who continue work to 
overcome the serious challenges they face in bringing prosperity to 
their communities.

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