[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 2997]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 EXTENSION OF CERTAIN AUTHORITIES OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Small 
Business and Entrepreneurship Committee be discharged from further 
consideration of H.R. 434 and the Senate then proceed to its 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 434) to provide for an additional temporary 
     extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the 
     Small Business Investment Act of 1958 through December 31, 
     2007, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I understand there is an amendment at the 
desk. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered agreed 
to; the bill, as amended, be read three times, passed; the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table; the title amendment be agreed to; 
and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record, 
without intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is my understanding that the 
authorization of these small business programs expires tomorrow. The 
bill before us, H.R. 434, was received in the Senate on January 18. I 
don't understand why the committee has waited until the day before the 
program expires to act. If we amend this bill and send it back to the 
House, they will not be able to act before these programs expire.
  It is my understanding that if we allow this authorization to lapse, 
it will result in the dissolution of the SBA's Advisory Committee on 
Veterans Business Affairs. This committee serves veteran entrepreneurs 
by formulating, executing, and promoting policies that assist veterans 
seeking to start and develop small businesses. I cannot imagine why we 
would want to dissolve the committee designed to assist veterans who 
want to start their own small businesses.
  Accordingly, I ask the Senator to modify the unanimous consent 
request to omit the Senate amendment and instead pass a bill clean so 
that it may go directly to the President for his signature.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, in responding to my friend, Senators Kerry 
and Snowe, who are the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on 
Small Business, have indicated there are a lot of matters relating to 
small business jurisdiction that need to be completed forthwith. They 
are going to work on this next week and hope to have something done 
very quickly, but this gives them an opportunity to deal with the 
House, which, I am told, basically did not confer with them at all 
during the work they did over there, and they should have done that.
  I say again, Senators Kerry and Snowe understand the importance of 
this issue. They also know there are many other things depending on 
their raising this as an issue at this time.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if I may, I have been informed by 
Senator Snowe, with all due respect to the majority leader, that is not 
her view. It may well be the view of Senator Kerry, but it is not the 
view of Senator Snowe.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we are checking at this time with Senator 
Kerry to see if we can work something out on this small business 
matter. In the meantime, we will move to another important issue that 
is before the Senate.

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