[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13837]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           CONGRATULATING SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

  Mr. FRIST. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Small 
Business Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
165, and the Senate now proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 165) congratulating the Small 
     Business Development Centers of the Small Business 
     Administration on their 25 years of service to America's 
     small business owners and entrepreneurs.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the 
table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 165) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 165

       Whereas in 1980, Congress established the Small Business 
     Development Center program to deliver management and 
     technical assistance counseling and provide educational 
     programs to prospective and existing small business owners;
       Whereas over the last 25 years, the Small Business 
     Development Center network counseled and trained more than 
     11,000,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs, helping 
     small businesses start and grow and create jobs in the United 
     States;
       Whereas the Small Business Development Centers exemplify 
     the partnership between private sector institutions of higher 
     education and Government, working together to support small 
     businesses and entrepreneurship;
       Whereas the Small Business Development Centers have been a 
     critical partner in the start-up and growth of the Nation's 
     small businesses;
       Whereas in 2004, the Small Business Development Centers 
     counseled and trained approximately 750,000 new and existing 
     small businesses;
       Whereas the Small Business Development Centers deliver 
     specialized assistance through a network of 63 lead centers 
     and more than 1,100 service locations, in all 50 States, the 
     District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
     and American Samoa;
       Whereas the Small Business Development Centers provide 
     assistance tailored to the local community and the needs of 
     the client, including counseling and training on financial 
     management, marketing, production and organization, 
     international trade assistance, procurement assistance, 
     venture capital formation, and rural development, among other 
     services that improve the economic environment in which small 
     businesses compete;
       Whereas in 2003, the Small Business Development Center's 
     in-depth counseling helped small businesses generate nearly 
     $6,000,000,000 in revenues and save an additional 
     $7,000,000,000 in sales;
       Whereas in 2003, the Small Business Development Centers 
     helped create and retain over 163,000 jobs across the United 
     States; and
       Whereas the Small Business Development Centers proudly 
     celebrate 25 years of service to America's small business 
     owners and entrepreneurs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the Small Business Development Centers of 
     the Small Business Administration on their 25 years of 
     service to America's small business owners and entrepreneurs;
       (2) recognizes their service in helping America's small 
     businesses start, grow, and flourish; and
       (3) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to the Association for Small 
     Business Development Centers for appropriate display.

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