[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17746]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. LEE TERRY

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 14, 2009

  Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership 
standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information 
regarding an earmark I received as part of H.R. 3170--Financial 
Services and General Government Appropriations Act of 2010. Nebraska's 
Micro-Enterprise Center at The University of Nebraska at Omaha, located 
at 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182, will receive $250,000 from the 
Small Business Administration out of the ``salaries and expenses'' 
account in order to establish the technical, knowledge, and support 
infrastructure needed to foster growth of microenterprises through 
effective application of information technologies. The Program includes 
facilities in a central lab to develop and maintain a repository of 
technology-based solutions to business problems encountered by micro-
enterprises. These base solutions, ranging from simple how-to tutorials 
to fully configured ``business in a box'' servers hosted on a cloud 
computing (internet based) infrastructure, that will be customized to 
meet the needs of individual microenterprises. Funds will also support 
additional curriculum development at UNO in Information Technology for 
Development, including distance learning options. These educational 
opportunities will develop a well trained workforce to further support 
the micro-enterprise owner's needs and sustain the communities of 
micro-enterprises needed for economic development in Nebraska.
  The Program will also support mobile labs used by specially trained 
UNO students who will work on location with the micro-entrepreneurs to 
provide customized technology-based solutions to pressing business 
problems. This project trains micro-enterprise owners how to use 
information technology effectively by providing immediate and 
accessible, needs-based information systems training, technical 
assistance and operations and development services to micro-
enterprises. Micro-enterprise owners, gaining the skills and knowledge 
necessary to use information technology to grow their businesses, will 
learn to access new customers and markets, achieve administrative 
efficiencies, learn how to improve their businesses and increase 
productivity.
  The PIs and this project have a well established track record of 
working with micro-enterprises that are most in need and enabling them 
to show measurable improvements. This includes working closely with 
multiple community partners. 37 microenterprises that were selected 
from a larger pool are presently being actively supported. This project 
is different from the other micro-enterprise assistance programs in 
that it addresses the needs of the majority of micro-entrepreneurs by 
providing them with the ability to use information technology to grow 
their businesses. Additionally, instruments are being developed and 
used to assess the effects of our training, technology and trust 
building interventions on the economic, human and social development of 
micro-entrepreneurs in the underserved communities of Omaha. After a 
well established IT, knowledge and community infrastructure is in place 
approval will be pursued for Center status within the University. 
Continued educational offerings of developed curricula will sustain 
development of a trained workforce and microenterprise communities. 
Efforts for program research, innovation, expansion and assessment 
purposes will be supplemented by external funding.
  In January 2005, Governor Heineman reported to the Legislature on the 
Nebraska Micro-enterprise Development Act that 87 percent of Nebraska's 
businesses are micro-enterprises and they accounted for 22 percent of 
Nebraska's job growth. Many of Nebraska's most successful businesses 
(e.g., Cabela's, ConAgra) began as micro-enterprises. Since many rural 
and inner city communities lack the resources and infrastructure for 
industrial development, micro-enterprises are the only choice for 
economic development. Despite its effectiveness and track record, 
Nebraska's micro-enterprise development system is grossly underfunded, 
according to a recent report to the Unicameral by the Nebraska Rural 
Development Commission. As with businesses of any size, the performance 
of micro-enterprises can be enhanced through the effective and 
strategic use of information technology. This project will provide 
Nebraska micro-enterprises with an accelerated platform and support for 
increasing their technological competitiveness, innovation and spur job 
growth.

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